Which gear do you recommend

[Biggar]

My wife and I are just getting our feet wet(literally) in the SCUBA hobby/adventure.

We plan on diving in more shallow water for awhile as I think my wife will be scared to go deep.

We have a reef tank and would like to see real reefs one day.

Are there any scuba gear brands that will not break the bank?

Is buying on craigslist risky?

Thanks

 

[Herb-alaska]

My wife and I are just getting our feet wet(literally) in the SCUBA hobby/adventure.

We plan on diving in more shallow water for awhile as I think my wife will be scared to go deep.

We have a reef tank and would like to see real reefs one day.

Are there any scuba gear brands that will not break the bank?

Is buying on craigslist risky?

Thanks

Welcome to the world of scuba.

You live in a great place for Craigslist shopping. I would not be afraid to buy this way however I would watch to make sure that you do not get stuck with someone else's old stuff that is no longer the best available. I would look at the shops try on talk to them and see what you like and what you can afford. I would keep an eye on CL to see if you can score a deal but I would not pick out my gear from CL.

Brands are going to be similar in price and quality but what is going to be the difference is the service prices and service intervals You will want to check that out. If you save 200 on a regulator that cost 150 to be serviced and needs to be serviced every year verses a regulator that cost 200 more but is serviceable every 2 years and has a service price of 100 you can see where the initial investment would be recovered shortly.

My advice for you would be to not worry about tanks or weights yet until you are diving every week, the rental cost on those vs just fills is not that much difference. owning tanks is for the convenience of not having to run to the LDS and get them back at a set time.

Buy good comfortable exposure protection . Wet or dry you make the call get help to make sure it fits well and that you generally like it.

Buy a good comfortable BC or back plate. You make the call. What ever you buy must fit well and give you good freedom of movement or you will hate it.

Buy a good regulator set that does not break the bank. ones that I like now are HOG by edge. You can get a great set for about 500 and they breath well and are reasonable to service.

Buy good fins, mask that you like. I placed this toward the end because there are so many choices and opinions you will want to try a lot of things before you buy. This is one place where spending a little money makes a difference. The cheap ones feel like boards strapped to your feet and well you will hate them as soon as you experience a good set.

Good luck and enjoy you will have fun don't worry about going deep stay where you are comfortable and you may find yourself deep later or not. It really does not matter there is a cool world to look at.

 

[Fishpie]

I keep an occasional eye on S Florida craigslist and advertised prices are very high compared to eBay. What they may be negotiated down to I don't know but I suspect more knowledgeable gear heads have a better chance to get a reasonable price.
If you are just wanting the rubber gear to start a class I'd recommend you buy new, especially a good wetsuit at least 3mm.

 

[sportxlh]

My wife and I are just getting our feet wet(literally) in the SCUBA hobby/adventure.

We plan on diving in more shallow water for awhile as I think my wife will be scared to go deep.

We have a reef tank and would like to see real reefs one day.

Are there any scuba gear brands that will not break the bank?

Is buying on craigslist risky?

Thanks

The problem with buying on Craig's list is that you won't be sure anything you purchase will actually fit or if it will really be in good working order. As a newbie to the sport, you'd hate to buy a regulator and find out on your first or second dive that it needed to be serviced when it stops providing gas when your 30 or 60 feet underwater. If I were a new diver and trying to get up the learning curve, I'd probably go to several of the fine local dives shops in Ft Lauderdale and tell them that you are new to diving, not yet ready to buy and get their recommendations. Also, subscribe to one of the scubadiving magazines and track the reviews on different gear over the next six months. Additionally, go out on a couple of different boats, rent the scuba gear and keep track of which brands you liked better than others. Talk to some of the other divers on the boats and find out what they like and don't like about their gear. After you've read some, visited several local dive retailers, talked to some local divers and rented several different gear sets, you'll be able to hone in on what you are interested in and then buy from a local shop.

