Why junky, why not top of the line?

[sjmueller61990]

Inexpensive doesn't always mean cheap,and the more expensive items such as BCD's might be a little more comfortable,have a stainless steel D rings instead of the plastic ones.The plastic D rings are just find for hooking a hose holder to or something like that,but not really good to hang a $2000 camera from.As for Regulators,if you are into diving in cold water or even under ice them of course you need a regulator that won"t freeze up,but just for nice warm water in the Keys a few times a year then the less expensive ones will do fine.It all comes down to how you maintain it and handle them.

See thats what I wanted to know. It seems I guess like that you end up paying more for basic features that arent usually that necessary. So its ok to buy cheaper gear without all those add on features.

 

[Insta-Gator]

:blessing: seek 'value' my son.


val·ue   
[val-yoo] Show IPA
noun, verb, -ued, -u·ing.
–noun
1. relative worth, merit, or importance: the value of a college education; the value of a queen in chess.
2. monetary or material worth, as in commerce or trade: This piece of land has greatly increased in value.
3. the worth of something in terms of the amount of other things for which it can be exchanged or in terms of some medium of exchange.

 

[tstormdiver]

The most important things about equipment you need to look for is fit, comfort & that it fits the kind of diving you are doing or, even better, plan to do.

Ill fitting/ uncomfortable equipment will detract from the overall diving experience. It will quickly take away the fun if you have something poking you, pinching you or causing you to cramp up as you dive. You want your equipment to fit & be comfortable.

Also the equipment must be able to accommodate the type of diving you are doing & better yet, planning to do. A lightweight lower lift, tropical BC may not be the best for handling the amount of weight needed for the exposure protection needed for cold water diving. A basic, unbalanced type regulator may not be the best choice if you are planning on deep diving in a stiff current, where you have to work against it.

The equipment you use is nothing more than a tool. A tool to accomplish your dive objective &/or to help you to enjoy the dive even more. I personally use a lot of higher end equipment (but also some not so high end stuff also) to accomplish the dives I want to do. Can I do it with less? Perhaps..... Would I be as comfortable? likely not. Its all about what works for you. With some of the diving I do (technical), I don't want to find out that that my equipment is not adequate when 2000 ft back in a cave or under a decompression ceiling in which I can not safely get to the surface. It's all about what you need & want, not so much $.

 

[waxawa3074]

...

1. Not all divers are made the same. You buy what you can afford, so long as it works for you.
2. Not all diving gear manufacturers are made the same. You hire best marketing team you can afford, so long as they do their job.

 

[DennisS]

It's about value more than price. I wouldn't trade my old scubapro jets for the newest top of the line hinged fins. Is a super duper titanium regulator that much better than a recently serviced, 25 year old, MK10/G250 that someone bought for $150. Is a top of the line $50 snorkel better than a simple J tube. The manufactures top of the line usually translates to the equipment with the greatest profit margin.

 

[Garrobo]

What Walter said.

 

[Rich Keller]

First you find what works for you then you pay the least amount for it. This is not rocket science! Why pay $125-150 for new twin jet fins when you can buy them used for $25. It is just a two foot piece of rubber with a strap on the end! I still dive vintage regulators I had from 1970 and others I bought on Ebay. They were cheap and in my opinion better then a lot of the newer products. If you want to pay 4 or 5 times more for something be my guest.

 

[GrumpyOldGuy]

Everyone doesn't have an unlimited supply of money. Less expensive gear is not necessarily less safe. If one has budget concerns (or even if one doesn't), it is sensible to shop for a better deal.

Exactly! I would be more concerned with junky training, lax attitude and failure to follow basic safety procedures which are many times more likely to cause an accident than gear failure.

 

[jrwalsh20]

As someone earlier asked, when were you certified? I would be spending more money on training. You are breathing air or Nitrox not oxygen unless you have it as a deco cylinder. By the way you dont have a tank either, it is a cylinder. Not trying to be confrontational with you, just trying to help educate, dont take it as an attack.

 

[LivBlue]

A different way to look at this: Ever look at year model? We bought Henderson wet suits brand new at the store that were 3 model years back. They were top of the line the year they came out and are still amazing suits. When they first sold they were almost 400 and today they were 185. Same goes with all items. The new line up for this year comes out... and it slides into the new prices point, it doesn't mean its it's always better, sometimes the color changed or they made a slight adjustment. However last years number one pick has moved down in price to make way for this year's product.

So price doesn't always mean quality. However if what your getting at is you can have this nice name brand knife at $100 and you have heard reviews of greatness about it. It looks cool and it's well put together. But then you see one right besides it made in some small little country by school children. It looks similar but then you notice it's blade is a little wiggly and appears to already have a spot of rust forming. Yet it's only $25 and you still buy it. Got ya, and no I don't see why people do that. In this case you are aware it's not better but the cheaper monster took hold and shook you from common sense.