ScubaMax ScubaPro

[fozaloz]

Hi All,
I have a general question. I got certified many years ago and am getting back into the sport. I've got a refresher course planned and will be purchasing all new equipment. My local dive shop sells Scuba Pro Gear which appears to be very good quality. Expensive, but overall good quality. I will be doing some diving in Florida this summer and the local dive shop down there sells Scuba Max products. The price for Scuba Max is about $800 less and it appears that I am getting more equipment.

I've been a firm believer that you get what you pay, however, since I am not real familiar with either brand, are there many quality differences between the two brands that would make me not want to save the $800.00

Thanks,
Jim

 

[smorneau]

With scubapro you will get something that is high quality and great longevity and can be serviced worldwide.

 

[fozaloz]

That is very important. Have you ever heard of the other brand?

 

[oly5050user]

Many LDS will not touch the other brand when it comes to service time.

 

[dgreenh]

Most all of my training gear is Scubamax. Very durable and as functional as anything that I have ever used. The regulators breathe quite well actually. Students have provided an amazingly wide variety of abuse to equipment so it has been well tested in the field and has never failed to perform. Service could possible be an issue in some areas since Scubamax is not as widely distributed as Scubapro. Scubapro is very popular but as you have seen it is also very expensive. It depends on how much you are going to dive and how much you want to spend. I would say that most all equipment has to be safe and reliable just to prevent liability issues. There are many other equipment manufacturers out there besides Scubamax and Scubapro. Rent and try it out before you buy it. You might find something you like better somewhere in the middle of the price range.

 

[redacted]

Many LDS will not touch the other brand when it comes to service time.

True. But many LDSs will not touch Scubapro when it comes time for service either.

Most shops service only the brands they carry. Scubapro shops are among the most common brands while Scubamax may be harder to find in a given area. It is one of the issues you should consider but if you have a local Scubamax dealer (and there are also online dealers who may provide better and faster service) that need not be an overriding consideration.

 

[Krazytomdiver]

As a dive guide,I have been using Scubapro for ten years. Good quality & serviceable equipment is a must, especially traveling professionally worldwide. My kit; Mk25/S600,Blackhawk BCD,Uwatec tri-console,0.5 profile wet suit,Twin chamber snorkel,twin/split & boots have never failed me. Unfortunately my mask was crushed by a broken tank rack. Sure you can buy less expensive equipment....but why? When your life & livelyhood depends on it.

"living life without a hard bottom"
KY

 

[redacted]

As a dive guide,I have been using Scubapro for ten years. Good quality & serviceable equipment is a must, especially traveling professionally worldwide. My kit; Mk25/S600,Blackhawk BCD,Uwatec tri-console,0.5 profile wet suit,Twin chamber snorkel,twin/split & boots have never failed me. Unfortunately my mask was crushed by a broken tank rack. Sure you can buy less expensive equipment....but why? When your life & livelyhood depends on it.

"living life without a hard bottom"
KY

"When your life & livelyhood depends on it."

As far as safety is concerned, I would not expect to find any difference between Scubapro, Scubamax, or any other common brand.

But the "livelyhood" is an interesting twist and I would have to agree. A professional can probably impress more clients with a big name brand rather than an off-name brand. If this were a mechanic and you were looking at his tools, I could see this. Professional mechanics would probably favor Snap-on and Craftsman over those tools that just say "Made in Taiwan" but that involves a pretty big quality difference also. That is just not the case with the array of choice of scuba regulators.

 

[Aqua-Andy]

Good quality & serviceable equipment is a must, especially traveling professionally worldwide

And ScubaMax is not good quality and serviceable? I own a ScubaMax mask that is identical to the ScubaPro frame less but costs $100 less. Does that mean it is not as good?

Twin chamber snorkel

I don't know if I would go around bragging about purchasable a $60 snorkel.

Unfortunately my mask was crushed by a broken tank rack

If my $25 ScubaMask was crushed yes it would be broken but I would not be as upset as if it was a $125 mask.

When your life & livelyhood depends on it.

You better purchase the most expensive gear because your life is worth it. Total bull s***. If the clerk tells you this walk out as fast as you can.

Krazytomdiver how much did you pay for your ScubaPro gear? As a dive pro you probably got a keyman discount right? If I paid less for ScubaPro than the public would pay for ScubaMax I would be singing the praises of ScubaPro also.

 

[Krazytomdiver]

As a dive guide, my equipment knowledge is based on my professional experience. Walmart is open 24/7/365.

"living life without a hard bottom"
Kt