SP pricing

[ScubaSteve]

Check the warranty status. I'm fairly certain you'll need to send it back to Europe for warranty repair.

Sorry if this is a repeat (no I did not read all posts) BUT.......this does not necessarily have anything to do with the OP's question. IF the same warranty is applied to both purchases (except where to send it), then he is still comparing apples to apples. If this is the case, then he has a truly valid gripe IMO. If one is with and one without warranty, apples to oranges and no valid gripe.

To the OP, are the purchases truly apples to apples? How have you confirmed that to know that SP is in fact "sticking it to Americans"?

 

[redacted]

nowadays it looks like many companies are trying to cut costs here and there , which does not mean the equipment they produce is necessarily better

Cutting cost is a great thing - every producer should be working to do that. Then the business has to decide what to do with the savings. Cut costs to the consumer to provide a competitive edge or increase company profits, or both. Some companies market the change as a product improvement and take the opportunity to increase prices and profits. They can do that when either their competitors or their customers are fools.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

I feel that Scubaro jumped the shark back when their two top guys left to start Atomic.
After that it seems they have been scrambling to try and stay on top or at least they think they're on top.
I believe their arrogance has intoxicated them for so long and has clouded their judgement to the point of no return - IMO.

One thing they have done right, and maybe they weren't even paying attention to something so trivial, was to never stop making the Jet Fin.
That is a true classic and something that people still adore and it is as popular as ever.
I did hear from an SP dealer once that they tried many times to stop production on the jet fin but since the military was using them and demanding huge orders they couldn't stop.
Same with AL, the military is still using the all metal conshelf so they can't stop production but civilians can't get them very easily. The horse collars they still make are restricted and impossible for civilians to get.\

Maybe it takes the military to slap some sense into them?

 

[OkByMe]

I tripped over this post just browsing around, and really got into it by breezing through every page for fear I might miss something.... Well I didn't... Whats best? Ford, Chevy, Toyota.

But I own a MK25/S600 and a MK18/G250 (older one) and a few others like Sherwood. Dude! I have been diving since 1967 and have just about tried everything and I KNOW which Regulator is the best one. (who's the best pilot you ever seen?)

It is a U.S Divers calypso Mark 4, one of the first balanced piston primaries made. Don't get me wrong, I have just for the challenge of having to make my own HP seats, kept this thing alive, but it seriously puts out air relentlessly at any depth I used it. You don't need any "special" tools to rebuild it, except to use a gauge to set the intermediate pressure. The companion secondary is all metal housing, spool, lever and and a big honkin' diaphragm that makes it breath easy without free-flowing. You can push the purge button to inflate a 50lb. lift bag faster than you can with a tire inflator on a secondary line.

My head has been poking through the teeny icebergs and you can't make it freeze up, but you can freeze both the MK25 and MK17 if the S600 doesn't beat'em to it. The G250 fairs well. I have to buy new gear from time to time since I travel/dive and you are not going to get parts for olde but goodies on the road. But tearing down the others for cleaning/inspection is a class in how to make a proprietary tool to be required along with controlling parts access, a whole Semester requirement. When they tried to make them smaller with a smaller diameter diaphragm, they had to monkey around with Venturi, spiral tubes and plastic, making them breath dry and free flow.

I got the parts for life freebie with both of the Scubapro's by the way, but I do my own maintenance. In order to save the seats with all of them, I partial dis-assemble and store. They claim the seats will not memory on the S600... Well that is not what I've seen. That's why I pop it too.

 

[elan]

I tripped over this post just browsing around, and really got into it by breezing through every page for fear I might miss something.... Well I didn't... Whats best? Ford, Chevy, Toyota.

But I own a MK25/S600 and a MK18/G250 (older one) and a few others like Sherwood. Dude! I have been diving since 1967 and have just about tried everything and I KNOW which Regulator is the best one. (who's the best pilot you ever seen?)

It is a U.S Divers calypso Mark 4, one of the first balanced piston primaries made. Don't get me wrong, I have just for the challenge of having to make my own HP seats, kept this thing alive, but it seriously puts out air relentlessly at any depth I used it. You don't need any "special" tools to rebuild it, except to use a gauge to set the intermediate pressure. The companion secondary is all metal housing, spool, lever and and a big honkin' diaphragm that makes it breath easy without free-flowing. You can push the purge button to inflate a 50lb. lift bag faster than you can with a tire inflator on a secondary line.

My head has been poking through the teeny icebergs and you can't make it freeze up, but you can freeze both the MK25 and MK17 if the S600 doesn't beat'em to it. The G250 fairs well. I have to buy new gear from time to time since I travel/dive and you are not going to get parts for olde but goodies on the road. But tearing down the others for cleaning/inspection is a class in how to make a proprietary tool to be required along with controlling parts access, a whole Semester requirement. When they tried to make them smaller with a smaller diameter diaphragm, they had to monkey around with Venturi, spiral tubes and plastic, making them breath dry and free flow.

I got the parts for life freebie with both of the Scubapro's by the way, but I do my own maintenance. In order to save the seats with all of them, I partial dis-assemble and store. They claim the seats will not memory on the S600... Well that is not what I've seen. That's why I pop it too.

The older S600 had a plastic barrel and was not very good in cold water...

Newer G250V has a seat saving feature... I did not have a chance to see how it works though as I have not serviced my 250vs yet.

