Lord Morbius

Hi there, i'm new to the forum. I have done one or two dives while on hols and have taken a few lessons at my local leisure centre pool. I'm off to Turkey in a month or so and anticipate getting my PADI certification as it will be a lot cheaper out there.

I am looking to buy a BCD and REG setup on Ebay, i want to keep the price down as i suspect i may want to change my kit as i learn more.

Just about every club in the U.K. uses the buddy BC and there are plenty on Ebay, they certainly seem robust and effective but i can't find any independant reviews on the net. If they are so reputable and designed for the forces etc, how come they are rarely mentioned by experienced divers and seem to be unknown to the americans, while all the american makes are well represented here in the U.K. I am thinking of buyinh a Commando but want to understand the story here... is it all just down to fashion?

I have also seen that the Apeks TX40 reg is very reliable and reccomended by many divers yet it is hardly a flagship product, is there really any point in spending much money on gear? you seem to get everything you need in the most basic kit and pay a fortune for more advanced models which have add-ons which will probably never be of use to most, or so it seems, is it all just about showing off, is that what drives sales of high end gear?

I'd be glad to hear your views on this and any advice on the products listed above as i am going to buy soon.

Cheers - Mervyn.