Head to head
The eight decisions divers actually argue about, each set out as a real trade rather than a winner. Every page names who each option is for and who should not buy it, because most of these questions have two correct answers depending on the diving.
Comparison pages are where gear advice usually goes wrong, because a head to head invites a verdict and most of these questions do not have one. A jacket BCD is not worse than a back inflate, it is better at the surface and worse underwater. Steel cylinders are not better than aluminium, they are heavier, more expensive and need less lead. The useful output of a comparison is a clear statement of what each option costs you, and that is what these pages aim at.
- 3mm vs 5mm Wetsuit: Which Thickness for Diving?3mm vs 5mm wetsuit compared: water temperature, buoyancy and weighting, mobility, multiple dives and how to choose thickness. Open →
- Aluminum vs Steel Scuba Tanks: Which Should You Dive?Aluminum and steel scuba cylinders compared on buoyancy, capacity, lead carried, price and inspection intervals, with the... Open →
- Anti fog gel vs Spit Open →
- Bühlmann vs RGBM: How Dive Computer Algorithms DifferBühlmann ZHL-16C and RGBM compared: dissolved gas against bubble models, gradient factors, conservatism, and why two computers... Open →
- Buying own Gear vs Renting Open →
- Console Gauge vs Wrist Computer Open →
- Dive Knife vs Line Cutter: Which Should You Carry?Dive knife vs line cutter compared: entanglement, monofilament, size, snag risk, travel rules and what actually cuts you free. Open →
- Dive Slate vs Hand Signals Open →
- Dry bag vs Hard Case Open →
- Finger Spool vs Dive Reel Open →
- Full Foot vs Open Heel Fins: Which for Scuba?Full foot vs open heel fins with boots compared: warmth, shore entries, fit, travel weight and which suits your diving. Open →
- Jacket bcd vs Backplate Wing Open →
- Jacket vs Back-Inflate BCD: Which Should You Buy?Jacket and back-inflate BCDs compared on surface position, trim, lift capacity, pockets and packed weight, with a plain verdict... Open →
- Mesh bag vs Padded Regulator bag Open →
- Nitrox vs Air: What Enriched Air Actually Buys YouNitrox and air compared on maximum operating depth, equivalent air depth, no stop time, narcosis and cost, with the depth limits... Open →
- Octopus vs Integrated Inflator Open →
- Paper log vs Computer log Open →
- Pocket Snorkel vs Mask Mounted Open →
- Primary vs Backup Dive Light: Do You Need Both?Primary canister dive light vs a compact backup compared: burn time, beam, redundancy, night diving and what every diver should... Open →
- Save a Dive kit vs Buying Spares Later Open →
- Shearwater Peregrine vs Teric: Which One to BuyShearwater Peregrine and Teric compared on price, decompression model, air integration, trimix, screen size and vibration alerts... Open →
- Single vs Dual Lens Dive Mask: Which Should You Buy?Single lens vs dual lens scuba mask compared: field of view, internal volume, prescription lenses, clearing and which suits your... Open →
- Split Fins vs Paddle Fins: Which for Scuba Diving?Split fins vs paddle fins compared: efficiency, power, kick styles, current, leg fatigue and which suits your diving. Open →
- Suunto vs Shearwater: Which Dive Computer Brand?Suunto and Shearwater compared on decompression model, conservatism, price ladder, nitrox ceilings and screens, with a verdict... Open →
- Tank Boot vs Bare Cylinder Open →
- Wetsuit Cleaner vs Fresh Water Open →
- Wetsuit vs Drysuit: Where the Crossover Actually IsWetsuit and drysuit compared on temperature range, weighting, cost, training and failure modes, with the 55 F crossover and why... Open →
- Wrist vs Console Dive Computer: Which Format Wins?Wrist and console dive computers compared on readability, tank pressure, hoses, streamlining, cost and failure modes, with a... Open →
Which of these decisions actually matters most?
In order of how much it changes the diving:
- Wetsuit versus drysuit, because being cold ends dives, raises air consumption and is a recognised risk factor for decompression sickness. It is also the only one on this list where the answer comes with a mandatory course.
- Nitrox versus air, because it changes both your bottom time and your depth ceiling, in opposite directions, and the second half of that sentence is the part divers forget.
- Jacket versus back inflate, because it decides how easily you can hold flat trim, which decides your gas consumption and whether your fins are hitting the reef.
- Aluminium versus steel, because it changes how much lead you carry and how your buoyancy behaves at the end of a dive.
- The algorithm question, which matters mostly when your buddy is on a different brand and the two computers disagree by twenty minutes.
The rule that applies to all of them
Buy for the diving you actually do, not the diving you imagine doing. The single most common expensive mistake in this hobby is a warm water holiday diver buying cold water technical equipment, and the second most common is a diver in 55 F water trying to make a 3 mm suit work. Run your own numbers through the wetsuit thickness calculator and the weighting calculator before you take any of these decisions on feel.
The eight questions, answered in one line each
Each of these is the shortest honest version. Every one of them has a full page behind it explaining what the trade actually costs you, because a one line answer is a starting point rather than a decision.
| Question | The short answer | Where it bites |
|---|---|---|
| Jacket or back inflate? | Jacket is easier at the surface, back inflate trims flatter underwater | First 50 dives |
| Nitrox or air? | Nitrox buys bottom time and costs you a depth ceiling of 111 ft on EAN32 | 60 to 100 ft |
| Wetsuit or drysuit? | The crossover is around 55 F, and the drysuit course comes before the suit | Below 60 F |
| Peregrine or Teric? | Same firmware, different size and price. The Teric adds air integration and a watch case | $580 versus $1,199 |
| Suunto or Shearwater? | Suunto is cheaper and more widely rented, Shearwater is more configurable | Buying your second computer |
| Wrist or console? | A console keeps depth and pressure on one hose, a wrist unit keeps your hands free | First purchase |
| Aluminium or steel? | Steel stays negative all dive so you carry less lead, and costs more up front | Thick suits and cold water |
| Buhlmann or RGBM? | Buhlmann with gradient factors is configurable, RGBM is conservative by default | Repetitive dives with a buddy |
Why do so many of these have two right answers?
Because dive gear is specified against conditions, and conditions differ more than divers admit. A jacket BCD is genuinely better for a diver who spends time on a choppy surface sorting out a mask, and genuinely worse for one working on flat trim over a silty bottom. Steel cylinders are genuinely better for a diver in a 7 mm suit carrying twenty pounds of lead, and pointless for someone diving a skin in the tropics.
That is why every page here ends with a verdict split by diver rather than a single winner, and why the phrase that appears most often across the section is some version of who should not buy this. A comparison that names only a winner is telling half of the readers the wrong thing.
One of the eight does have a single correct answer, and it is worth stating here: if your water is genuinely below about 55 F and you are diving repetitively, the answer is a drysuit and the certification that goes with it. That is the only comparison on the site where the decision comes with mandatory training attached, and the technical diving page explains the general principle behind why we treat training as a purchase rather than an afterthought.