Buying old rental gear?

[Mike Boswell]

Well, at least you'll look like an experienced diver! When you meet other divers at dive sites, they will come up and ask you how things were in the good old days.

 

[Akimbo]

Do you like the BC or just the price? If you have not worn it, offer to rent it if they apply the rent to the purchase. That way you can make sure there is nothing annoying about it and insure yourself that all is working properly. You don't have to be a factory trained technician to see that it does not leak, the valves work, and it fits right.

Edit: I just reread this and didn’t want to leave the wrong impression. I was hoping to say that you should like the BC first, then take advantage of the price. A low price can be very expensive if it distracts from enjoying the dive.

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

My first set of gear was not just a very used set of rental gear, I had to work that day so I did not get to the tent sale until 5 PM and pretty much got last pick. Not only that but this was the going out of business sale for Poipu Divers on Kauai, a week after Hurricane Iniki, so the gear just had the dive shop knocked down around it 8 days ago.

Eventually traded the BC and reg for a flood repaired Nikonus V, and felt good about the deal.

 

[scubafanatic]

...ditto here.......if the unit is completely functional and fits you properly, it's hard to go wrong @ $ 40, heck if you only dive it a year and it blows up you still will have come out ahead! As mentioned, inflate it and see if it holds air well for a reasonable time, make sure all the OPV's work/vent air properly. It has been my experience that the most troublesome area for BC's is the push-button inflator mechanism at the end of the corrugated inflator hose...they are prone to corrosion/jamming, if I were you, I'd sink another $ 50 parts/labor into that BC and just swap out that part of the BC with a brand-new inflator mechanism.....rebuilding the inflator mechanism is just as expensive as completely replacing it with a new one (at least for the generic Trident brand ones I use) so I'd just install a new one.

 

[complete_newb]

Wow, thanks for all the feedback! Seems like there is a general consensus here. Will ask if I can use it during the open water diver course I take with them, and if it works alright I'll buy it. Looking forward to getting in the water!

 

[Akimbo]

complete_newb:

I hope your selection of a login name soon proves short sighted. We were all tadpoles once.

 

[Trimix2dive]

Hi,

I got an offer to buy a used BCD for $40 from a dive shop. The BCD has been used regularly in the pool as a rental gear. He said, he has to get rid of it because its an older model and getting faded from the pool. He assured me that it will be completely safe, as the shop will test all the used BCDs out in the pool and cut up and throw away any dysfunctional ones. It seems like a great deal, but almost to good to be legitimate. What do you think?

My Thoughts:
- being rental gear, it was probably serviced/maintained regularly. However, it is probably pretty worn.

- my concern is whether it will be of a good enough quality that I can dive in open water with it for the next few years.

- being a dive shop/school, whose courses I will likely take for the next while, it is in the shops interest to sell me something of safe enough quality, so that I come back as a customer.

-However, I don't trust mechanics/salesmen, especially those who know you know little about their trade. I'm always suspicious their out to make a buck off my naivety.

Any thoughts - is this a good deal or a scam?

1 year service guarentee. Never had a problem one.

 

[Tigerman]

40 bucks? You cant lose money on that unless the hoses or the bladder is shot. It might not look brilliant, but comparing it to rental prices and the cost of a new one, Id take it for sure.