The Great local dive shop vs. online debate

[Scuba T]

I bought all my gear on-line form Leisure Pro. I understand the warranty siutation as the Sea-Quest/Aqua-Lung gear I bought does not come with the manufactuers warranty, But has the same warranty as the manufacturer except it is by Leisure Pro. Biggest problem with this is IF you had a warranty claim you would have to send it in to them for service which could be a hassle. However, with the money saved this sacrafice was worth the savings.

Some threads on the board are worried about buying thier "Life Support" gear on-line. I am not because the bottom line is this is the same gear you could get at the local shop and if there was a catistropic failure of your gear the manufacturer is ultimately responisble for your injuries(given it wasn't diver error). No where in their disclaimers on the manufactuers web site does it say that the gear bought on line is not the same, or it is of inferior quality. It just refers to that they will not warranty it beacuse they require dealers to execute sales contract basically to insure that you the purchaser are in fact a certified diver.

You know that all these manufacturers know their gear is being sold on-line and secretely behind the scenes approve of it. Thousands possibly Millions of dollars of gear are are sold on line every year and if this gear was dangerous there would be an uproar in the world of diving about gear being sold on line and that is simply not the case.

So it comes down to your preference, buy on line and run the possible hassle of having to send gear back IF you had a warranty problem, or buy for your LDS, pay more for the comfort of having a local dealer do warranty work.

As far as local dealers not servicing on line purchases, how would they know where it was purchased. You could have bought in another state and just moved in for all they know. Are they not going to service gear bought from some other shop in some other state? It really should be no problem. I love my LDS, for training, tank purchases, air fills, dive trips, misc gear. But major purchases will be on line the savings is just to great. My dive shop offers discounts and free air to divers who earned certification through them as well.

Good Luck.

Terry

 

[scubabunny]

Hey Bubbles, see if your LSD will match LeisurePro pricing. Its worth a try. They might be willing to come down on their prices to make some money. If your shop is a Scubapro dealer, then I know LeisurePro pricing is above dealer pricing so they might be willing to make a smaller margin (and have a very happy customer!) then lose your business all together. Talk to the sales manager or owner about this.

I work for a Scubapro Distributor, and from what I understand, Leisurepro gets their gear through other diveshops that agree to place large orders (for quantity pricing or something) then sells to Leisurepro. I don't know about DiveInn. I do know from talking to our regional SP rep that Scubapro does NOT sell directly to LP.

However, the idea that you LDS will not service something bought over the internet is very unprofessional, in my honest opinion. If you went in the shop and started bragging about how "cheap" you bought it compared to their prices, they would probably get a bit defensive. But, you don't have to say where you bought the gear to get it serviced (if you DO...find another shop!) You will not have the warranty, so they will make more money off you (The warranty covers yearly overhaul parts...you still will have to pay for labor). Say you bought whatever from a friend and let them deal with that.

 

[scuba_adventurer]

I also am affiliated with a SCUBAPRO dive shop, and it is my understanding (from our distributor) that LP gets its gear from European distributors who do not object to it being sold online. It is the same stuff, but that being said, there are good reasons to buy from your local dive shop.

SCUBAPRO has the best regulator warranty in the business. I have never seen them turn down a claim, and I have seen some far fetched claims. They also have been very good about standing by the cosmetic defect warranty on their ultralight regs. I have seen a couple of UL Mk 20s replaced becaused of scratches.

Also, if you don't have that warranty card when you get your gear serviced, you will be charged for parts, and they are not cheap. We charge $15 for an Air2 kit, $20 for a Mk20 kit, and $20 for an S600 kit. This is on top of our normal pricing for repair. These numbers will probably be very cheap when compared with what we will have to charge for the new Mk25/S600T and TA.

Aside from the financial aspects, you will also receive those fringe benefits that come from being a friend of the shop.

 

[lildiver]

Scubabunny,
Since you work for an Scubapro dealer, can you please give me some straight info on the ScubaPro LadyHawk? I'm getting ready to purchase a new BC and I've narrowed it down between the LadyHawk and Oceanic's lady's BC. Outside of the LadyHawk not having pockets (except for the one roll-out), are there any other negatives I should know. Thanks for your input.

