When should I buy my own gear? BCD REG Computer weights etc.

[cbm32]

I cant always say this but, if I had to do it over again I would do it just the way I did it.

I bought good solid used equipment for pennies on the dollar. Then I dove with it until I was not only sure I was going to keep diving long term, but had some idea of what I really wanted in equipment. I then replaced the used stuff with new as I found the right deal on each piece....except the fins. I am still diving the fins I got in that first package of used gear and I love them. The new stuff I bought I am VERY happy with, because I was educated enough by the time I bought it to know it fit the way I wanted to dive. I haven't regretted any of my new gear purchases and I doubt I would be saying that if I had not dove with that used gear I started out with long enough to figure things out. Even when I bought new gear I didn't buy a new dive computer. Too many good ones out there used at half the price or less of new.

Diving with the new gear took off all the pressure when buying new. I was in no hurry as I could dive all I wanted while I was looking around for a good deal even after i knew what I wanted. Good deals are out there on new gear if you know where to look. You dont have to run down to your local dive shop and pay top dollar. You can get the same stuff far cheaper if you take your time and look around.

I would also say you should be careful about spending top dollar on equipment just because it has a name on it that might impress people. Sometimes you get what you pay for but other times you are just paying a premium for the name slapped on it when other gear will function as well or better. Which is which? That is for you to decide after you have been around diving long enough to sort the wheat from the chaff.

 

[fnfalman]

Hey Scuba Board, I finally did it, I got my open water after many years of wanting to. I recently moved to san diego and so far I love it here though I don't really know anyone. I want to keep diving, I felt very comfortable in the water (though cold) and there is a lot I need to work on (buoyancy mainly). I joined the dive club from my shop and they seem to go out all the time. I want to get a few dives in before working on my advanced and now I have the "luxury" of looking into buying my own gear. Though I have the money, I tend to buy stuff I tend to not use later, I hope diving doesn't become like that but who knows. I want to get a back inflate bcd, i know everyone here likes bp/w, but I feel a back inflate bcd will be enough at first, the choices of a bp/w setup seem overwhelming over picking up a knight hawk with an air2. I am however interested in going into wrecks at some point, though all the ones out here are extremely deep so I don't know how many people actually do it. My local shop charges $50 a day to rent gear and it's not the best, i could buy a scuba pro package for like 1350 which comes with a knight hawk a mk25/(i don't remember) and a decent computer, by my math (excluding tank rentals) thats 33 dives of rentals, and it's my own stuff, I want to go once/ twice a week, especially more in the summer, and at night after work when I get my advanced (though renting tanks before hand seems a bit difficult). So i'm wondering your opinions on when I should make the big step of getting the gear, sure, I could buy it all separately, but then i'm not really saving anything, I also want to go traveling in the future.

Basically I want to buy my own gear, but i'm worried i'm getting ahead of myself, should I rent for a few dives (how many is a few?) should I just go all out and force myself to keep doing it? I'm curious to know when you all decided to buy your own gear, especially those that live near diving destinations. Also, when is buying a tank worth it?

Ps. I already have my own wetsuit and all the other essentials mask fins booties gloves etc.

After finishing up my OW checkout dive, I bought everything: Dive Rite Transpac BC, Atomic B2, custom wetsuit, tank, Sherwood Wisdom 2 computer.

Sure, I've added two more BCs, two more regs, two more computers, two more pair of fins since then but my original choices are still good to go today as it was six years ago.

The point is not to buy gears but to buy good quality gears, and frankly, I don't think much about the Knighthawk BC at all. I've seen it in use and even tried one out myself. For SoCal diving, a BPW with a stainless steel plate is a superior setup. Period.

As far as the choices are too bewildering? Let me narrow it down for you: Dive Rite or Halcyon. Both of these companies put out high quality products with superior customer services.

If you want to travel in the future, then by a travel type BC when you're ready to travel.

And yes, by all means, get your own tank. That way you have the full shebang and go whenever you feel like going without worrying about renting anything. Not to mention that with your own tank, you get yourself weighted correctly the first time then that's going to be that. Get a steel tank and not one of those aluminum junks either.

 

[xdjio]

Depending on your exposure protection and weight needs and preferences (are you diving a balanced rig yet) you may also like the Heser plate. You can go really heavy - I dive their 12lb plate and love it.

 

[iamdro]

So I ended up stopping by my LDS after work just to browse and they were having some items on a blowout sale.... and i bit the bullet I got:
Black Diamond BCD -$250
Mk11/c300- $310
S100 Octo- $111
and the veo 1.0 Navcon- $377 (wasn't really a deal, this one hurt a little)

All in all, i've read up a lot about the Black Diamond/ c300 and it seems like everyone likes them, I liked the way the BCD fits and the features it has, i'm still trying to understand how not to float on my face on the surface though (haven't tried it yet though) any tips?
I'm looking for weights on craigslist/ a used sports store around here tomorrow, any tips for connecting my computer to my bcd, i realized it's going to hang now, i saw a retractable lanyard on a video once and that seemed cool but I can't seem to find one online, also, any tips for not having my octo dangle? I got one of those nylon clips but the hose still protrudes, i'd like to make it streamlined... i'll be taking all this stuff out on friday, i can't wait!

