Scuba Gear Reviews by Billy Stewart

Excellent Light... lots of illumination. A very bright, white light. It really punches through on night dive!!!!

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42 out of 79 people found this review helpful.

tusa makes quality products, no doubt about that. the material and finish of these boots are very nice. i normally wear a 9 1/2d shoe. i really feel i could have went with a 9 instead of a 10. i know they always say go up if youre a half size, but these boots really feel big on me. the first time i went diving with them i had a heck of a time getting them off. one foot i gave up and just pulled the whole thing off and then put my boot back on. did better the second time i dived with them. just had to make sure i pulled back hard on the strap. the other thing is probably more my fault. i wanted a hard sole boot because im doing a lot of beach entries over rocks and wading to get out to where we can snorkel the rest of the way (its a swim -)) to the site where we actually begin our dive. the hard soles are great for this. theyre thick and i had no problems in that respect. i found that i really have to pick up my feet to avoid getting sand and gravel into my boots due to the low top (i learned to do this also the second time i dived with these boots). if i had it to do over, i would get a high top boot. i asked one of my buddies why they would even make a low top hard sole, since obviously hard sole, youre thinking "beach entry". he pointed out that a lot of people like a hard sole because of the way it fits in the fin pocket. doesnt move around as much as a softer boot. that actually makes sense so im adding that here.

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57 out of 117 people found this review helpful.

I like these shorts. They stretch for a snug fit and fit well underneath my wetsuit. When I wear a regular bathing suit, it seems to always bunch up. I bought these shorts specifically for diving. They dry quickly and appear to be good construction that will hold up well.

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128 out of 247 people found this review helpful.

I just tried the gloves out yesterday doing a beach dive here in Japan. The Japanese islands being volcanic islands often result in running into rocky conditions not only above the water but under it as well. These gloves gave good protection from the rocks. I slipped twice making my way across the rocks to where we could begin our dive and Im sure I would have scraped my hands without them. The also were warm enough for 66 degree water. The gloves were a good fit for my hands. I normally wear a size 7 glove and the mediums were a perfect fit. The velcro straps at the wrist are a good touch and the wrist were high enough to come up over my wetsuit.

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74 out of 148 people found this review helpful.

Ive used the plug type in the past. What I want from an octo holder is 1) That it securely hold my octo so I can find it in a hurry if I need it, 2) That I it will release my octo easily in the event that it is needed, and 3)That it keeps debris out of the mouthpiece. This looked like it would do the trick. It popped out once as we were making our way out to where we could start our dive (a distance of about 75 yards) where we had to wade are walk across rocks, I looked down and the octo was dangling. That didnt exactly give me a warm fuzzy about how secure it was going to be. It might have come out when I slipped and ended up sitting rather quickly into just over knee deep water rather than fall on my face. That was the only time. It worked fine in the water. It held throughout the dive and the walk back. I think I would still lean towards this one over the strap type, just because of the extra protection it affords the mouthpiece.

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27 out of 49 people found this review helpful.

This is a quality knife. Titanium is the way to go for all the reasons we are already familiar with. The knife is a little on the small side for my hands and did not come with straps. I dont think I want to attach the sheath through my strap on my BC (resulting in holes in the BC strap). It does have included hardware to attach to a hose. I will have to experiment with exactly where I want it to go. In the meantime it fits easily in my BC pocket.

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56 out of 107 people found this review helpful.

really liked this bc. just dove with it for the first time yesterday. i felt very balanced in the water. it has two tank straps for a secure hold on your tank and a safety/height adjustment strap to go around the top just beneath the valve so that you are always in the same spot and to prevent you losing your tank in that worst case scenario (be hard to happen with this bc). my only criticism would be of the integrated weight system. i had a difficult time getting a 5lb shot weight to fit through the opening. i had one 5 and one 1 on that side. on the other i had two 3 pounders and two 1 pounders. they fit with no problem. i wouldnt use larger than a 4 lb shot weight with this bc just case i would ever need to weight. the pockets are plenty deep enough to carry more weight. just a width issue would keep me from using fives in the future. to ditch the weights you have to pull up and out. no worries about losing your weights accidentally. th bc has very nice sized pockets. a nice touch was the included gauge retention clip. another feature that i liked was to descend i only needed to pull on inflation hose to dump air through the top. no need to hold the hose up over my head. this valve is also easily removable for flushing out the interior of the bc after the dive is over. highly recommended. cant beat it for the price!

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59 out of 107 people found this review helpful.

