Better value: used gear, or new gear + free servicing?

[kelemvor]

I bought scubapro thinking I'd have the free parts for life as advertised. They ended that program, and the local scubapro dealer refused to honor it anymore. I'm sure I could have sued, but that's a big hassle and probably expensive. Don't trust those programs to actually last.

 

[BRT]

Thank you everyone for your advice and insights. It's been very helpful.




The dive shop has been in business for 45 years. I suppose that's not necessarily a guarantee of anything for the future though. It is actually free servicing, not just parts. However, good point about how often they do that servicing, etc. I will have to ask them to clarify all the conditions.



What would you recommend for this set of gear, (and what would you recommend for a computer)? I do hesitate to blame the shop, as they did offer a range of options on the mask, fins, etc. where I could've got a cheaper set. I knew next to nothing about diving when I made these purchases, however, so I picked their mid-price-range stuff as I was afraid of going the cheapest route. I should've done my research beforehand. I don't mind the $80 for the mask so much, as I had to try several to find one to fit my face and I'd rather pay a little more for a well-fitting mask. The fins and booties though I could've got for much less lightly used. And yes, I really regret the $50 I spent on the dry snorkel, when the cheap snorkel that I already owned would've worked perfectly fine. Again, knew next to nothing about diving, didn't realize that you didn't need a special snorkel for it. But I should've done my research, so I don't know that I can blame the shop (maybe I can?).





I will look into learning to service gear myself as that does appeal to me. From everything I've read, I was under the impression that servicing less than annually was considered risky/unsafe. Is that just an industry recommendation and is it common for divers to service less often or only when problems arise?

I would pay extra to not have someone mess with my working gear every year.

 

[rx7diver]

I bought scubapro thinking I'd have the free parts for life as advertised. They ended that program, and the local scubapro dealer refused to honor it anymore. I'm sure I could have sued, but that's a big hassle and probably expensive. Don't trust those programs to actually last.

I've actually wondered why a class action lawsuit never resulted from this reversal.

 

[formernuke]

I've actually wondered why a class action lawsuit never resulted from this reversal.

Because of the expense of filing it.

 

[rick00001967]

I've actually wondered why a class action lawsuit never resulted from this reversal.

the company is allowed to change its policies. but they should be honoring the previous policy for those that purchased gear before the change. if not, this is clearly not legal.

 

[84CJ7]

I buy used stuff off eBay often. Regulators are the best thing to buy used. I prefer to get it from places that likely didn’t see salt and you can usually tell from the pics. My brand of preference at the moment is older aqualung because there are a ton of easy to get parts out there. My mares mr22 abyss breathes much better by far than my conshelfs I have but is super annoying to get parts for because the kits are missing several expensive parts that are included in the already cheaper aqualung kits. Finding current mares tri material seats can be a bit annoying.

I had a lot of wrong crap I bought from my lds when I was getting trained as well. All of it got replaced.
A lot of the replacement stuff still had to be bought new because it was stuff that I had to try on or wasn’t often available used.

My best suggestion is buy the stuff technical divers use. It strangely often costs less than over hyped recreational crap and the tech divers use the stuff for a reason.
Best to start with it rather than having to get used to it later.
You don’t need to dive doubles or anything, just look at what they use and why.

The number 1 piece of equipment that made a world of difference for the better was the tech style fins. I can maneuver in totally crazy ways including going backwards. Mine were from hog but scuba pro jet fins, aqua lung rocket fins, deep 6 makes a super light version as most of these are really heavy. Nice if you have a wetsuit with full legs but when I take them tropical with a shorty I have to raise my legs when I stop dead in the water to shift the center of gravity forward or I slowly go down by the stern. Any forward movement at all keeps you level.
A back plate and wing is also much better for me than a recreational bcd and cost less.

For wetsuits i had to go new because I only use Henderson stretch stuff (used to be hyperstretch but they keep changing it) though there are other brands too now. I can get away with a normal 3mm shorty but for anything else including my full 7/5mm suit I would refuse to dive if I had to use regular crap suits again. That absolutely goes for gloves and hood too.
Don’t go farmer John style, it makes wetsuit compression buoyancy swings a nightmare and likes to trap air. You also need a bazillion pounds of weight to sink it. If you really need more than a thick stretch type single layer suit you need to look into dry suit training.

I don’t dive salt with most of my regulators and it’s all sealed type (I’ve added kits to most) so I only service my stuff maybe every 5 years if even that.
Good scuba gear with a proper design lasts a really long time and normally gives you signs that things are aging long before any hard fail. It helps to have an ip gauge (intermediate pressure) at least to monitor things.
Servicing gear to a level that won’t kill you is easy as is setting the ip on the first stage, it’s getting the second stage to breathe it’s best without free flowing that takes a bit more art than by the book training but it’s still a lot by the numbers. For some second stages the process can get a little weird. I like seconds that have a plug opposite the hose to access a nut inside while the front cover is still on. It makes setting them up much easier. Not a lot of classics had that but I was lucky enough to find 3 late production metal conshelf 14’s that all have it. My mares abyss second is an older one that doesn’t and it’s super annoying to set up because I never get it right the first time and keep having to take the front cover off to readjust it.
I also prefer first stages that are din instead of yoke and have a sealing kit of some sort on them.
Make sure you can get parts easy before you buy used with the intention of self service. And get the right tools and documentation. It’s mostly all available out there somewhere.
If you want used stuff to take apart and play with either the old aqualung conshelf series for diaphragm or for piston type the older scuba pros with a 109 adjustable second is solid classic stuff with no difficulty getting parts or documentation.
There is a sub forum for do it yourself on here.

 

[MichaelMc]

BP/W are not the absolute cheapest option, but they need not be expensive and are very durable and adaptable.
For example DGX Custom - DGX Singles Harness / Backplate / Wing Package.

For regulators, you might take a look at deep6, many here have and like their signature series, such as me, and they also have a lower cost Scribble series though that is out of stock right now. Deep 6 Gear. ETA: They also have a nice simple dive computer Deep 6 Excursion Dive Computer

As mentioned several here rebuild and then sell regulators, usually more classic scuba pro models, 109/156/G250. You could get a good set that way fairly inexpensively that would be very reliable and easy to service yourself for the second stages.

 

[kelemvor]

I've actually wondered why a class action lawsuit never resulted from this reversal.

Class action suits don't benefit anyone but the lawyers. Over the years, I've been party to three. Usually you end up with literally a couple bucks. In one case I got a check for thirteen cents. I **** you not. I didn't bother to cash it, I should see if I can find it. It's "not worth the cost of the paper it's printed on" literally. I guess if your goal is to punish the company then there is some potential value. If your goal is to get made whole after being screwed, class action suits are not the way to go.