In Reply to: Re: What's happening to the dive industry? posted by Max Bottomtime on September 06, 2008 at 08:56:37:

The reason places like leisure pro are able to sell gear so cheap is because most of what they sell is from the gray market, or is a complete knockoff. In both cases the products come completely without warranty and could possibly be dangerous to use. Most of the major retailers (ScubaPro, Atomic) will not sell their gear over the internet, as such any of their products bought over the internet have no warranties. This includes the "parts for life" deal that ScubaPro gives you with new regulators. You will pay more for parts in the long run with a gray market regulator than buying it new in the first place. The local dive shop is the only place to get quality gear, fit BCD's and wetsuits before purchase, and have a knowledgeable staff set your gear up for you and make sure everything is working properly. Yes, it's more expensive, but come on, this is your life we're talking about, wouldn't you pay a little more for quality service and support?