Its a hanger for Gods sake! Sturdy plastic (has to be something that can handle being wet). Works as designed. Has places to place boots, gloves, and hood while they are drying or for storage. Everyone who owns their own dive gear needs a set of these hangers. Youve invested a lot. Get the right hanger that wont cause damage to your equipment!

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72 out of 139 people found this review helpful.

Its a hanger for Gods sake! Sturdy plastic (has to be something that can handle being wet). Works as designed. Has hooks on the ends to keep the BCD from sliding off. Everyone who owns their own dive gear needs a set of these hangers. Youve invested a lot. Get the right hanger that wont cause damage to your equipment!

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121 out of 236 people found this review helpful.

What can you say about a wetsuit hanger? It works as designed. Its wide in the right places so it doesnt damage your suit. Its light weight and made of sturdy plastic that will hold up for the long haul... Nothing special, just a good product that accomplishes what it is designed to do.

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145 out of 254 people found this review helpful.

We all know that we lose a lot of heat through our head. When diving in cold water a good hood can make all the difference in the world. Was diving in 66 degree Farenheit water today in a 3mm Akona Jumpsuit and Hood. Never felt the least bit cold! This hood fit me well, did not interfere with my mask, and helped me keep me warm. What more can you ask from a hood?

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43 out of 81 people found this review helpful.

Very nice suit. This was my first rear entry suit so it took a little getting used to. I had a little bit of a hard time zipping it up. Felt a little snug across the shoulders (whoever heard of a perfect fit off the rack? :-)). I expected this though and was counting on it stretching a little. When I looked at the sizing chart it fit me everywhere except the chest (Im a little broad through the chest). I figured a couple of inches would be okay. Once my buddy zipped it for me though it stretched out and seemed to conform to my body like it was made for me! I suspect as I get more used to a rear entry suit, that I will be able to zip it myself. It seals well around the ankles, wrists, and neck. I never notice any cold water coming in, except for my boots (Tilos)which are zippered so of course I expect that. I was diving in water today that was 66 degrees Farenheit and never felt the least bit cold. The suit has a rubber coating on the knees that came in handy. I slipped on the rocks when I was wading in after the dive. Bashed my knee hard enough that its still hurting now 14 hours later. I have a visible scrape and bruise just below my knee cap. Didnt leave a mark on the suit!

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90 out of 163 people found this review helpful.

This a very nice snorkel. Just did a beach entry today. Had to wade across rocks. When we got to an area where it was deep enough, we swam on the surface another 100 yards through a moderate surge on snorkel to save air until the water was deep enough to actually dive. With the swell I kept expecting to get a mouth full of water... never happened. The shape of the top of the snorkel I think had a lot to do with that. I did get a little trickle once. A quick blow and it was gone. Purge valve in the bottom. Again... nice snorkel and worked well in less than ideal conditions.

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156 out of 290 people found this review helpful.

Now this is a great product! Easy to pull over the heel, good fit. I remember having fin straps break on me (one of the reasons fin straps or part of every "Save-a-Dive" kit). I cant see that happening with a straps that is essentially reinforced with a stainless steel spring! Just started using it, will be interesting to see how it holds up over time. In the mean time I will hold on to the straps that came with the fins... never know when someone else might need one :-)

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95 out of 201 people found this review helpful.

this is a good fin. very well made. based on other reviews i really expected it to be a lot better in the propulsion department, but i really didnt see much difference. its still a quality product and i would recommend this fin to anyone who likes split fins. i give it four stars. i should add though that it would have to be exceptional to get five -)

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102 out of 198 people found this review helpful.

A good boot. I think it would be fine for boat diving or beach entries across sand (like what Im used to). However Im living in Japan now and not Florida or the Caribbean (where the majority of my diving has been in the past). My first dive with these boots today was a shore dive. I had to walk and wade across rocks (the volcanic type) to get out to where the water was deep enough to start the dive. About 75-100 yards. Coming back was worse as now my feet (being soaked) had softened up. Despite the rough conditions the boots held up fine. I would recommend them as long as youre going to be walking across a relatively smooth surface. The boots are sized a little large. My size 9 boot fits my size 9 1/2D (shoe size) foot just fine. I think a 10 (which I considered because I didnt want to be cramped) would have been way to big. I was diving in 66 degree F water and my feet were fine. Plenty warm enough for me (course everyone is different (I was wearing a 3mm wetsuit while my buddy was in a 7mm neoprine dry suit :-)) The water was a little cool coming in, but warmed up quickly. A good product. I give it four stars. A product would really have to impress me to get five! :-)

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73 out of 142 people found this review helpful.