Average life expectancy of equipment

[stafford530]

Hey Guys,

I am new to diving and looking into buying a complete setup of gear (BC, Regs, Dive Comp).

How long can I expect to get out of this equipment? How long before the equipment becomes not serviceable?

The reason I ask is that I am looking into the investment upfront vs renting the equipment.

Thanks

 

[ScubaFeenD]

Depends on the equipment, your type of diving, the maintenance you do on the equipment, etc. Usually the investment in gear is a good one if you dive alot (renting become ridiculous), and pays off in more ways than just monetary ones. For instance, you learn to become very comfortable in your gear which works out to better dives on equipment you know intimately. If you dive a couple times a year though, the hassle of maintenance and the expense may not be worth it. You can expect many years (many hundreds of dives) out of your equipment of you take care of it.

 

[TSandM]

Well, my single tank setup is now six years old and has probably 600 or more dives on it. I bought it used, and it had several hundred dives on it then. I have replaced the inflator unit once, and I replaced the webbing because I liked other webbing better -- not because it was worn out.

My singles regs have the same, roughly 500 dives on them. Again, regular servicing, and as far as I can tell, they'll outlast ME as dive equipment.

Very little "wears out". Usually, you decide something else appeals to you more. (This does not apply to suits, or anything else made of neoprene, which DO wear out.)

 

[stafford530]

Wow guys, thanks for the feedback! Right now I only dive a few times a year, but am looking to increase that number as much as I can. Thanks again!!

 

[Shftrdog]

Dive gear will last a long time AS LONG AS YOU TAKE CARE OF IT. Make sure you store it in your house, rinse it in fresh water and service it every year or every 50 dives. Other than that it will last you a good 20 years.

 

[rhwestfall]

not meaning that you will have the same luck, but my regs are from the 60's & 70's, & my BC is from the late 80's/early 90's.

 

[g2]

I have a regulator that is decades old and still works great -- because, like Shftrdog said, I take care of it. TS&M is also right that anything with rubber, latex, or neoprene will break down over time.

Most important is to buy the right thing the first time. If you buy something of poor quality or that doesn't fit right (a real bugaboo) you'll end up buying it again. Better to spend a little bit more time and a few extra bucks, if necessary, to get it right.

Happy diving!

 

[herman]

Don't know how long it will last.....the newest reg I have is a late 90s model but I have several regs that are over 45 years old (late 50 double hose regs) and still going strong. A lot of us on the board have Conshelfs and MK-5s that are pushing 40 years old and I know several divers who regularly use tank from the mid 50s. If you take care of your gear and as long as service parts are available there is no telling how long it will last, odds are longer than you will.

 

[Mr Carcharodon]

It seems wetsuits, and drysuit seals and zippers wear out. Wetsuit booties and gloves wear out just due to mechanical wear. The soft parts of your regulator will wear out, and bits of chrome plated brass will develop corrosion and need to be replaced eventually, although eventually may be a decade and a thousand dives. I have replaced one inflator valve on a BC and both valves on a drysuit simply because they are easier to replace than repair. All in all the drysuit is the biggest maintenance hog by far. But then when it works it is a big plus.

 

[Nemrod]

Depends. I have regulators I bought in the 60s and 70s that I am still using and my oldest was given to me in about 1966 and it was purchased by the person who gave it to me in 1958. My Jet Fins I think I got this pair in the mid 70s. I do have a spare set I bought about 8 years ago but they are still in the bag, unused. I have two steel 70s that I bought in 1968 and I still dive them and they still pass hydro. Some things are forever, some things are not.

N