Where do I find product reviews for equipment?

[Doubledown]

Greetings,

My fiance and I took our first certification class this week and I believe we will be addicts. We will be purchasing our own equipment so I am interested in product reviews for equipment. We will need everything eventually (got fins, mask and snorkel now) so brand reviews and product reviews will be helpfull.

Also, (please don't flame me for this) is it better to purchase your equipment from the dive shop or online? Similar to reef keeping, there are several on-line vendors who have pakage prices and equipment for less than the LDS, but if I need something to be worked on or questions answered the LDS is the place to go. I also read that certain manufacturers (I believe Scubapro is one) will not warranty their products unless they are purchased and serviced at an authorized dealer, is this accurate?

Lastly, what product lines do you recommend? What led you toward that particular line?

Thanks
Chris

 

[csherlock]

I would recommend you take a look at the Scuba Board site....very simular to this site but dedicated to scuba....www.scubaboard.com

I would purchase from a local shop...that way you can be personally fit for the equipment and have a place to have it serviced with out having to send it in. I know the online stores say they will fit you...but you wont be able to try it on to be sure it fits!

And Welcome to the Sport!

 

[Reefugee]

Chris,

For a very broad gear review, you can also check out www.scubadiving.com . They have a gear section that does some review. In my opinion, their review are not very in depth.

Csherlock has a great suggestion. www.scubaboard.com is a great resource. There are forums for beginners. In addition, there are forums for gears. Just remember that there are a lot of opinions out there, so take all suggestion with a grain of salt.

LDS vs Online. I usually try to support my LDS whenever possible. But I am lucky that LDS usually has competitive pricing and great service. If purchasing online, make sure you purchase from an authorize retailer for stuff that warranty is an issue (regulators and computers). I like Scubapro.com and scubatoys.com . They both are authorized dealers for the product they sell. If you mention that you are a scubaboard member, Scubatoys will give you a 10% discount. I would recommend that you only purchase regulators that are supported by your LDS. Note that LiesurePro is not a manufacturer authorized dealer - so I will buy stuff where I don't care about warranty (wetsuits, booty, fins, etc).


Here is my gear:

BCD - ScubaPro KnightHawk. I really like it a lot, but my next BCD will probably be a BP/W. I have compared my KnightHawk with other non-BP/W BCD, and I think it's a great BCD. The Zeagel brand also has some really nice BCD.

Regulator - Any regulator will work. I can't think of any junk regulator on the market right now. I have a Scuba Pro first and second stage. I can't recall which model. My Octo is an Air2 (octo integrated with the inflator). There are pros and cons to the the air integrated octo.

Mask - the only factor in mask selection is fit. I would purchase a mask from a LDS that will allow you to test them in the water to make sure they don't leak. My wife went through 3 different mask until she found one that worked for her.

Snorkel - Just get a cheap one. Don't get the "dry snorkel." I use my snorkel during shore dive, but didn't use it when I was doing boat dive in Cozumel.

Fins - there are a lot of good fins. I personal have the Scuba Pro Twin Jet. The other fin that I seriously considered was the Apollo Bio Fins.

Computers - there are a lot of great computers out there. I have the Uwatec (Scuba Pro) Smart Com.

Wetsuit - I only have a Bare 3/2mm wetsuit for warm water. I am getting read to purchase a coldwater wetsuit and will probably go with a Bare as well. They are well made and are relatively inexpensive. With wetsuit - fit is everything. I am also looking at drysuits for both my wife and me. It will be either a Bare Trilam or the DUI FLX450.

Minh

 

[Boat]

Doubledown,

You got some excellent advice in the above posts. Look up the definition of "gray market" on wikipedia. I can't explain it that well but wikepedia will explain the difference between equipment you buy from leisurepro (not an authorized dealer) and scubatoys (authorized). If you buy gray market, any warranty you get is through the "seller" since the manufacturer won't warrant it. That doesn't mean it's not the same equipment. If you need to get the equipment repaired after the "sellers" warranty expires though, you may have trouble getting it serviced since the manufacturer and authorized dealers don't like it that you bought gray market goods.

By the way, I just bought a 7mm Neosport farmer john/jacket wetsuit and love it. Neosport is Henderson's more economical line.

Also, if you want a computer I believe Aeris is an offshoot of Oceanic and not quite as expensive. That's going to be my next purchase.

 

[Boat]

found you a link to wikepedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey_market

I would suggest you buy your regulator from your LDS since you should have it serviced yearly. It's good to have that relationship with your LDS.

 

[Doubledown]

Thanks all.

I wanted to ask because when I got into reefkeeping I knew nothing about the equipment a "trusted" LFS put together for me. It's now 2.5 years later and I have repurchased/replaced all of the original equipment with new/better. I didn't want to do that again with scuba.

Additionally there are few LDS in my area so the demand seems to exceed the supply and pricing appears to match that model.

I'll check out the scubadiving.com board as well. Sounds like a great place to read and learn.

Thanks again,
Chris