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#113
Dive Equipment Reviews?
zenmedianetworks - 9/26/2013 8:36 AM
Category: Equipment
Replies: 10

Any good dive equipment review sites? I’m looking for a little more ratings that i can trust plus some up close images. Thanks!
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dalehall - 9/26/2013 9:43 AM
To be honest, most business sites and magazines are only going to review those products that pay for advertising within their pages. You don’t get a "real" review of the product. (If they gave it bad review, they wouldn’t advertise there anymore) Your best bet is to go talk to some of your local divers and see what they use and recommend. I would say your LDS, but of course, they are only going to talk about what they have on the shelf. When talking to your local divers, keep in mind that when you ask 100 different divers about equipment, you are going to get 100 different opinions.
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pharo - 9/26/2013 11:38 AM
I go to Youtube for reviews before I buy a piece of equipment.
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Rich-D-Fish - 9/26/2013 2:50 PM
I look to the scuba magazines. They typically have a once a year "Best Of" section which gives their pics with reviews.
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RockRat2008 - 9/27/2013 1:50 PM
I will usually start with places like amazon.com, leisurepro.com, etc. where people who have bought the item can leave a review online and then see what they have to say.


Usually they will have a good mix of reviews if the product has been out a while and you get a feel for the good and the bad about it.
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GoDeeper - 9/27/2013 4:27 PM
I agree with checking "user review" sites. People that have actually purchased the equipment and dove it several times. Like DaleHall said, you’ll get a bunch of opinions but at least they are honest and usually not influenced by ad dollars. What type of equipment are you looking for? If you’re in the market for a regulator, you can look at "work of breathing" results which give you some hard data as to how well it will perform. Here’s a link that talks about how they test regulators. Regulator Testing.

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Greg - 9/27/2013 5:49 PM
Another good option is to post a question in the forum on DiveBuddy about something you’re interested in to get some feedback from others that may have the same thing.
#113
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zenmedianetworks - 9/28/2013 10:41 PM
Thanks for the reply’s everybody, Greg I like that option, no bull on this site!
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John_giu - 10/13/2013 4:38 PM
I would say define your price point then compare products available to you.

Read the reviews and come back here for opinions on what you are considering.

I would only advise put your money in your regulators first. They will last a lifetime

and are the most important piece of gear you will ever buy. IMHO
#783
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dontdiveenuf - 10/15/2013 1:13 PM
As usual, excellent advice from everyone above. Another site to check on-line is SCUBA.com - good prices, good support, good policies, good videos (though they’re from the vendors) and like LeisurePro a line you can call to get advice.