Equipment, To buy or not to buy

[wogg88]

My DW and I are just starting this dive thing and are wondering if it is really worth it to buy all of your own equipment or just rent as you go. Any info on pros and cons of this would be very helpful. Thanks in advance..:D :D

[Jerry_G]

Rent, Rent, Rent, at least until you figure out what type of diving you want to do in the future. The gear is NOT cheap. Before you buy anything search out the cost on the internet, then talk to your dive shop, and try to pull their prices down. Be careful the dive shop WILL try to stear you away from buying off the internet. They will tell you that you do not have factory warranties. Remember though that the internet store has their own warranties that are usually equivalent or better than the manufacturer. They will tell you that you won't know if there is a recall on an item, however my dive shop has never informed me of any recalls. I've been diving for three years and am into my third BC. I've decided to start technical/deep diving and the equipment that I purchased is not suitable for that type of diving. By the way I do buy almost all of my gear from my local dive shop. I make them aware that I'm looking at prices on the web, and don't let them BS me into buying what they think I need. They usually give me a 20% discount on gear, and while it doesn't match the internet, the costs are close enough not to be a major concern. Good luck

Jerry

[cruzegirl]

My thoughts on this are: How much do you love diving???

 

I am a newer diver too, just getting certified this past May.. I knew as soon as I got certified that I was hooked... And I knew that I wanted my own equipment because I didn't want a regulator in my mouth that had been in countless others...I also wanted equipment that I knew how it had been taken care of..... And I knew I couldn't do the weight belt, so needed either the harness system (D.U.I.) or a weight integrated.... So I shopped, studied and went to a dive convention looking at tons of BC's.. You can rent BC's for a few to try different ones and see what you like.. But if you really LOVE diving, it will pay for itself in 1 year...I strenuously recommend buying your regulator/1st/gauges from your local dive shop... If you have any questions they are their to help you and if anything goes wrong while under warranty, it's easier to go to the shop than send something off to be checked out.... Having said this, I have the DUI BC because of it's design/lg. pockets and double tank strap... very important but very few BC's have a double tank strap... And I love my BC but wish it was a weight integrated system... The harness is much easier than the belt and less chance to lose weights than the weight integrated system but the weight integrated has less "stuff"... I may change at some point if I can find a BC with big pockets and double tank strap but otherwise, I wouldn't change it at all..... I also say if there's something your interested in, go to the dive shop, check it out, try it on, check the price and then compare on the internet... Most will match fairly closely to keep your business...... Hope that helps......

[bruce-r]

Once a year cruise divers should just rent the BC and regulartor unless they have loads of disposable income. They should still have their own mask, fins, and wet suit.

 

People who dive monthly should have their own gear. Before buying gear, you should rent and dive as many different gear setups as you can.

 

The benefit of owning your own gear is you are no longer paying for gear each time you dive, you know the service history, and most of all, you know how it works and are comfortable using it. This is especially true with a dive computer. Another good thing about owning your own regulator is you can put any mouth piece on it you want. I recommend the http://www.seacure1.com It is far more comfortable than any stock mouth piece. Also, by buying your own gear you will have a much larger choice of BC, regulator, and computer. You might not even want a BC. Many of the people I dived with dive a backplate and wing. I doubt that you learned about them in your open water class.

 

One of the good things about renting gear is you don't have to haul it around, which is kind of a hassle when you are on a cruise.

 

Personally, I have all my own gear, including tanks, but I dive locally about once a month and I travel to dive at least a couple of times a year. For me, it isn't a vacation unless there is diving, without diving it is just a trip.

[joediver]

Once a year cruise divers should just rent the BC and regulartor unless they have loads of disposable income. They should still have their own mask, fins, and wet suit.

 

People who dive monthly should have their own gear. Before buying gear, you should rent and dive as many different gear setups as you can.

 

The benefit of owning your own gear is you are no longer paying for gear each time you dive, you know the service history, and most of all, you know how it works and are comfortable using it. This is especially true with a dive computer. Another good thing about owning your own regulator is you can put any mouth piece on it you want. I recommend the www.seacure1.com It is far more comfortable than any stock mouth piece. Also, by buying your own gear you will have a much larger choice of BC, regulator, and computer. You might not even want a BC. Many of the people I dived with dive a backplate and wing. I doubt that you learned about them in your open water class.

 

One of the good things about renting gear is you don't have to haul it around, which is kind of a hassle when you are on a cruise.

 

Personally, I have all my own gear, including tanks, but I dive locally about once a month and I travel to dive at least a couple of times a year. For me, it isn't a vacation unless there is diving, without diving it is just a trip.

