Is It Too Cheesy To Get All One-Brand Gear?

[tom]

well, the fit of a BC etc is slightly less critical, and he was talking about buying things off a website.

I hope your new 'medical support' thingy is colour coordinated

[Letz]

Originally Posted by Phaedrus

I think that the diving fraternity, at least any that I've experienced, would offer light slagging if someone was coordinated, but if the gear was good quality and functional, light slagging would be all they'd get.

Has anyone seen the latest range of " Moon Dive Kit " ?

I gather the new drysuit will be making an apearance soon

[Letz]

Originally Posted by tom

well, the fit of a BC etc is slightly less critical, and he was talking about buying things off a website.

I hope your new 'medical support' thingy is colour coordinated

Not while I have a suntan

I was rather diappointed that they only came in 'medical white' Maybe I'll take a felt-tip to it, or get it signed like a plaster cast

[MATTBIN]

Originally Posted by Sixsquid

Not while I have a suntan

I was rather diappointed that they only came in 'medical white' Maybe I'll take a felt-tip to it, or get it signed like a plaster cast

That would liven up a Wednesday evening.

Matt

[yazzyfooty]

Originally Posted by Phaedrus

Or should I deliberately seek out un-coordinated, mismatched gear? (no wink smilie)

Mark

Oh yes there is

[Phaedrus]

Dang!

It scrolls left as well as down!

Mark

[Letz]

Originally Posted by Phaedrus

Dang!

It scrolls left as well as down!

Mark

Watch it ! That's how you get inguinal hernias

[Letz]

Originally Posted by MATTBIN

That would liven up a Wednesday evening.

Matt

I'm already in trouble for, allegedly, mooning while getting changed
Maybe I could start it off on the Valkyrie

[MattS]

Originally Posted by Phaedrus

IF I was to buy my entire set-up in one go (lotto win, bank loan - whatever), would it be unacceptably cheesy and ridicule-inviting to buy it all or most of it from one brand?

YES There are two things more cheesy.
1. Buying your wife/partner identical kit - on a par with so Janice and John biker syndrome which involves a Honda Asprincade with matching helmets, leathers, waterproofs and of course an intercom.
2. Being on a boat or in a club where everyone turns out in identical kit. I well remember my first Red Sea trip when team Scuba Pro turned up and spent the next hour having various incidents and kicking crap out the reef. It's not the fault of the kit but I can not help myself associating brand co-ordination with muppetry ever since.

There are brands out there that seem to have recommendedations for all types of products.

Oddly the number of good reviews appears to match the number of adverts a manufacturer places. Probably a coincidence I am sure.

Personally, I like black, grey and blue, so looking through mags & websites, if a product gets a good review/recommendation, and is available in black/blue/grey, then waheyy for me!

And what makes you think it will stay that colour. I had a very fetching Red and Black drysuit which turned into a very embarrassing pale pink and purple number five years later. My old Buddy stab jacket started out flourescent orange but is now off white with a hint of mildew.

If I was to arrive on a dive trip and whipped out this gear, would I deserve to be ridiculed, or is it accepted that some people like coordinated gear?

Cressi...quite probably.

Or are you considered to be a more authentic diver if you have un-coordinated gear from different brands? Kind of like giving off an air of "I care more about the actual diving than how I look when I dive".

The established divers tend to have a hotch-potch of kit for several reasons.

1. You lose stuff, break stuff, wear stuff out at different rates and the chances are the manufacturer has stopped making whatever model matches your ensemble.

2. You work out that dive manufacturers are more interested in making attractive gimmicky kit that sells rather than stuff that just works. Mares are a fine example replacing the perfectly good, reliable and simple fin straps with the Advanced Binding System abomination. Careful use of a knife and application of bungee can make some things work far better at the cost of being less attractive.

3. You get to the point where you do not care what the kit looks like provided it works, works reliably and needs fettling as infrequently as possible.

If you must be brand co-ordinated I would think Scuba Pro are your best bet. Most of the kit they make is pretty reasonable if a little lightweight for my own tastes.

The way to avoid ridicule is to ensure your dive conduct is so damn good that everyone else around you has the problems and hence you go un-noticed. In the course of attaining such a level of expertise I suspect you may stop wishing to be brand co-ordinated.

[Mark Davies]

It would depend on why you were co-ordinated.

I think if you were making informed kit choices it would be unlikely that everything would come from the same source, but you are right that there will be some items which are pretty much indistinguishable in performance, so why not choose purely on how they look? However, a full set of gear from brand X would certainly give the impression that you'd bought it all wholesale and had not really thought about what you were getting. That screams inexperience.

Colour co-ordination in itself is different. For instance, any of my kit that potentially could be dropped is flourescent yellow, to make it easier for me to find it. Anything else is black, so that it doesn't start looking grubby. I appear to some extent co-ordinated - but it's not a case of image conscious choices - purely a matter of practicality.