Buy or rent tanks

[Dutchman]

Ok, so this topic may have been asked before. What is better? I am leaning towards purchasing my own tank just so I have it when the feeling strikes me to dive. What are your thoughts?

 

[Cacia]

I have never owned a tank, but have had pretty good access.....

If you shore dive, I can see keeping some fills at your house. On the boats I dive, they are already in the racks. If/when I get a boat, we might get some tanks. It will give you some flexibilty.

 

[J75]

I used to rent my tanks because I could rent them for $7 and it cost $6 for a fill. So it never really seemed like an economic advantage to buy my own. But then some friends called me up on a Sunday morning, wanting to go diving, and none of the local shops were open. I then realized there was a greater value to owning my own tanks then $$$.

 

[Web Monkey]

Ok, so this topic may have been asked before. What is better? I am leaning towards purchasing my own tank just so I have it when the feeling strikes me to dive. What are your thoughts?

If you have your own tanks, you can dive whenever you want, even if the shop is closed.

It may or may not be less expensive, depending on how often you dive and what your LDS charges for VIP, air fills and tank rentals.

Also, you can buy the tank you want instead of being stuck with an AL 80, or whatever they're renting. You can buy steel if you like the buoyancy characteristics better than Aluminum, and you can buy a bigger tank if you tend to suck a lot of air.

You'll probably also dive more if you don't have to make a production out of it and go rent tanks.

Terry

 

[Hemlon]

I used to rent my tanks because I could rent them for $7 and it cost $6 for a fill. So it never really seemed like an economic advantage to buy my own. But then some friends called me up on a Sunday morning, wanting to go diving, and none of the local shops were open. I then realized there was a greater value to owning my own tanks then $$$.

I rent tanks for the exact same reason.

 

[Sasquatch]

I bought my tanks on sale and my LDS threw in 10 free fills per tank. Not a bad deal and I'm always ready to dive.

Sea ya!

 

[ReefHound]

Tank rentals are a real bargain, costing not much more than a fill. You have to dive a lot for it to make economic sense to own. But there are factors beyond economics, such as the convenience and opportunity.

With rental, you pick them up soon before your dive and return them soon later (or pay for holding onto them) while owning I can get my tank filled anytime before or after, as is convenient.

If your LDS is not real convenient to you, you might also factor in time and gas money going back and forth.

 

[sealskin98]

Buy.

If you want to go lake diving you don't have to depend on getting to a LDS and getting them, you can just jump in the car and go. Also if you rent just one tank at someplace like a scuba park and plan on getting it filled for a second dive (some places it's cheaper to rent one then get a fill than rent two tanks) you will probably have to wait in line for the fill. If you already have one tank of your own you could just rent on at the on-site tank rental at a scuba park and not worry about waiting for a fill.

I have a steel 80, and used to have an AL. Like J75, Web Monkey and ReefHound said, more choices (like you may want a 100) and convenience. You just have to figure out how much you dive and how long it would take to pay for itself if you bought. I live pretty far from a dive shop and having one already filled and ready to go is nice for me. Thinking about buying another tank, AL 80 is cheaper than steel, so I would have two for a dive trip and not have to worry about fills or rentals, and returns.

 

[Dee]

To me it's all about convenience. The cost of renting vs cost of buying and maintaining a tank with yearly inspection can sometimes be a toss-up, depending on how often you dive. If you tend to plan your dive weekends ahead of time, then renting and returning your tanks is just part of it. But if you have a tendancy to dive spur of the moment, if you own your tanks you don't have to worry about finding a tank on Sunday morning or even if the LDS has any tanks left to rent on Saturdays.

So, as usual, there's no one right answer. It all just depends.....

 

[PerroneFord]

I look at tanks as another part of dive gear. Singles, doubles, pony's, deco bottles, stages, etc. Ever try to rent a set of doubles?

Just get your own tanks and thank yourself later. First time someone calls you up for a night dive or a Sunday dive, you'll be glad you own them.