Sign here if you have never breathed on a used regulator

[ScubaDoo83]

SIGN

The idea of renting a reg or breathing off a used one (not including buddy drills) revolts me. Burping, spitting, lougies and sometimes possibly vomit? No thanks! I bought all of my gear even before I started my confined water practice and I couldn't be happier with my decision. I caught flak from some around here for it too

I know I am probably in the minority on this (I am a rather picky person in general) but I am interested how many have never rented or better yet purchased your own reg from the very beginning.

 

[Doc Harry]

Do you know what fish do in the water? I often get mouthfuls of water and I've never gotten sick.

Seawater will kill most anything on a regulator anyway.

Regardless, getting your own regulator is a great idea.

 

[tbone1004]

what he said. I think I have 2 second stages that I bought new and that is because I got keyman on them, everything else was bought used. When they go in for overhaul they go in an ultrasonic with vinegar and between the heat, ultrasonic waves, and vinegar it kills most everything, so not worried about that. Housings generally get run through the dishwasher, so that takes care of the buying used regs.

Using used regs, seawater kills most everything, pool water certainly does as well, so I have no issue with it. Freshwater diving is a bit different since that won't kill anything, but most of what lives in the water is going to be worse than anything in the regulator, so your issue is purely in your head, so chalk that up to mysophobia *technical term for germophobia as an fyi*, purely irrational fear. Not saying there is anything wrong with your decision, just that it is irrational. I'm 99.999% confident you are alone in this because I don't know of anyone who had brand new regulators prior to their pool training, and while you ruled it out, any air-sharing exercises require you to breathe off of your buddies regulator, which if he has done proper equipment checks, he would have breathed off of during assembly and as part of his in water checks. Since the 5 second rule has been disproven, and you are on that regulator for AT LEAST 2 minutes, the "damage" has been done so you are no better off than if you had just used the rental regs in the first place.

 

[Wijbrandus]

I rented for a year or two before I bought my gear. I never really had a problem with it, but I was more than a little concerned in Mexico once. After that, I made my purchases.

 

[ScubaDoo83]

For me it's not so much the chance of getting sick but more of a mental "EWWWWW". Lot's of what I do in irrational, some would say like scuba diving itself

 

[Doc Harry]

..more of a mental "EWWWWW".

Think of what fish do in the water!

 

[ScubaDoo83]

Think of what fish do in the water!

Doesn't bother me. Hey, I never claimed this made sense

 

[Wijbrandus]

Think of what fish do in the water!

And not just the fish.

 

[Wookie]

Bought a new reg before I started OW training. It carried me through 4,000 dives, replaced it with another new reg that AI still use today, with ~2000 dives on it. I expect it will be my last reg. I rented an octopus once when my BC (and Air 2) didn't make the flight.

 

[Lorenzoid]

The idea of renting a reg or breathing off a used one (not including buddy drills) revolts me. . . .

Why do you make an exception for buddy drills? Unless one can guarantee that one's buddy is always one's spouse, significant other, USDA-certified clean human, etc., does one's buddy not have/do whatever it is that revolts you?

I rented regs for a few years before buying my own. Considering that annual service is in the neighborhood of $100, purchasing one's own indicates a real commitment to diving, and I wasn't that committed yet.