Specials on the ST website,your feedback please

[mermoose]

I have been investigating bcs. There are three BCs on special and I wondered if anyone had any comments on these brands. None of them were on any of the threads I have read. I know there are tons that are being used and not mentioned as favorites.FYI, I travel to the Carribean for most of my dives,I like something easily transported, preferably mostly back inflate,d-rings and pockets.The ones I am asking about are:
Riptide Zone,Aeris Atmos,and Oceanic Isla.
Lets here what you have to say....please

[dannybot]

My wife has the Zone and loves it. It compacts well, very comfortable, many adjustments. It holds water, making it heavy getting out of water, but not too much, it also dries quickly. No pockets, except for the ones for nonditchable weight, but has a lot of d-rings.

She recommends it readily, I hope I have given the pros and cons on this BC.

[mermoose]

Well done, thank you. just the kind of feed back I am looking for. If people are happy with these lower priced products why not use them. More money for dive trips, ;-)

[ScubaToys Larry]

Here's a big thread on the Zone you could check out. I did a search for Riptide Zone, and this one was about 5 down the list:

Rip Tide Zone

There was a lot of insight from users on that thread.

[reservecops]

Originally Posted by mermoose

Well done, thank you. just the kind of feed back I am looking for. If people are happy with these lower priced products why not use them. More money for dive trips, ;-)

One opinion is just that - one opinion. Make sure you base your decisions on more than a single reply. Note that I am not referring to these particular products (nor dannybot's wife's Zone), but about making the right purchase decisions as a whole.

Personally, I don't base my choices on price alone. I base them on a plethora of factors relative to both the manufacturer and the retailer. In semi-particular order, but certainly not a totally inclusive list, keep this factors in mind:

• Return/Exchange policy
• Warranty
• Customer Service (response time AND thoroughness of the results)
• Availability of service (especially when you are away from home)
• Reputation (ask others, as you are doing now)
• Quality of the material and craftsmanship of the work involved in producing the product
• Price

[ScubaToys Larry]

Originally Posted by reservecops

Personally, I don't base my choices on price alone. I base them on a plethora of factors relative to both the manufacturer and the retailer. In semi-particular order, but certainly not a totally inclusive list, keep this factors in mind:

• Return/Exchange policy
• Warranty
• Customer Service (response time AND thoroughness of the results)
• Availability of service (especially when you are away from home)
• Reputation (ask others, as you are doing now)
• Quality of the material and craftsmanship of the work involved in producing the product
• Price

Those are some very good points... but not to defeat your points... really, on all those fronts, the person you get it from out weighs the manufacturer many times. For example, if something is purchased through us, return/exchange, warranty, customer service, service, are all going to factors within my control. If a customer is not happy, we'll take care of them.

I hate to sound like the 800 lb gorilla... but hey... I call 'em as I see 'em... If I call up one of my vendors and tell them they need to replace this product with a new one because of this or that... How many do you think will say no to us??

If a company does not have good customer service to us and the end user - we don't carry their brand! So you want to find out who's good... look at our list of manufacturers! There used to be more - but dealing with some of the companies was such a pain... we stopped carrying them.

For our customers... we want them to be confident they can look at features, comfort and price - and leave the rest of the driving to us!

[mermoose]

Thanks Larry. That thread says ALOT. Good information. BTW can I actually try gear in your Pool before I purchase it?

[ScubaToys Larry]

Originally Posted by mermoose

Thanks Larry. That thread says ALOT. Good information. BTW can I actually try gear in your Pool before I purchase it?

Heck yea! Before you dive a car you drive it! Before you buy a house you walk around in it. Before you buy a bed you lay down on it. Before you get married you... er... never mind.

[WaScubaDude]

Pay for it!

[ScubaToys Larry]

Originally Posted by WaScubaDude

Pay for it!

Now don't be that way! That's just wrong!

You pay to get out of it!