What equipment to own vs to rent

Is it worth owning (vs renting) for an occasional recreational diver? (Check for yes)

  • Mask/fins

    Votes: 153 98.1%
  • BCD

    Votes: 96 61.5%
  • Regualtor Set

    Votes: 101 64.7%
  • Basic Wetsuit

    Votes: 123 78.8%
  • Collection of different thickness wetsuits

    Votes: 24 15.4%
  • Dive light

    Votes: 87 55.8%
  • Weights

    Votes: 20 12.8%
  • Tank

    Votes: 12 7.7%

  • Total voters
    156

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I am right now looking for a regulator (or two). I am intrigued by the double-hose Kraken - I really dislike the bubbles in my face and the uneven pressure on the mouthpiece from the air hose (see my post in the classifieds section).
Get a ball swivel. It fits onto any standard (non-Atomic) reg hose and installs using a pair of adjustable wrenches. It'll solve the "fishhook" problem you're experiencing.

360-omniswivel-regulator-swivel-for-second-stage.jpg
 
The 1st thing I would buy for my very own is a computer, which wasn't on your list. I would want to know how to use my computer and know it works properly and that's easily done by having it be mine. 2nd would prob. be regs, 3rd BCD. A decent little light isn't too expensive (maybe $20-$60 & useful for rainy nights, fishing/boating etc.), so I can get that as soon as I have use for one.

The other items would depend on how far from home I dive & how often, and do I fly to get there. If I fly to dive, I'm clearly not going to buy a tank or weights. If I can pretty much always use the same wetsuit (add a hooded shorty, gloves & boots in colder water, no hood no gloves and just cotton or neophrene socks in warm water) then I would want my own; if I need a xtra warm semidry sometimes and just a shorty other times, I won't be buying either one too quickly as a new & only occasional diver.

Digression: I'd likely buy 2 little lights; (a) 1 is ready even if the other needs to charge and (2) because if you really want 1 that works, have 2 that work and you will probably always have at least 1 that works (we're not cave divers folks, 2 is more than enough). New/occasional divers can get very unhappy if their light dies or gets lost. But they also relax very nicely, even for a very 1st night dive, if they know they have a backup and know they can find it.
 
Yes, they are cheap, but I don't believe I have ever done a night dive with a dive operator or liveaboard who did not provide dive lights, either for rent or for free.

I've only been on 4 different liveaboards (and just 2 different countries), but none on those had lights to loan or rent.
In Egypt one boat routinely borrowed one of my lights to leave hanging under the boat because apparently they didn't have an extra for this purpose.
 
In Egypt one boat routinely borrowed one of my lights to leave hanging under the boat because apparently they didn't have an extra for this purpose.

That says a lot about the outfit you were diving with :rolleyes:
 
That says a lot about the outfit you were diving with :rolleyes:
I am sure they had the required lights, why not use the "punters" batteries and save ours.
 
Seeing how often you will be diving, I suggest a mask, fins, and a suit (maybe a rash guard and a thicker one for colder months).

Everything else you can rent.

If you feel you have bit more funds, then a dive light or dive computer.
 
As a new diver last year, I engaged my bucket list and purchased everything I needed for diving, before I even started my OW. Primarily as I had tried scuba previously, 22 yrs ago, and 45 yrs ago. I knew I was going to like it, and I was going to dive tons. I used the gear list from a Solo / Self Reliant course, to determine what to buy. Some items were used; high end rental regs, shop owners personnel bcd, steel tanks, pony tank, Zoop Novo. Other items were brand new; drysuit, mask, fins, gloves, hood, lights, Shearwater Peregrine. I literally started my diving with everything I could possibly need. I am now at the number of dives that if I had rented, the rental fees would now exceed what I spent on my gear. Buy once, cry once.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

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