What to buy, were to buy, how loyal to LDS

[ProfessorAronnax]

Most onliners are legit and back it up with quality customer service, manufacturers warranties etc. LP is kind of it's own animal, but a lot of folks here have good luck with them.

Rap

 

[scubamickey]

Scubatoys is not grey market. They are a real store in Texas who happens to also have a website. They are not in the same league with Leisurepro who, is also a real store in Manhattan, is not authorized to sell most of what they have.

I buy from my LDS, Scubatoys, and Divers Direct in FL. Delivery time to Alaska has been 3-5 days so I don't think that's a big problem.

 

[Hoosier]

What "chance" are you talking about? I don't see any more risk associated with the grey market guys like Leisurepro as any other retail source. Just don't expect the same level of service but I have never had any problem with the quality of goods. But Apeks is pretty proud of their service kits (tuna $30 a stage) so authorized dealers and free parts makes pretty good sense if you plan on annual servicing. But if you plan on wstretching the service cycle out to 2 or 3 year then the grey market guy may still make good sense. I do my own service and find it easy to stretch the life of a service kit with good care and some generic parts.

I agree with awap. The gray market item isn't a defective one. It just comes from the difference source without the manufacture warranty. If you plan to serve your own reg or sell it after a few years. It works for you... Otherwise, it had better be stick to the authorized dealer. Ebay is also good attractive source in the price wise, but you don't know what you will get, specailly in the regulator. Yeah "Been there Done that."

 

[garyfotodiver]

Gray market is gear sold outside of hte US without a factory warranty and then outfits like Leisurepro buy it up and resell it here cheap, without warranty. Just their own warranty.

Not true. "Grey market" is merchandise that is not imported through the manufacturer's official distributor in that particular company. There is nothing "bad" about it. Distributor's equipment has a warranty because the distributor has made money selling it to the retail seller. The warranty is not from the overseas manufacturer but from the distributor. In many instances, you can get the distributor in one country to honor another official distributor's warranty if you can prove that you bought the equipment in that other country.

If you go to the Helix Photo website, you will often find both "official" equipment with the US distributor's warranty listed next to "grey market" equipment that Helix warranties. Often, you can get a substantial discount with the grey stuff. Other times, the difference is not worth it.

 

[Fire_medic_RescueDiver]

Well I want to thank everyone for there input. I desided to buy my regulator from my LDS. I cost me about $50 more than LP but that was after a few emails and calls to the LDS. I bought the Apex ATX 200 but did not get Octo yet will start looking into that later.

 

[CADiverAdam]

I believe you should be entitled to free Apeks Octo as part of their promotion, which is going on til July 31st. As long as your ATX 200 was new, I believe you are entitled to an Apeks Egress (low profile) octo for free.

 

[oly5050user]

The current gear that I have will be 10 years old this year. I still have almost ever thing, just not the wet suit which ripped, but did not wear out, and the boots that did wear out, I dive about 100 dives a year, ever thing fun diving to search and rescue. I have had a few problems with my regs ( like a free flow of the 1st stage ( IDI osprey) at 110', and the retaner ring that hold the front pruge on came off while I was doing my rescue diver class which turned out to be a problem for a lot of owners and IDI had a fixed for that, and my computer errored out on me on a solo dive at 80 feet, luck I had my back up PC and had done my dive plan prior to the dive.) But I have been very, very happy with all my gear. I have made both fun and work dives with all of it and have had the gear down to over 150' with no problems, from ice diving to warm diving, and and still very very happy. I do like the people at my LDS and love diving with them, but the mark up on the equipment is very high and on the set of regulators that I want it is almost $200 mark up! I live in a rural town about 1.5 hours from the closest dive shop. I have emailed the LDS owner and have not gotten a email back yet, and I am signed up for my Dive Master through them and they do "like it" when you wear gear that they sell around the students, but $200 is $200 bucks and I can get a lot of odds and ends with $200. I have been buyig some things from Larry at Scubatoys like a new Aeries AI dive PC, and a digital DC500 with strobe, 3mm wet suit, and a bunch of odds and ends. But know I am ready to buy a new BDC, Dry Suit, Regulators, and 3 LP tanks, and really need to save some money doing this.

I am thinking very very hard at spending the extra $200 bucks and getting the Apex Atx200 and DC50 from my LDS due to the Dive master class. But it is a very very hard pill to choke down !! The main fact for this is that I do the bidding and buying for my local fire district ( which is the tax payers money) and I am the one that deals with vendors alot and I know what kind of mark up they have most of the time.

But any way I am still working through this and hope to hear from my LDS soon. If not I will be calling larry the first part of next week and ordering my regulators and maybe a new BCD, and some new LP tanks. The dry suit will be later this summer.

Thanks all that have posted and voted so far and by the way you can check more than one box on the poll but can only vote one time.

Matt

what do you plan on doing with your dm certification ? if it is to assist at your lds or go on to instructor and teach there do youm think that perhaps you should begin now to develop a relationship with the lds by showing loyality to them..I know that if I taught someone uo to dm/ai and on to an idc that I would not let them teach any courses at my facility if there was no loyality shown early on.The reason being that I would be suspect of the "instructor" advising the students-my customers-to purchase elsewhere..If some one wants to do dm with me thats all well and good but I would not use them if they attempt to influence my students purchase's elsewhere..

 

[Fire_medic_RescueDiver]

Yes that is true about the loyality to my LDS. But also money does not grow on trees around were I live and I have to work a lot of hours to buy my equipment and pay for my dive trips. But to answer the question it is no I do not tell students to buy there equipment from other places other than the LDS that is cert them. I have helped with many classes from OW to AOW any have never done that and never will, you many say "yea right" but I have ecthics sir and that was the way I was rasied. Were and what price I pay for my equipment is between me and the LDS owner, and we have talked about this many many times.

 

[Carolina Diver]

I have seen this discussion on several threads and it just baffles me. A local dive shop is not "owed" loyalty from a customer. If anything, it is just the opposite. They are not entitled to part of my income. Perhaps they should receive government subsidies to stay in business? I don't think so. They are a business just like anyone. If you can't compete in retail, then get out of that part of the business. I completed all of my certifications through my LDS and purchased some of my gear, but that doesn't "obligate" me to deal with them. That is a poor business decision on my part. Does anyone feel like they owe loyalty to the Chevy dealer they purchased their car from? Am I obligated to pay 30% more in labor to have my car serviced with them?

I like the people at my LDS and have become friends with them. I will always use them for servicing, further education, and dive trips. However, I am not foolish with my money. I am already supporting a family, I don't need to support a business because I should feel obligated.

 

[jimmys]

I have seen this discussion on several threads and it just baffles me. A local dive shop is not "owed" loyalty from a customer. If anything, it is just the opposite. They are not entitled to part of my income. Perhaps they should receive government subsidies to stay in business? I don't think so. They are a business just like anyone. If you can't compete in retail, then get out of that part of the business. I completed all of my certifications through my LDS and purchased some of my gear, but that doesn't "obligate" me to deal with them. That is a poor business decision on my part. Does anyone feel like they owe loyalty to the Chevy dealer they purchased their car from? Am I obligated to pay 30% more in labor to have my car serviced with them?

I like the people at my LDS and have become friends with them. I will always use them for servicing, further education, and dive trips. However, I am not foolish with my money. I am already supporting a family, I don't need to support a business because I should feel obligated.

exactly