 

[8u88les]

didnt you see the PADI video?......go out and buy your gear immediately! join a club! take another course! divers are special people!

seriously, any place you go dive will rent you gear for the day or include it in the dive price, so with the exception of a nice comfortable mask that fit well and some good fins, i would just wait if i were you and get some experience, try some different types of rental gear and do your research.

i see so many new divers go out and buy a bunch of crap because it was a deal and they dont know better.

 

[fjpatrum]

I'd say buy quality used regs (pretty much anything you will find available right now is quality) that you can get serviced locally. Any major brand name you recognize is quality enough to last your entire diving career, if you want it to, or you can buy "upgrades" later. I don't see the point unless you go to a full face mask or you need sealed regs for diving ice but everyone has different wants/needs. My 20-30+ year old used regs work just fine down to low 40s water temps. I'm still diving my first set, though I've changed hoses and bought some others since.

Having a familiar dive computer (or a watch and tables that you know how to use properly) is really important. Not knowing how to use your computer can get you hurt. A used computer that does nitrox will last you your entire diving career and not break your budget (or cause you to lose a lot of money if you stop diving next year.) I bought an Oceanic data plus for my first computer then "upgraded" to an Oceanic Veo180 so I could more easily download my dives to my computer. My original computer came with my first reg so I don't feel like I "wasted" money on the upgrade.

Buy properly fitted exposure protection appropriate for your planned diving areas. An ill-fitting wetsuit/drysuit will make diving a miserable experience. You don't have to spend a fortune (but you can) on wetsuits. This is the one place I just don't buy used. I will (and did) buy a used drysuit but not used wetsuits. They are just too cheap new to bother dealing with other people's cooties (people pee in those things.) Other people have no problem buying used wetsuits (they can be washed) so don't be afraid of them if that's what fits your budget and your comfort. Just make sure there are no large "gaps" between your skin and the suit (usually in the neck, armpits, ankles or lower back) and you should be good. If it's a little tight in the neck dry (barely) then it should be good in the water.

Try out a few BCs until you find out what you do and don't like, so don't buy that just yet. Size and style make a big difference so make sure you find something that fits when you rent and try different brands and styles. (Jacket, back inflate, BP/W, etc.)


EDIT: I will say that I have found traveling with a BP/W is lighter (yes lighter, even with a steel plate) and less bulky than any other BC option I've seen. /EDIT

Everything else can very easily be rented with no concerns, though you can shoot for the moon buying anything and everything as well. I bought a full kit (used) before I finished my OW course. I found I didn't like jacket BCs when diving cold water and shifted to a backplate/wing configuration. I still use pretty much all the other gear, though I have made some configuration changes as I indicated. You are going to grow as a diver and what you want to do will most likely change somewhat. Buying gear that can grow with you is always a good choice. I choose to buy used because I'm cheap and recognize that once any equipment has hit the water one time it's used and hasn't really changed so I get the gear serviced (or service it myself) and enjoy diving trips with the money I saved.

Second EDIT: I just saw your post making most of my advice useless. Good to see you went ahead and bought something. I'm sure it will work out for you well.

You can buy a bolt-snap https://www.google.com/search?safe=..._timepromotionb..0.0...1.1.17.img.7zXinNxea5s and girth hitch https://www.google.com/search?safe=...05,d.dmQ&fp=8231c867d8583c61&biw=1382&bih=792 it to your computer hose. Then just clip it to whatever D-ring you find comfortable. (I use my right chest d-ring for my SPG, formerly used it for my console... just look down and there's the information.)

 

[Skittl1321]

didnt you see the PADI video?......go out and buy your gear immediately! join a club! take another course! divers are special people!

If you don't own a computer, the best alternative is to buy one. That was my FAVORITE sentence in the entire book.


Here's a question- for those who say buy used, are you buying online? It makes me nervous to buy what is essentially life support equipment online, used. We don't exactly have an extensive dive community in my state, so craigslist isn't really an option, so I can't see things ahead of time.

 

[rongoodman]

I'd purchased a BP/W and regulator set with a long hose and bungeed back-up by the time I did my first dive after OW. Since then I've made additions and tweaks as I've moved into more technical diving, but the basics are still the same as they were on that first post-OW dive.

 

[jscan1]

I bought all my gear at completion of open water, and it has made it much easier to get in the water and dive weekly. I did after a handful of dives get a different set of fins, but other than that have been real happy with my gear choices ..I dive in San Diego area also and have found Power Scuba to be a great group for getting you in the water on very affordable boat trips, and they are always having meet ups in laJolla

 

[fjpatrum]

If you don't own a computer, the best alternative is to buy one. That was my FAVORITE sentence in the entire book.


Here's a question- for those who say buy used, are you buying online? It makes me nervous to buy what is essentially life support equipment online, used. We don't exactly have an extensive dive community in my state, so craigslist isn't really an option, so I can't see things ahead of time.

If you're buying used then you're going to get any "life support equipment" (if there is such a thing) serviced anyway. The worst that happens is you get a complete fake or something that is missing substantial parts that is cost-prohibitive to service/repair. You can then make a claim through ebay support or your credit card that you were sold fraudulent equipment... not the best scenario but not life threatening.

I've bought regs and BCs off of ebay. I prefer buying things I can touch first but I service my own gear so I'm comfortable buying sight unseen. Most of what I buy that way is actually "parts" equipment anyway. I trust buying things off of scubaboard, vintagedoublehose, or thedecostop classifieds more than ebay but I'd pretty much buy what I want from any of those locations.