 

I usually agree with Bruce-r on most things but I disagree on this one....Even if I only dove twice a year (including a yearly cruise where you would probably get in at least four dives) I would get my own gear. As Bruce says you need to be comfortable with your gear. The more confident you are in your gear the more confident you will feel about your skills.

[w&k]

If you really fall in love with diving, and actually go diving after you are certified, definitely think about investing in your own gear.

 

BUT... if you are going to dive a couple of times a year, then rent. It's a lot easier, particularly if you have to fly to dive. You also will not have the maintenance cost each year.

 

Where I am going to come down slightly differently from the other posters is to recommend that if you buy a piece of gear, buy a regulator. Also, if you are going to buy a reg, get a GOOD one. Buy the top of the line, regardless of brand.

 

Why a regulator? Because it's the most important part of your equipment. If you can't breathe, you're in serious trouble. A BC is just a tank carrier with some extra bells and whistles.

 

Tanks are the last part of equipment that you should consider. Unless you live within driving distance to your diving, or you are diving on your own boat, they can be a lot more hassle than they're worth.

 

Try as many types of gear as you can - when you find the right set-up for you, you will know it. Also look to see what other divers of your size/shape are using.

 

Personally, I use a side-vent as my primary regulator. It's 15 years old and has >300 dives. I finally had to replace my old BC last year because I 'grew' out of the extender straps (again). Now I've gone with integrated weights, but I still miss being able to shift weights in my belt depending on the type of dive I'm doing.

 

Don't get in a rush... picking out the wrong gear can be a real bummer, not to mention quite expensive.

 

Welcome to the wonderful underwater world!

 

Wendy

[Hilary]

Wendy,

 

I have to disagree with you about needing to buy a "top of the line" regulator. If you read ScubaLab's testing, you'll see that even the economically priced regs from major manufacturers test out very well. For instance, I dive with a Zeagle Envoy reg, and it was one of the few regs that had perfect scores, even out scoring some of the very expensive top of the line regs. My Envoy has provided me with more reliable service than a good friend's top of the line Apeks reg, that has been in the shop at least twice a year for the past 3 years (3x the first year she had it).

 

Instead I'd recommend going with a reg from a major manufacturer that you can have serviced locally. Also, do some research about brand name, because you don't want discontinued gear, nor a brand that maybe discontinued in the next couple of years.

 

Ultimately, I think that whether or not to buy gear is such a personal decision though. My husband and I only dive in warm water while on vacation since we hate cold water diving, so we only log about 30 dives per year on our twice annual vacations. After we got certified, we bought gear almost immediately. We knew we were heading to the Keys, then into the Caribbean that same year, and after hearing the "renting in foreign countries" horror stories, we knew that our lives were worth the $3500 it was going to cost us own gear. That decision is something we've never regretted, and would do again in a heartbeat.

 

The consequences of buying so soon after certification? My husband LOVES his gear and hasn't replaced anything. On the other hand, I had to replace my BC since I came to loath the one I originally bought. I bought it based on the recommendation of other women and the dive shop that I tried it on at. I didn't do enough comparision shopping, nor did I really know what my diving preferences were when I bought it. For instance, one selling feature was the big pockets....little did I know that I would be a minimalist diver and hate the big pockets, finding them to get in the way and be very cumbersome. Another selling point was the "mostly back inflation with some side inflation to balance the diver." I came to detest the way the BC could give me a squeeze when inflated a little too much at the surface.

 

I quickly off loaded that jacket BC on e-bay and bought myself a wing style BC (100% back inflate). I have since dropped 4# off my weight belt and have zero trim problems with my new BC. The one thing I noticed within 10 minutes of diving with my new BC was how it didn't move on my body like the old one, and I was immediately able to spend my time looking at the critters and coral instead of fussing with the constant shifting that my old BC did.

 

Moral of the story? Shop, shop, shop! If you dive locally, rent some gear and test the different brands out. Many shops have the gear they sell available for rent, so ask what your options are. At the very least, try to use the gear in a pool if you can't take it out of the shop. But choose carefully and make your decisions based on what YOU like, what fits YOU, and what's in your budget. Don't let anyone else's recommendations influence you to buy something before you've had a chance to test it and other options.

