Bad Purchase??

[cworden0124]

Ok...I am new to this SCUBA thing...My husband and I are going to get our certification in March. I was so excited about all of this that I ran out and purchased us both a bunch of equipment.

Of course, my local dive shop is great and we don't mind buying things from them, but I was seeing if I could get a better deal on some of the stuff over the internet!

Found a good deal on an Oceanic Gamma II regulator with a CDX first stage from a seller on Ebay...got them...they were still in their boxes...took them to our local shop to make sure they were connected correctly and found out that they had been recalled (A YEAR AGO!!)

I requested the seller send me a refund and I would return the regulators to him, because I didn't want my first experience with SCUBA to be a bad one. He told me that they regs were retrofitted with the pieces required by Oceanic and that they were ok to use.

Here's my question...Does anyone think that this reg would not be safe to use? Should we just take this guy's word for the fact that it has been retrofitted?

Of course, our local shop doesn't want us to use it and wants us to by one from them...we are talking spending at least $250 more than we paid for this one EACH!!

HELP!! We don't know what direction to go in next!!

 

[ScubaJewel]

If the regs were serviced properly there should be no reason they are not safe to dive with. I would take them to a reputable local shop that services the equipment and have them checked out. If they check out ok you are good to go and remember that no matter what, if you purchase a reg from anyone other than your local dealer you should have them checked out anyway.

Your local dive shop will always prefer to sell you their product but at the same time they should happily service your equipment no matter where you purchased it. If for any reason they don't find another dive shop to do business with.

Julie

 

[LUBOLD8431]

IF the first stage of the reg (CDX) was retrofitted with the new components from Oceanic, these are perfectly safe to use. The problem was with a metal pad over the diaphragm where the spring rested on created harmonics which put the HP seat out of alignment, and would cause an intermediate pressure creep. They have since changed that pad from a metal to plastic, and also will change out the diaphragm, lifter, HP seat and spring (which is now electropolished)...

No problems after the retrofit. Just bring it into an authorized Oceanic dealer, and they can confirm that the retrofit was done. If you need any help, PM me...

 

[ScubaRon]

Take them to an authorized Oceanic dealer and have them serviced. He should be able to tell you if they were retrofitted and if not can do that too.
You'll have to pay for the service (probably $100-$150 for both regs), but after that you'll have 2 good regs that you know are OK. When you buy used life support equipment you should have them serviced anyway, which is why it usually doesn't make sense to buy that on eBay. To find out if your regs were retrofitted you can also contact Oceanic service and give them the serial#s of the regs.
ScubaRon

 

[scubasean]

Of course, my local dive shop is great and we don't mind buying things from them, but I was seeing if I could get a better deal on some of the stuff over the internet!

You might consider waiting awhile to buy anything more, if only to make sure you know that what you are buying fits your desired diving style, once you develop one.

Also, you might keep in mind that LDS's sometimes get ruffled feathers when folks buy online and then come to them for help...But you can offset that by buying some things from them... I typically buy things that have to be fit (mask, drysuit, wetsuit) from the LDS, and buy many/most of the other stuff online.

Welcome to diving!

 

[H2Andy]

I typically buy things that have to be fit (mask, drysuit, wetsuit) from the LDS, and buy many/most of the other stuff online.

i second that.

 

[cworden0124]

Thanks everyone!!

I feel a lot better about the purchase now. We have bought most of our equipment that needs to be fitted from the dive shop, but I was looking for those things that didn't need special fitting for a little cheeper. We were looking for pretty much the same brands and models of items we used during our training. I didn't think I was going to buy my regs off the internet, but the deal seemed so good (I won't do that again!). We have bought our air 2's and our snorkle gear (fins, mask, etc) from the shop. We also plan to purchase our "less expensive" items such as gloves, knives, etc. from the shop.

I have requested information on the retrofit from Oceanic (the seller said he sent them there to be retrofitted) and we are going to take them back to the dive shop to be checked...I kills me to think that we are going to pay the same amout to have them checked as it cost to buy them!

Thanks again for all your help!

 

[timhernandez]

cworden0124 said....

"I kills me to think that we are going to pay the same amout to have them checked as it cost to buy them! "

my .02; this isnt something you want to count pennies, dollars, quid, euros, etc over as your statement above could easily become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
One of my dive buddies bought his Air Delivery System over the Internet, and did not follow the advice the folks above are giving in regards to having it checked out.
His system started experiencing a major leak at about 50ft in Gilboa Quarry at the yoke. It looked like an explosion of bubbles.
We were able to get him a reg from a buddy and buddy breathe back up through a safety stop.

Turns out that the yoke was replaced and didnt fit correctly for some reason. Our LDS was able to fix it and all is well now but, ......another time, another place, who knows ?

Something to think about.

-Tim

 

[cyklon_300]

that was recalled, the retrofit kit was installed and I've had zero problems.

Also, a little late for this advice, but I think purchasing equipment before getting certed is premature...I'd take the class, try some different gear, talk to other divers, read some reviews...get educated and then buy something.

Oh well, you'll go thru numerous upgrades over time anyway...so not that big of a deal.