~lildiver

 

[scubabunny]

Hi Lildiver,

Actually, I'm taking one out for a "test dive" this weekend. Give me a day or so, and I can give you better info.

I've tried one on in the shop, and I was surprised just how comfortable it was! Normally, I hate wearing ScubaPro BCs because the backpack always hangs too low on me and hits me in the butt. But looks like they have actually made a BC with a shorter pack..which is great.

I've dove with the Isla (older model) and that was good too. The Ladyhawk is back inflation..which may take a little getting used to. And no, there aren't any pockets to speak of..but lots of places to hang things..which is nice. But, when I tried it on, I liked not being squeezed when I inflated it.

I currently have a Seaquest Diva, which is also a great BC. The DivaLux is nice too. Hey..you want to buy a used Diva real cheap? Its not orange now..kind of a black cherry (didn't leave it in the dye long enough) but it still works great!! hehe

I'll let you know what I REALLY think of the Ladyhawk.

BTW...did you get a chance to try either BC out in the pool?

 

[lildiver]

Hey Scubabunny!
I've actually tried both the LadyHawk and the Isla in the pool a couple of Sat's ago. The Ladyhawk was very comfortable (just not sure about the back inflation and the no-pockets. To me, the Isla didn't seem to fit quite as well as the LadyHawk, but has other features I really like. I'm sure both are good bc's, but since it'a quite a hunk of change for either, I want to have as much really good info as possible before I plop all that change down. I'll wait to hear your "report" from your test dive.
Thanks.

~lildiver

 

[scuba_adventurer]

I have sold a few of them, and I have gotten mixed feedback. One of the shops dm's who does not dive a lot hates hers. Her legs are more bouyant than her upper body, and it wants to put her head down in the water. I think that if she dove more she would figure the weighting out, and be fine. From what I have heard, it is a tricky bc to figure out, and you need to dive it a lot to get your weighing down.

I have had far more positive feedback on the Diva LX from SeaQuest. It is a combo flotation bc, meaning it has jacket style bladders as well as a relatively small back flotation pocket. It is a pretty neat design, and does a great job of putting you in the right position all of the time. You are heads up on the surface, and in the perfect swimming position in the water.

This is all second hand info, but I hope that it is useful to you.

 

[lildiver]

Hi scuba_adventurer,
Thanks for your info. I haven't tried the Sea Quest...I looked at it, but I'had hear more about the ScubaPro and the Oceanic. Thanks to your input, I'm gonna take another look at the Diva and perhaps give it a try in the pool. Which BC do you dive with?

~lildiver

 

[scuba_adventurer]

I am a guy, so I dive a Pro Unlimited from SeaQuest. Both my mom and my girlfriend dive Divas, though. Of the three female divemasters where I work, 2 dive the Diva and one dives the Ladyhawk. My mom does not dive very often, and she really likes the diva because of comfort. My girlfriend really likes the positioning in the water she gets. I really believe in SeaQuest BC's. I like their line a lot. I would say in my shop they outsell the Ladyhawk 8-1. They are a great seller, especially considering the $620. price tag. SeaQuest has a very ergonomic product.

 

[scubabunny]

Unfortunately, I never did get a chance to try out the LadyHawk this weekend. The boat dive I was signed up for was cancelled..and I decided to do some much needed laundry instead. So, I can't give you the "real" lowdown on the BC.

I do agree with Adventurer though..the Diva BC (and Seaquest BCs in general) are great! I LOVE my Diva QD (older model)..just left it soaking in water with a tinyyyy bit of bleach for about 2 weeks too long! (had fire ants get into my dive bag..forgot I actually poured bleach into the water..until I took it out!) Black + bleach=ORANGE!! ewwwww...

I've tried on the DivaLux. Very comforable. The only problem I had with that one is the zipper pocket on the cummerbund. For some reason, that little zipper seemed to get up under my ribcage and drove me crazy after a minute or two. Of course, I tried it on while wearing a t-shirt and not a wetsuit..so that could make a big difference.

If your main concerns are back inflation and pockets, I would take a serious look at the DivaLux. It really is sweet!

Sorry I couldn't have been more help with the LadyHawk. Maybe next week.