#2635
John_giu - 10/30/2012 7:51 PM
All good advise.

First educate yourself. If you have a reasonable level of technical understanding you can make informed decisions regarding your purchases. The internet has a wealth of reviews and opinions on Scuba Equipment, Scuba Lab has what appears to be objective reviews.



I would say FIRST put your money in your regulators, figure what you can afford to spend ad 10% to that and make the best deal on the regulators you settle on. You will own your regulators for a long time, they will outlast the car you are driving , your first home, and possibly one or two marriages (depending on how much you dive). They probably will make the biggest difference in your diving pleasure and comfort of any piece of equipment. I would also by Nitrox Compatible regulators. The price difference in mid-range Nitrox compatible will not be much, and will save you the cost of repurchasing a whole new regulator set when you move to Nitrox. The same example holds true for a dive computer, there are nitrox compatible computers in the $200-$300 price range. Shop around.



EVERYONE has an opinion. Buy whats right for you. I did painstaking research before buying Mares Abyss regulators, which I found to be easy breathing, well built and reliable at a good price for performance ratio. I am sure you can find someone to pan anything with the MARES name on it.



Ask the question of online retailers directly if they are an authorized dealer. There are cases where people have been denied warranty service because of gray market purchases.



I have had problems even with MARES authorized dealers having my regulators service to my satisfaction.

Even if you cannot get your gear locally serviced manufacturers offer mail in depot repair. You are not a commercial diver,

you can survive an extra week with out your regulator. In most cases they have the durability of a hammer.



try here for good close-out and used deals http://www.northeastscubasupply.com/store/index.php

They are local to me,a bout 30 miles and it like a candy store for scuba.

APEX HOLIS DIVE RITE and MARES authorized among others.