$2.75 a pound for LEAD? You're kidding right?

[Tractor Tom]

I was by the dive shop the other day, for my open water cert, I need to supply my own weights and belt. They were asking $39.00 for a fancy belt with pouches on it, and $2.75 a pound for lead shot in fancy mesh pouches! I'm an old guy, started diving in 1978, and got out of it for a while. When I was diving and wearing about 14 lbs with a wet suit, the belt was less than five dollars and the lead was about a dollar a pound! I was really unhappy about the prices and got talking to an 'old diver' friend of mine, he supplied me with two belts, and more than 40 lbs of solid weights, and I tossed him a $50. He walked away smiling, and I have weights and belts for both me and my son who is getting his cert at the community college! I won't look as spiffy as the guys with the fancy belts and shot weight in bags, but the belt is cushioned by my wet suit anyway, so I guess it'll do.

Tom in Frankenmuth
Open water cert sometime in August....

 

[art.chick]

Tom,
I reacted the same way the first time I went to buy weight, "What? I have junk sitting around my house that could sink me? Why pay?" I have heard that the cost is from the shipping, you know, by the pound!

One LDS owner made me up a couple impromptu bags out of buck shot & baggies. Worked ok. Not everybody is comfortable with the hard weights. To old-timers, that sounds wimpy. I understand. Modern students have lots of complicated equipment to adjust to, so it just balances out when they find a few amenities to help them adjust. One old-time who I dive with does not always feel like lugging a belt, so he just picks up rocks off the bottom & stuffs them in his pockets (Hey, newbies, DON'T! They are not easily ditchable!)

When the sport started, everyone just improvised, so we moderns tend to presume that there is just the new-fangled store-bought option. If it sinks you & lets you up when you are ready, it's a good system.

 

[tchil01]

When I bought my TP II I also got the weight pockets. I then went to a local sporting goods store and bought two 20# bags of lead buckshot for about $7.50 each.. so that's about $0.37 a pound. I had also bought some pouchs on ebay from Scuba-Accessories.com and filled them. So all in I have 40# of soft weights in various sizes for around $35 - $40.

Ty

 

[Jonathan]

Most shops I know of - certainly in the UK, not sure about here - all open water students are encouraged to buy is mask, snorkel and fins. The rest of the kit, including weights, is hired and the price is included in the course price.

What are just doing your o/w at home and never intend diving there again - you will not want to take your weights with you....

Jonathan

 

[Dee]

Jonathan, it's common here in the States to require OW students to purchase their own weights. Depending on the time of year, a basic 8-10 is the norm. If they need more than that, we keep extra weights handy to fine tune their weights and these are returned to the Inst./DM/LDS...whoever supplied them.

 

[scuba-sass]

Hi Dee,

I'd have to argue with you on the "must buy weights" issue. Our class had to buy mask/fins/snorkle. All else was supplied as part of the class. If we hadn't purchased by the OW Cert dives, we could rent for that weekend for an additional fee.

Thanks to all others for their helpful suggestions on less expensive weight systems. Although I don't think I'll go with the rocks in the pocket approach!

Happy Diving,

Scuba-sass

 

[O-ring]

Pretty cheap and works well...

Soft Weightbelt

 

[ebbtide]

hey guies
i know the price of lead here in southern Nova Scotia is about 2$
a pound, and if ya wanna try finding it a bit cheaper try going to the local garage or anywhere they do tire alingments. they usally wind up throwning out the lead that they use for weights to balance out tire, here we throw the garage a 20$ bill for a 5 gal bucket full witch you will never be able to lift (make several trips with smaller bucket) hope that helps it is what we do here :idea:

 

[Bob3]

If you're lucky enough to be near a shooting range, the lead shot usually gets reclaimed. Makes for good shotbags at half the cost as buying new lead shot.
Once you get diving yopu can scrounge your own lead off the bottom in the popular fishing spots, melt it down & cast your own hard weights.
Wheel balancing weights don't cast very well, they're not straight lead.
The 2 lb "bullet" weights are my favorites, they foul less than traditional 6-8 pounders.

 

[Dee]

Originally posted by scuba-sass
Hi Dee,

I'd have to argue with you on the "must buy weights" issue. Our class had to buy mask/fins/snorkle. All else was supplied as part of the class. If we hadn't purchased by the OW Cert dives, we could rent for that weekend for an additional fee....Scuba-sass

Scuba-sass...you're right. I should have said "In our general area...."

Speaking in broad generalities is as bad as assuming anything!