mangoconchile
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which shop in socal offers the biggest selection of gear? also are there any that will let you try on anything in a pool like a bcd?
thanks
thanks
which shop in socal offers the biggest selection of gear?
- Thread starter mangoconchile
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Living where I do (Catalina), I rarely make purchases from mainland dive shops (although Hollywoodivers is a recent exception). I would think that trying on and testing a piece of new equipment would be a "no no" for most shops as technically that would render the item used. However they may have rental stock that one can try out.
What area, so cal can be anywhere? Here is san diego between the bigger shops ide say Ocean Enterprises & House Of Scuba are the largest, both have websites but no pool...
Just read on their fb page that dive california does have an onsite pool & can demo / try equipment. Would imagine they arent going to let you dip a new bc but you can dip a similar rental, large rental selection as they even rent bp&w's...
I cant say that dive california has a huge selection of bc's onsite compared to OE & House of Scuba.
OE also has demo days where they load-up all sorts of equipment & reps on hand with their gear & to answer questions, at a local pool. Once a year I think, you would have to call & ask.
OE carries all the namebrand bc, SP & AL, etc vs House of Scuba has quiet a few middle of the road brands where you can find further savings if thats the route you choose.
If you end-up checking out HOS, they have their store front but lots of gear in the back warehouse which is not on display but will take you back there as they are working with you if needed.
http://www.houseofscuba.com/
http://www.oceanenterprises.com/
http://www.divecalifornia.com/Menu_Dive_Shop/Shop.html
Just curious, what shop did you get your certification through?
Just read on their fb page that dive california does have an onsite pool & can demo / try equipment. Would imagine they arent going to let you dip a new bc but you can dip a similar rental, large rental selection as they even rent bp&w's...
I cant say that dive california has a huge selection of bc's onsite compared to OE & House of Scuba.
OE also has demo days where they load-up all sorts of equipment & reps on hand with their gear & to answer questions, at a local pool. Once a year I think, you would have to call & ask.
OE carries all the namebrand bc, SP & AL, etc vs House of Scuba has quiet a few middle of the road brands where you can find further savings if thats the route you choose.
If you end-up checking out HOS, they have their store front but lots of gear in the back warehouse which is not on display but will take you back there as they are working with you if needed.
http://www.houseofscuba.com/
http://www.oceanenterprises.com/
http://www.divecalifornia.com/Menu_Dive_Shop/Shop.html
Just curious, what shop did you get your certification through?
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Pacific Wilderness in San Pedro has a pool, as do some Sport Chalet stores, and I believe so does Deep Blue in Long Beach. But I can't comment on try before you buy options at those locations.
I've seen ads from Sport Chalet that they have manufacturer demo days in their pools some time. When Malibu Divers did their Memorial Day dive weekend at Emerald Bay, they had demo samples from most of their suppliers for participants to try - everything from BCs to scooters
Since most shops rent the gear they sell, you could probably try different brands from different dealers, and work out something to apply the rental cost toward the gear purchase. If you're looking at a wide range of gear brands, you will probably need to visit a number of shops
In today's economy, a lot of shops try to keep their inventory low to keep costs down, and will order whatever you want for the brands they carry
What are you looking for specifically?
Since most shops rent the gear they sell, you could probably try different brands from different dealers, and work out something to apply the rental cost toward the gear purchase. If you're looking at a wide range of gear brands, you will probably need to visit a number of shops
In today's economy, a lot of shops try to keep their inventory low to keep costs down, and will order whatever you want for the brands they carry
What are you looking for specifically?
Viet
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scuba.com, is located in Tustin. They seem to be the only dive shop that I know of that has a return policy. So if you don't like the gear you can return it for 75% of the purchase price. So you can treat the 25% as a rental fee if you end up returning the item after you try it. You get 100% back if you don't use it.
Good call on Pacific Wilderness. Lots of inventory. I used to visit their shop in San Pedro frequently when I used the San Pedro-Avalon Catalina Express boats. I take my tanks to them for hydro.
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