What's the best way to buy new kit?

[GrayL]

Go to your LDS and try things on. Ask for help/specials/deals.

 

[MRadke]

I bought a fairly complete kit used, then updated and supplemented as needed. A little warning though, once you buy your first piece of equipment, it will start to accumulate quickly.

 

[Scuba.com]

Personally, I always recommend that life support (regulators) be your first purchase. It's easier to put your faith in rental gear if the life support equipment is your own.

 

[Lake Hickory Scuba]

First you have to decide what you need for diving before you purchase. With that being said, all you need is Mask, BCD, Regulator, Cylinder, Depth Gauge, Pressure Gauge, Underwater Timing Device, Fins, Weight (depends on the diver and exposure suit), exposure suit (location and depths being a variable), and of course the training (which you are getting). Other equipment (not including what standards may say for the training agency you are learning from--snorkel, etc.) is not a necessity. One thing that I tell all my open water students is, nothing replaces experience. That being said, computers are great, but the fundamentals behind what the computer does, is more important. As with most experience instructors would probably agree, when we got started we did not have a fancy computer or any other item that some say you must have. My suggestion would be to buy just the basics, go dive, go dive some more, go dive some more after that, and then start tailoring your equipment to the type of diver you want to become. I see students / customers all the time come in and buy all the gadgets (as a business owner I greatly appreciate the sales) and think that it is going to make them into a Super Diver, and then realize that some times those items do hinder them while underwater. Once you get comfortable underwater, always buy local for the practicality of gear repair and servicing, and if you live in an area where dive shops are like gas stations (one on every street), then pricing and competition should be in your favor. If diving in a club environment, then ask other divers what they suggest, keeping in mind they may be a different type diver than you. There is no magic setup that works for everybody. Most experience divers will probably tell you that they have went through several sets of gear through their diving adventures and the more they dove the easier it was to make a decision on what to buy. My rig that I primarily teach with would retail for $1500.00 US dollars, the rig I dive with in Public Safety Diving, Retails for over $5000.00 US dollars, and my fun rig that I throw on when I just want to get wet retails in the neighborhood of $500.00 US dollars. Out of all 3, my favorite is the one that allows me to go diving. Once again the experience is more important than the "Hey look what I just bought." Start out with the basics and work your way up. Now I know this probably did not answer your question on what gear to buy, as that decision is up to you. This was intended to get you to realize that there are a lot a types of gear that are great but not necessarily the most practical for the type of diving you will be doing. Hope this helps, and welcome to the life long addiction of Scuba Diving.

 

[jw2013]

Thanks Lake!

I am finding that already, I was dying to get my own kit but I'm going to hang back until I have a some dives under my belt and so know the equipment I want/need. My list I want now will most likely change massively after some real diving experience!... and likely to grow considerably as I progress judging by your reply!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Searcaigh]

Hi jw2013,

Since you live in UK, my advice is to go for exposure protection first, get a good fitting drysuit and undergarments and you will be comfortable to start experimenting with different BCs / BPW / Regulators etc

 

[Token]

Since nobody has mentioned it so far [I think], I'll just say that with any gear that has to fit you in a certain way, make absolutely sure you try it on for size before you buy. Wetsuits and BCDs are all over the place for sizing, and unless you are a very standard size, you may find yourself in trouble buying sight-unseen. Even fins and booties don't always go together well...when I bought my set I tried several combinations of each before I found a good snug-but-comfortable fit. If you can try out BCDs in the water, so much the better.

 

[jw2013]

Good point Token. My LDS say they'll allow a try before you buy so I will be there. I think some online retailers allow returns - under certain conditions. I'll consider this when buying, something I didn't realise. I just assumed a Medium was a Medium and Large a Large.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Mustard Dave]

A drysuit is one of the best things to get first. Some of the rental/club drysuits you'll encounter will be like teabags; having a suit that fits properly and hasn't been hammered by numerous divers will make UK diving much more pleasant. Seaskin are worth a look - I got an excellent made to measure suit for a little over £600. They are in Leeds and will measure you up at the factory; alternately you can measure yourself using the guide on the website.

Regs are a good choice for one of your first purchases - as already said, they are your life support so you want something that works. Apeks are very popular in the UK - they are great quality, value for money and well supported by service technicians. I started with the DS4 first stage and ATX40 second stages. Whatever you choose, they need to be cold water rated.