[billeelou]

:p a NEW resort basic type BCD is $2-300 plus bucks, I got a "never used" one on EBAY for $82.oo ( $12.50 Shipping)tested it and have used it for a while now...:)

bought an older used Regulator Scuba pro with SPG and Octo for 67.50 ( $15 shipping), annual inspection and hose replacement $75.oo. NEW TUSA Split fins for $59 and mask snorkle for about 25.00.USED Shorty wetsuit for $35.00 (XXL in case you want to know).. so I'm in the whole thing for $ 370:cool: ( all I dive is Carribean )Also was given a suunto wrist Computer no charge to me....

All fits in a carry on bag... I know the equipment and I am LARGE , so most resorts do not have the equipment to fit me anyway...I will guarantee I can get ALL my money back for the REGULATOR/Octo and BCD:D and I am even $$ after about 12 dives from the rental cost....Be smart!! Shop Smart

[budaman]

Yes, I think, maybe......:confused: If you know what you want and can afford it, buy it as it will give you peace of mind. One less thing for the new diver to have to worry about. If you don't know what you want, rent or borrow until you do. There are so many new ideas & technologies available to the sport diver now that weren't available 5 years ago, that you really need to do some research. Do you want to use Nitrox, can you control your bouyancy properly, do you know what the pros & cons of the different BC designs are? I still haven't been able to answer to my satisfaction to buy yet.....but I'm getting closer. I saw this really nice Scuba Pro.............:D

 

Mike

 

www.homepage.mac.com/csealove/

[nho9504]

We bought the full set except computer when we certified 15 years ago. The first diving trip we went to Cozmel for a full week and got probably 25% worth of the purchasing costs by not having to pay for rentals. We even lugged the equipments to a cruise. However, after only 2 to 3 years, we grew tired of lugging our equipments to trips that diving was not the main thing. As years went by, due to many factors, we were no longer active - may be once every couple years ... So at the end, we probably would be better off not to buy the full set, may be just the regulator.

[w&k]

Hilary - I have to totally agree with you about getting equipment serviced locally. It's not worth the hassle of going out of town, and establishing a relationship with the local dive shop is important.

 

What I was thinking about when I said top of the line, is that most of the equipment lines are equivalent once you get to a certain point.

 

Unfortunately, there are some manufacturers that make a cheap set, and sell it to freshly certified divers that don't know any better and think they're getting a deal.

 

For example, we had someone come to our old dive shop with a set of $99 US Divers regs that could not be serviced - no parts were available from the manufacturer. (don't flame me - the rep said they were meant to be disposable)

 

The bottom of the line is where the differences occur. I was mainly concerned that our OP not get caught in the 'cheap gear' trap.

 

 

Billeelou - Sounds like you got some great deals online - but you're much more trusting than me by buying your regulator from an unknown source.

 

 

Great diving to everyone!

 

Wendy

[bruce-r]

After additional thought, there is one thing you might want consider buying now, a wetsuit. Rental wetsuits have been peed in, I can almost guarantee it. I'd say 95% of divers either pee in their wetsuit, or they lie about it. A 3mm shortie should cost less than $50. Costco sells them pretty cheap in the summer. A 3mm full can be bought for less than $80 at ScubaToys.com. A wetsuit is also good to have for just snokeling as well. My DD has had a wetsuit for a couple of years now and wears it most of the time she goes in the water. She stays warmer and the neoprene gives her added buoyancy.

 

[budaman]

Pee in your wetsuit:eek: Nobody does that!;)

 

Mike

 

http://www.homepage.mac.com/csealove/

[w&k]

Definitely a wetsuit would be in order if you get squeamish, because there are those that do, and those that lie about warming their wetsuits.

 

Our dive club actually had to have a signal because one lady would hang in the water with the most beatific expression whilst warming the wetsuit. It was a bit alarming to folks that had not been diving with her before.

 

Just don't forget to rinse the inside of your suit out at the end of your dives with that fresh-water shower cunningly disguised as a hose!

 

Also - we put our booties, skins, gloves, wetsuits (2-mils), etc. in the washing machine with cold water, a little detergent and lots of downy. It also helps freshen the dive closet.

 

8 days and counting to diving Bahamas!

 

Wendy

[billeelou]

;) I have been burned buying "used" ....but have called on EBAY or whatever to make it right if misrepresented....

 

 

but I ALWAYS get it checked out before it even goes in the bag.... and even if I bought form any individual including an instructor, I would have it checked out unless it was BRAND NEW....man I think I would even have the new stuff checked out!!!!:D

[ScubaJim]

I ususally bring my own 3mm wetsuit ,diveskin, mask, fins and snorkel. At least I know who used the equipment last...ME! LOL. And I wash the wetsuit in the washer using cold water and cold water Tide.