Need gear advice

[scottj200]

I am new to diving. Would like to know what is the best gear to buy and what to stay away from. I will be doing freshwater and saltwater diving. Any advice would be greatly appreciated

[Cichlid]

Although it's not a direct answer, the best gear depends on you. I've
learned that fit is the most important aspect to consider. You could
have the best, most expensive fins or mask, but if they don't fit it
won't matter. Other than that, the other guys might be able to give you
something more specific.

[FishFood]

I agree with Ciclid.
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV>The "best" is an opinion. </DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV>The Best thing to do is check out your LDS. They will have QUALITY items for you to TRY ON. Wear the mask for a little while in the store. As well as the boots and fins. You dont want either of these items not to fit well, so Id advise against buying online. (sorry Scubatoys, but....)</DIV>

[ScubaToys Larry]

No offense taken. Over all, however, it is pretty easy to size feet - there are shoe sizes. I know people who buy very expensive running shoes on line - not much a problem when instead of 15 sizes - for fins there are basically 3... small, medium, large. And booties run pretty true to size to shoes, and the fit is so non-critical, not a single manufacturer even makes 1/2 size boots.

Snorkel... not much of a problem there... So that leaves just the mask that really is not "fittable" with a phone call. And even there, we have pretty good success. There are several high quality masks on the market that seem to fit virtually everyone... like the Panaromic, the X vision, etc.

If someone has a good LDS they want to work with - I have no problem with that. It tears me up some times to hear from a customer however, that paid $399 for a cheap snorkel, a no-name mask, cheap boots and a bad mask, when for $199 they could get into something like our Zoom Package. And when things don't fit - we replace them and pay the shipping both ways.

If you have a good local shop - great - but a lot of people in this country either don't have a shop nearby, or the shop is not looking out for the best interests of the diver. Each diver needs to figure this out on their own.

Seriously though... even though this is my board - I have no problem, none whatsoever of suggesting someone hit their local shop... honest!

The more people dive - the better it is for the whole industry. The better the whole industry is - the better for me and all the shops.

[Cichlid]

Hint: Find what fits at your LDS and then talk to Larry, he'll take care of you.

[ScubaToys Larry]

Originally Posted by splitlip

<DIV></DIV>
<DIV>See, I disagree with that.</DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV>Don't get me wrong, I am a big fan of Larry and Joe. But to use your little local guy who may not have their purchasing power as a fitting room is pretty weak. </DIV>
<DIV></DIV>

<DIV></DIV>
<DIV>Actually... I'm against that too. If someone works with you and is taking care of you - don't bother go with someone else just over a few bucks. Really, the reason we grew to what we are, is we try to help, give advice, and take care of customers. But if someone local is doing that - even if they don't have the best price - I also agree it's not proper etiquette to use a local shop as a fitting room and us as a sales point.</DIV>

[tc_rain]

I would never buy a mask over the internet. This is something that needs to be tried on to ensure a good fit. The sizing of snorkels, boots and fins don’t very (that much if at all) and can be bought online. In fact, I have bought these items online and couldn’t be happier. I have also purchased a few wetsuits online by using the sizing charts and never had a problem.

[somewhereinla]

There are a few things I won't buy over the internet and a mask is one of them, a reg. is another one (plus I don't have much choice since I dive with an Apeks reg).
Everything else I don't mind getting on the net. I do like to support my local LDS of course but some internet places sometime offer as good if not better service. Scubatoys is definitly an outstanding place to do business with. And some of the deal are just very good...

[madrsx]

I think if you're just getting into scuba diving, it is very helpful to have someone competent helping you determine equipment fit and needs. However, once you get to know the equipment and your preferences, I think it can make a lot more sense to use an internet retailer for some of your purchases.
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV>For example, when my wife and I were getting our open water certification, we chose a LDS that had an instructor/salesperson we felt comfortable with. We then spent a good deal of time with him learning about the equipment and getting fitted, and purchased it from them (it felt like the right thing to do, and although prices were higher, we were also paying for the in-person service).</DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV>Now that we're certified and done some dives, and know a lot more about the equipment and our preferences, we're much more confortable with buying over the internet. But this is because we had a better idea of what we want.</DIV>

[jacewindu]

for me, using the LDS is not really an option. it's really not local (for me, without a car) and the help is not great, plus prices are through the roof!

I've shopped with ST for a while now, and they've consistently given me reason to go nowhere else. Thanks!