I Don't Trust Reviews. Here is why...
Sean Smyrichinsky Aug 08, 2026
The Bottom Line
Why I Ignore Most Dive Gear Reviews
Every week somebody asks me what regulator they should buy.
Or what dive computer.
Or what dry suit.
Sometimes it's a BCD.
Sometimes it's a flashlight.
Sometimes it's whatever shiny new piece of gear just showed up on YouTube this week.
The conversation almost always starts the same way.
"I watched this guy online..."
And that's usually where I take a deep breath.
Now before anyone gets their shorts in a knot, let me be clear.
There are some excellent reviewers out there. There are people who put in the work, disclose their relationships, and genuinely try to help divers make informed decisions.
This article isn't about them.
It's about the culture that has convinced people that having a camera somehow makes you an authority.
It doesn't.
Experience Isn't Something You Download
Somewhere along the way, experience got replaced by followers.
A guy with a GoPro, a drone, a microphone and a discount code can suddenly influence thousands of buying decisions.
Meanwhile, the people who actually spend decades using, servicing and watching that equipment succeed—or fail—often don't get asked.
That makes absolutely no sense to me.
Expertise isn't measured by subscribers.
It's measured by experience.
And experience takes time.
There aren't any shortcuts.
That's Not How I Roll
Most gear reviews happen after somebody uses a product for a weekend.
Maybe three dives.
Maybe ten if they're really ambitious.
Then out comes the camera.
"The best regulator ever."
"Game changer."
"You NEED this."
Bullshit.
Almost every piece of quality dive gear works well when it's brand new.
That's the easy part.
I don't care how it performs on Dive Number Three.
I care how it performs on Dive Number Three Hundred.
Or Dive Number Three Thousand.
That's where the truth starts coming out.
I Get A Different View
Over 26 years experience owning a dive shop, running dive charter boats, servicing equipment, instructing students, commercial divng, rebreather diving and so much more. Not many people in this country have my perspective.
Every season I watch hundreds of divers show up with equipment from just about every manufacturer on the planet.
I don't just see gear when it's new.
I see it after years of real diving.
I see what keeps working.
I see what starts leaking.
I see what constantly comes back for repairs.
I see what quietly disappears because divers got poor advice then tired of dealing with crap.
And I see the equipment that just keeps doing its job year after year without anyone making a big deal about it.
That's a review.
Everything before that is just a first impression.
The Influencer Economy
Here's where I may ruffle a few feathers.
Good.
The internet rewards excitement.
It doesn't reward patience.
Nobody gets millions of views making a video called...
"Five Years Later... It Still Works Fine."
Instead it's...
"This Changes EVERYTHING!"
"The ONLY Regulator You'll Ever Need!"
"Don't Buy Anything Until You Watch This!"
Come on.
If everything is revolutionary...
Nothing is.
The internet has created an economy where there's always pressure to find the next amazing thing.
Because if there isn't another amazing thing...
There isn't another video.
Free Gear Changes The Equation
This is the part people don't like talking about.
Getting free gear doesn't automatically make somebody dishonest.
But let's not pretend it doesn't change the equation.
Some of the best gear I have been using for years I dont even sell in my store but Ill still tell you why I belive its the best.
If manufacturers keep sending products...
If affiliate links pay the bills...
If your business depends on staying in everyone's good books...
There is pressure.
Maybe nobody ever says a word.
They don't have to.
Human nature is enough.
That's why I tend to trust opinions from people who have nothing to gain by recommending one product over another.
Every Manufacturer Gets Some Things Wrong
Here's another unpopular opinion.
I've never seen a manufacturer that gets everything right. Every single brand has got some crap in their lineup!
EVERY SINGLE ONE!
Most companies have products I like.
Every company has products that make me wonder what the hell they were thinking.
That's why I don't become loyal to brands.
Brands don't deserve loyalty.
Good products do.
If a company builds something exceptional, I'll say so.
If they build something that misses the mark, I'll say that too.
That's not being anti-brand.
That's being honest.
Marketing Isn't Testing
A glossy brochure isn't testing.
A launch event isn't testing.
A tropical dive trip isn't testing.
Neither is ten dives in crystal-clear water where everything goes perfectly.
Testing starts when equipment gets used the way people actually use it.
When it gets dropped on a dock.
Thrown into the back of a truck.
Frozen.
Cooked in the sun.
Packed for airline travel.
Used every weekend.
Serviced.
Used again.
That's when you find out what you actually bought.
I'd Rather Lose A Sale Than Lose My Reputation
I've talked people out of buying gear more times than I can count.
Sometimes because they didn't need it.
Sometimes because there was a better option.
Sometimes because what they already owned was perfectly good.
Does that cost me sales?
Absolutely.
Do I care?
Not really.
Selling somebody the wrong piece of equipment might make me a few dollars today.
Giving them advice they can trust is worth a hell of a lot more in the long run.
This is why I've seen dive shops open and close every year but over the last quarter century we thrive and we still have the fist customers that ever walked though our door.
The Bottom Line
I'm never going to recommend a piece of gear because it's fashionable.
I'm never going to recommend something because everybody else is talking about it.
And I'm sure as hell not going to recommend something because somebody handed it to me for free.
If I tell you a piece of equipment is good, it's because I've watched it earn that reputation.
Not over a weekend.
Over years.
That's the difference.
And that's exactly how I intend to keep it.