 

[GROBIOG]

... You can push the purge button to inflate a 50lb. lift bag faster than you can with a tire inflator on a secondary line...

Any regulator that can't put out more air than a tire inflator is a bad sign

 

[CPH]

Yea, actually I am, wanna know why? Cause i'm posting in a scuba related forum and not a gas price related forum. Anything else you are confused on please let me know.

I am confused about nothing. You wanted to know why a reg costs more in the States than Europe.
I am telling you that some things are cheaper here but some things are more expensive. Do you understand that?
I do not need ask why certain wings are more expensive here than in the states. It is called various things like supply and demand. Some people are prepared to pay the price. Transport costs. As a retailer I know that certain products have huge transport costs involved. Even accross Eurpoe. Retail importers. Some companies that import are also retailers and keep the prices high. Sometimes, as in the UK at the moment, the retailers are now hitting back at manufacturers for underhand price fixing but often it is the retailers holding the prices high.
Maybe many people look back with rose coloured glasses. Times change. If it's to high a price to pay, buy Apex or Hog.
How many people have Kent Tooling reels in the States. Not many because the import costs are to high but in the Uk they have amost legendry status.

So, before you come back with another smart arse remark, just look at all the cheap products you enjoy in your life and then see if things are really that bad for you?

 

[elan]

I am confused about nothing. You wanted to know why a reg costs more in the States than Europe.
I am telling you that some things are cheaper here but some things are more expensive. Do you understand that?
I do not need ask why certain wings are more expensive here than in the states. It is called various things like supply and demand. Some people are prepared to pay the price. Transport costs. As a retailer I know that certain products have huge transport costs involved. Even accross Eurpoe. Retail importers. Some companies that import are also retailers and keep the prices high. Sometimes, as in the UK at the moment, the retailers are now hitting back at manufacturers for underhand price fixing but often it is the retailers holding the prices high.
Maybe many people look back with rose coloured glasses. Times change. If it's to high a price to pay, buy Apex or Hog.
How many people have Kent Tooling reels in the States. Not many because the import costs are to high but in the Uk they have amost legendry status.

So, before you come back with another smart arse remark, just look at all the cheap products you enjoy in your life and then see if things are really that bad for you?

If you have ever seen the prices which an LDS gets their stuff at you will realize that your post is hardly applicable to the situation.
Shipping cost? If I can ship a single unit from europe and the reg is still 20% cheaper I do not buy into it. Warranty? This is what my friend said last weekend: "if I can buy 3 regs from europe for the price of 2 regs here... Screw the warranty"
Parts for life- not applicable to scubapro anyways...
SP is missing some things INHO... In North America the public is generally not as brand loyal as in the old world, or at least this is what I find. If they can buy another brand significantly cheaper they will... Everyone is nowadays crazy about deals and coupons and internet definitely does not help BSing the customers about how much it costs to ship the stuff across Atlantic etc etc

 

[CPH]

Elan.....I mentioned several things that retailers use to justify the costs. You have only commented on one. The shipping.
What my first post was trying to show is that every country has cheap stuff and expensive stuff.
Here we get cheaper SP equipment but it costs us almost ten times the fuel to collect it from my LDS. And as my nearest dive store with SP is 120km away, that is something that needs to be factured in when I buy something)
I actually bought my SP regs through Italy for the same as I would normally buy Apex. That is a huge discount. Infact, I bought them cheaper from a retailer in Italy than I could buy them through my own company. (Did I mention I have my own dive shop).


I agree that it it disgusting, some of the markups and the only way to reduce it is to vote with your feet. But as I said, many will still buy them as it is what the want.
And yes, as I own a dive shop, I know exactly what the mark-ups can be.
For example, I know there is a dive shop just over the boarder from me in Belguim that seels the Kent Tooling 50m reels for €159. I sell them for €114 and still make a small profit. How does he manage to sell for that price.......because he can. How many sales do you think I have taken from him?

 

[elan]

Elan.....I mentioned several things that retailers use to justify the costs. You have only commented on one. The shipping.
What my first post was trying to show is that every country has cheap stuff and expensive stuff.
Here we get cheaper SP equipment but it costs us almost ten times the fuel to collect it from my LDS. And as my nearest dive store with SP is 120km away, that is something that needs to be factured in when I buy something)
I actually bought my SP regs through Italy for the same as I would normally buy Apex. That is a huge discount. Infact, I bought them cheaper from a retailer in Italy than I could buy them through my own company. (Did I mention I have my own dive shop).


I agree that it it disgusting, some of the markups and the only way to reduce it is to vote with your feet. But as I said, many will still buy them as it is what the want.
And yes, as I own a dive shop, I know exactly what the mark-ups can be.
For example, I know there is a dive shop just over the boarder from me in Belguim that seels the Kent Tooling 50m reels for €159. I sell them for €114 and still make a small profit. How does he manage to sell for that price.......because he can. How many sales do you think I have taken from him?

While I generally agree with your statements ( I still cannot get over the fact how cheap and good wine, beer and cheese over there is compared to here), the craziness regarding SCUBA markups that I see here is very I would say disappointing. And it looks like the shops cannot do much or not willing to do much I do not know. Some do better by offering free fills with a purchase of the regulator, various trade ins etc some do not bother. I think the SP policy here in NA is not helping the LDS because many people just buy used regs instead of new, or just buy other brands, in any case SP is losing the deals.