In Reply to: Octo as main replacement? posted by johnny sixpack on November 14, 2006 at 16:23:17:

If you shop at a real dive shop as opposed to a mega chain I think you'll find they'll be more than happy to sell you just a first stage. One of those places where the customer is a priority instead of an annoyance.

You may even find that if you take your broken first stage into one of these type places that they can fix it for cheaper than a new one costs.

I don't mean to denigrate, and I'm going to start generalizing here from my soapbox (which may or may not apply to your situation). But this is another symptom of the rise of chains and Internet based "a few bucks cheaper" dive stuff. If you buy from a real store, it may cost you a few extra bucks in the short term, but you end up better off in the long run because if you have a problem (such as an out of tune reg) most real places will just fix it for you. I purchased some some stuff years ago from my LDS, and after several years the compass developed a bubble. I mentioned it to the owner in passing, and he told me to bring it in, where he replaced it for free on the spot. Same thing with a computer I purchased from him that went dead after the warranty period. He replaced it for me and then dealt with the company to get reimbursed. Sometimes it's worth it to pay for customer service.

JRM

-- again, just generalizing.