Aluminum 80 Cost - Is this reasonable?

[staticcornflake]

Hey Everyone:

My LDS sells 80's for $200+tax each, which includes VIP and 1 year of free fills.
Alternativly, I could order one from ScubaToys for $124 with tax and shipping still being less than my LDS. Some potential problems are:

1. Even if Scubatoys does a VIP and takes off the valve, an dplugs it up, my LDS will still require another VIP for $20.

2. My LDS charges $7 a fill if you don't buy from them.

At first it seems obvious that the free air would more than pay for itself, but after a year I'll be paying $7/fill anyway.

What do you think I should do? Any advice would be great!

 

[markfm]

Find an LDS with better air prices. Where I am the going rate is $5 -- Joisey air must be "special"

 

[HowardE]

World Watersports in FL charges $120 for an AL 80 and Fills are $2.

 

[MikeC]

1) how many dives/yr do you do? 10 refills = $70 + $124 makes it a wash. 11+ dives the first year the free fills starts becoming better. If you do 20 Sunday dives, you have paid the LDS $140.

2) are you sure the LDS will require another VIP? Verify that by asking them. There is no legal requirement, it is just "standard" procedure to do a VIP on an empty tank.

 

[staticcornflake]

I live in Texas during the school year and Jersey during the summer. I suppose I could buy an 80 for less in NJ, but when I dive the rest of the year in TX(whose prices are quoted above), I would need to get it to Texas first, which would involve taking off the valve and going through a VIP and rip-off fills. There are 2 LDS's within 30 minutes of my house, bother of which are owned and operated by the same guy. Pretty much a monopoly.

 

[Vtdiver2]

Hey Everyone:

My LDS sells 80's for $200+tax each, which includes VIP and 1 year of free fills.
Alternativly, I could order one from ScubaToys for $124 with tax and shipping still being less than my LDS. Some potential problems are:

1. Even if Scubatoys does a VIP and takes off the valve, an dplugs it up, my LDS will still require another VIP for $20.

2. My LDS charges $7 a fill if you don't buy from them.

At first it seems obvious that the free air would more than pay for itself, but after a year I'll be paying $7/fill anyway.

What do you think I should do? Any advice would be great!

The LDS I work at part time charges $139 per tank with 10 free fills. After that it charges by the lb for fills (regardless of where you bought it.) Even a tank that's completely empty only costs $4 to fill. Hell, we were selling PST steel tanks for $169 with the same 10 free fills.
Look around, you can do better.
C-Dawg

 

[redacted]

All of his prices are on the high side (is the shop in SA or NJ?) but if you can take advantage of the free fills for a year it works out to a good buy. Then go looking for more reasonably priced fills.

 

[staticcornflake]

are you sure the LDS will require another VIP? Verify that by asking them. There is no legal requirement, it is just "standard" procedure to do a VIP on an empty tank.

They said they will not fill without a VIP, and that one must be done WHENEVER the valve is removed, even if it is dry-plugged. I dive every other weekend, 2 dives each Sat & Sun, so I actually will need to buy 2 tanks, becuase the dive sites here are nowhere near compressors.


****AWAP: The shop is in San Antonio, and if I go to the next closest LDS I will be spending more on fuel than the difference of the fills.

 

[ProfessorAronnax]

World Watersports in FL charges $120 for an AL 80 and Fills are $2.

World Water's fill prices are great. We'll never see that in N.E.

 

[Vtdiver2]

World Water's fill prices are great. We'll never see that in N.E.

The LDS I work at part time has good prices. They charge by the lb, so if you cut a dive short or do a shallow dive and just need it topped off, it costs next to nothing. To fill a tanks thats almost completely empty costs around $4.
C-Dawg