Once you really know what your doing, you can probably purchase from Craig's list or e-bay. But I'd recommend you wait until your a bit more experienced.

As an aside, Diver's Direct does carry some very affordable wetsuits (their EVO brand) which I've had a lot of success with. They also seem to have pretty good prices on fins and masks too.

Also from a cost standpoint, Scubapro's discount brand Sub Pro seems to have good prices: I've never used any of the gear but would consider it if any of my stuff wears out.

 

[Garrobo]

I'd rent for a while till I got the hang of it and be able to sort out what you need, thus want. Too many newbies immediately want the shiny and expensive stuff, many ending up not diving that much. That is the life blood of Ebay and Craigslist. I'd be wary of buying used regulators but that's about all. You can buy a new set from Leisurepro at a very economical price if you don't have to have the newest and coolest type of equipment. Recreational divers don't need all this fancy stuff. As far as tanks go, unless you are around an area where you will be doing your diving near home and can get air fills, I'd forget about it and rent them. They come with the dives, along with weights.

 

[Mitchell Teeters]

Rent for a while. And never the sesame gear so you can get a taste for what works for you. Then look for reviews, then upkeep costs.

sent via nookcolor N2A.

 

[Biggar]

Great advise everyone. Thanks. I think renting, talking to shops, and other divers sounds good before buying.

 

[Brewone0to]

Welcome to ScubaBoard !!!
A lot of good information here.
Check with Dive Shops about any Brand/Model
Regulator before purchasing used, to be sure it can be serviced.
Dive Safely, Dive Often, & Enjoy Yourselves.

 

[fjpatrum]

Bah, buy used, save yourself a lot of money. Especially if you live in Florida. Do research here before you commit and make sure the gear is still serviceable or the price is reasonable. All my gear is used except wetsuits. I now have 3 full sets of regs that all function perfectly well and were bought on craigslist. 2 of those sets came from a family that moved here from Florida... The nonsense about "don't buy used life support" is just that; nonsense. Have all used regs serviced properly after you buy them and they'll be 1/3 the price (at most) as if you'd bought new and function just the same.

As for specific brands, they all breathe about the same, from a human's perspective, if they've been made in the last 10-15 years. The newest reg I have was manufactured in about 1994, I think. The oldest I have (and very much like) was made in the late 60s or early 70s. They all still work beautifully. Consider sticking with brands that are still in the business though, as they will be easier to get serviced. Scubapro, Apeks, Mares, Oceanic, Atomic, are all big names that any shop will at least recognize and still be able to offer service on (though many will have to send at least one of those brands out for service instead of doing it in the shop.) Do some searching here for "best reg" and you'll get plenty of recommendations.

I'm assuming you meant you own a reef aquarium when you said a "reef tank". You will find places like BHB to have a ton of critters but not so much reef. (Still an awesome dive!) In Lauderdale By The Sea there are several very nice reefs 150 feet from the beach that are simply beautiful. There is also supposed to be a fairly nice reef at "Tech Ledges" (I think that's the right name) a little further south from LBTS. So what I'm saying is Lauderdale is some phenomenal shore diving that doesn't cost much and is shallow/easy even for newbs. Check out the "Gold Coast Scuba" meet up group (Do something, Learn something, Share something, Change something - Meetup)... they do a ton of shore dives in the Lauderdale area every day and also do classes. There are quite a few shops in Lauderdale to get started out of also. I really liked "Undersea Sports" on N Federal.

 

[sportxlh]

.. The nonsense about "don't buy used life support" is just that; nonsense.......

Fjpatrum: I am not sure I completely agree with you when it comes to a new diver: I do agree that an experienced diver can get great deals on used equipment: both of my regs are used as is one of my computers but I bought them when I had a lot more experience than the OP.

I had a buddy who purchased a used BC and found that the wing had a leak: he was experienced enough to inflate it and test it out in his bathtub before jumping in the big water: had he not done that, who knows??