buying gear/renting gear.

tong po

sorry for starting 2 threads in a short time.
but what do you think is better? to buy or rent?

for me, its better to rent, i know the dive centers i use very well, i feel better that the kit is in constant use, and tested regulary.on top of that, i have more car space with the kids when i strike off on the weekend.

SO................... i was thinking, as i am getting in to the sport more and more, that i was going to treat my self to a good computer, watch and a knife{none of what i have at the moment}, instead of spending it on tanks, spiders/bcd'd and suits.

what do you think?

loctite

tong po wrote: »

sorry for starting 2 threads in a short time.
but what do you think is better? to buy or rent?

for me, its better to rent, i know the dive centers i use very well, i feel better that the kit is in constant use, and tested regulary.on top of that, i have more car space with the kids when i strike off on the weekend.

SO................... i was thinking, as i am getting in to the sport more and more, that i was going to treat my self to a good computer, watch and a knife{none of what i have at the moment}, instead of spending it on tanks, spiders/bcd'd and suits.

what do you think?

I'd prefer to be the only person who pisses in the suit I'm wearing thanks..
that plus every Joe (or Joan) Soap who passes through the centre using the regs...... No way.....

Not even to mention that if you travel from centre to centre using different suits and BC's and just not knowing exactly what weight you'd need.

If you aim to continue diving Imo having your own gear is a must.....

t1mm

Knowing who used your regs, when they were serviced and by whom, as well as being familiar with your BC and having well fitting gear is worth the investment I reckon. Makes diving much more enjoyable!

who_am_I?

Being familiar and comfortable with your kit is important, your life depends on it.

I would buy items in the following order.

The first big investment would be a good set of regs.

Next get the BC.

Follow this with a Drysuit.

Finally the computer. (It will be ages before you will be able to push the NDL on tables).

locum-motion

who_am_I? wrote: »

...Finally the computer. (It will be ages before you will be able to push the NDL on tables).

I would disagree with you there; I'd put the computer early on in the list. Why? Because you need some kind of timepiece early doors. Basically, if you're renting gear from a centre some (most?) won't rent you a computer. If you buy a dive watch at the start of your dive career (€150-300, or even more), you'll only end up buying a computer later anyway. Why not save yourself the price of the dive watch and buy the computer first off?

who_am_I?

locum-motion wrote: »

I would disagree with you there; I'd put the computer early on in the list. Why? Because you need some kind of timepiece early doors. Basically, if you're renting gear from a centre some (most?) won't rent you a computer. If you buy a dive watch at the start of your dive career (€150-300, or even more), you'll only end up buying a computer later anyway. Why not save yourself the price of the dive watch and buy the computer first off?

I agree that you need a timepiece, But you can easily find a suitable timepiece (water resistant to 200m) for about 50 Euro.

sesna

locum-motion wrote: »

I would disagree with you there; I'd put the computer early on in the list. Why? Because you need some kind of timepiece early doors. Basically, if you're renting gear from a centre some (most?) won't rent you a computer. If you buy a dive watch at the start of your dive career (€150-300, or even more), you'll only end up buying a computer later anyway. Why not save yourself the price of the dive watch and buy the computer first off?

I'd agree, you can get a decent computer for 150 - 200 euro. Good to have computer as backup to tables.

Also it's good to have max depth, average depth to help with calculating average air consumptions, temperature, having depth on your wrist, ascent rate alarm, etc.

locum-motion

who_am_I? wrote: »

I agree that you need a timepiece, But you can easily find a suitable timepiece (water resistant to 200m) for about 50 Euro.

Don't forget the other minimum requirement for a dive watch, namely a unidirectional rotating bezel.

tong po

talk to me about watches guys. can you get a good watch that has a dive computer with basic funtions in it?
2 birds 1 stone?

who_am_I?

Look at the Sunnto Stinger /D6/ D9
Is is a good Dive computer in warm water, however the watch strap extension is fiddly for cold water wetsuits & Drysuits. The Display is a little small, This is ok in bright tropical waters, but not so good in the Murky depths of Ireland.

As a watch the Body is large and ugly on the Stinger, The D9 is eyewateringly expensive.

loctite

tong po wrote: »

talk to me about watches guys. can you get a good watch that has a dive computer with basic funtions in it?
2 birds 1 stone?

Yep and they are crazy money........
The cheapest I've seen is the Suunto Mosquito, which looks like a cheap Casio IMO for around 350 euro...... not cheap at all......

diveshark

t1mm wrote: »

Knowing who used your regs, when they were serviced and by whom, as well as being familiar with your BC and having well fitting gear is worth the investment I reckon. Makes diving much more enjoyable!

and much safer, good post!