Respected budget brands?

[RIHappyDiver]

I went through this same thing about a year ago. My wife put me on a descent, but strict, budget. Most of my shopping was done online. The one thing I purchased through the shop was my wetsuit so I could make sure I got a good fit. I found Bare to be a really good fit and a really good price.

As for a reg set, IMHO, it all depends on the type of diving you’re going to be doing, and where. I mainly dive cold, murky, New England waters, so I wanted environmentally sealed. Don’t need that for warm tropical water. I also wanted my secondary second stage to be as good as my primary. For this reason I went with Deep Six. For a complete reg set to fit those wants, they are hard to beat. That being said, most people would agree that most reg sets nowadays are pretty good.

I skimped a bit on the BC. LeisurePro has the ‘15 (or ‘14) Scubapro Light Hawk for under $300. It has 31# lift which works well for me. No real pockets, no frills, but keeps me afloat.

The Aqualung I300, or Oceanic Geo 2, will cover you all the way through Nitrox training. Both good computers, typically around $300 and $400 respectively.

Opinions will vary but this gives you some ideas to work from.

Have fun, and safe diving.

Erik

 

[drbill]

Cressi at Leisurepro

Although a reg from Leisrepro would probably be fine, I once bought a Henderson wetsuit from them that fell apart in two months. I contacted Henderson directly and they said that model was at least six years old. Henderson very nicely replaced it free of charge and I never bought anything else from Leisurepro.