buying used equipment

[Renetita]

Hi, my name is Renee. I am a new diver looking to buy my first set of scuba gear. I found a someone selling a complete set of gear :

"Genesis first and second stage regulator, 3 spot console with depth gauge, compass, and Genesis "React" computer. Protective sleeve for console, and carrying case for reg set. Women's "Athena" B.C.D. with integrated weight system. (over $2000.00 value)!"

some people have advised me not to buy used... what do you guys think?

They are asking for best offer... Any suggestions as to how much I should offer for a package like this?

Thank you very much!

 

[maged_mmh]

first, welcome to:balloons::sblogo::balloons:

for your query:
bottom line, if you can afford new, buy new.
personal choice: I would not buy any regulators nor computer used... but maybe it's just me.

 

[Diver0001]

Most dive gear has a fairly long life span and buying 2nd hand is by no means ill advised.... provided....

What you have to consider is

1) the state the gear is in. has it been well taken care of? Is it old and worn out or is it old and hardly used?

2) ARe there any outstanding recalls on things people are selling?

3) will the gear need to be serviced before I use it? In most cases the answer is yes.

4) Can my LDS service this gear or do I have to go to a lot of trouble to get it done?

5) does it all fit? It is appropriate gear for the diving I'm doing?

mostly the hidden costs in buying 2nd hand have to do with (a) gear that doesn't suit the need so you end up replacing it earlier than you expected anyway (b) gear that needs expensive servicing and/or is broken and out of warranty

Bargain hard. The seller wants to get rid of that gear more than you want to buy it. There is a lot of 2nd hand gear on the market.

R..

P.S. About the price. The Genesis react computer isn't worth very much now but it probably was when the seller bought it. The regulator is maybe worth 150$, same with the BCD. Prices are regional and I haven't bought 2nd gear in Canada for along time so I could be off a bit.

I would think just looking at what you wrote that the seller will be thinking $1000 but you should be thinking $300 with a bottom line at about $500. Arguments you can use to lower the price are that athe computer is old and he deco model isn't up to date anymore so it's lost most of it's value. The regulator and the BCD will need servicing which you need to calculate into the price. Any visible scratches or signs of wear and tear will close the gap. If the seller doens't want to sell for between $300-500 then I would suggest parking him and making him wait. Look further.

You should be able to buy a full set of used gear with all the bits you need for about $1000 if I'm not mistaken.

Someone correct my numbers. As I said I've been out of the country for quite a while.

R..

 

[astrofunk]

Nearly all of my gear and all of my buddies' gear was purchased used. That's probably 8 complete sets of gear between us. I'm talking regulators, computers, lights, BCs... the works.

Diver0001 has good advice, so I won't repeat it. Use the search function to find more information on this topic... But the bottom line is, many divers I know have had excellent long-term success with used gear.

 

[themagni]

The problem with buying used gear is this: Every piece of dive gear takes a sample of your DNA when you first take it on a dive. The moment someone else dives with it, it immediately stops working. That's why you must buy your gear only at your local dive store, so they can calibrate your gear to your DNA.

No, seriously: I use a lot of used gear. My new equipment is my wing, mask, snorkel, fins, knife, and lights. Everything else - my regs, computer, and drysuit, etc. are used. I was able to get my complete used set for about $1500, including regs, drysuit, tanks, weight, etc. If I have to sell all my gear (a distinct possibility) I would want to recover a significant portion of what I spent.

The prices I've paid are way higher than what other people on these boards will pay. You're from Ottawa, so you know that Canadian prices are higher than US prices. I'm from Vancouver Island, where we pay an "islander tax" on everything that gets barged over. For example, the FLDS here sell the Dive Alert Plus for $160.

Consider your local market, and don't forget that Customs WILL throw duty on anything you order from the US. Make sure that you're not buying "vacation-duty" gear. I'll imagine that you'll be doing a fair bit of cold water diving in those Great Lakes. The gear may work just fine with your bare hands, but you'll have trouble with it after putting on a pair of 5 or 7mm gloves.

When I bought that used gear, I was a student with my first kid on the way, so money was quite tight. Yes, it is life support equipment. In a sense, so is a car. Take it for a test drive, get a pro to check it out, and if it's a good deal, buy it.

The regs have been wonderful, except for servicing. (Nobody in town services Poseidon) I'll probably have to start using a mail-order service centre. Make sure the ones you buy are good for those cold Great Lake diving trips. Also, find out if the person you're buying them from gets cold sores. (I don't.)

The drysuits (I've owned three used suits) have sucked. One was way too leaky and the seals were going. Another seemed to fit okay, but had problems at depth. The "keeper suit" is nice enough, but it's taken years to get it leak-free. I have learned a lot about taking care of drysuits and how to patch them. I got a good price, but I'd like to get a brand new suit one of these years. (My current suit is so flexible that I can zip it up myself, and it's not a self-entry.)

The computer is freaking garbage. It's hard to read, it's failed more than once, the interface is obnoxious, and the manual is almost totally incomprehensible. (And I'm an Electrical Engineer!) I'll end up replacing this with a wrist-mounted system and putting an analog gauge in its place.

Used weights are great, especially if you find them on a dive. Bring a bag on every dive - you never know what you'll find. Lead doesn't go bad.

The MEC at 366 Richmond Road in Ottawa has great Wekona knives with a spectacular warranty. Stainless (304) is $21; Titanium is just $43. The point is that new knives are cheap -- keep that in mind.

In my case, I've managed to charm my way into several free lights, so it's not a typical scenario. If you buy a used Pelican or Princeton Tec light, they will take care of you in unbelievably amazing ways. For both companies, my experience is that they consider your breaking the light to be a failure on their part.

I bought my fins on eBay for $100 less than what they would have cost in town, and that's AFTER shipping, duty, exchange, and other extra costs.

 

[dive_forever]

If you are not in a big hurry for the gear you can do what I did. Buy the basics, then piece together gear, as you have the $.


This way you can get more experience and find out what you want, and dont want. Additionally you can cherry pic (get exactly what you want) the grear.

A $100 or $200 a month was doable for my budget. But a one time fee of $800-1200 was not (for my budget).

Worked for this college kid on a budget.

 

[halocline]

There's nothing wrong with buying used gear, but I would probably avoid the stuff you listed. The genesis reg is probably the GS2000 (something like that) which is basically a sherwood-style 1st stage with a strange mechanical arrangement to compensate for depth via a schrader valve. (like a tire valve). Just wait until you get the service bill for that. The 2nd stage is basically an oceanic-style downstream with an overly complex breathing adjustment system. You'd do much better getting a used MK10 or even a MK2 or aqualung titan. Used regs are a great buy IF you what to look for, what to avoid, and how to evaluate used equipment. Maybe you can find someone to help you.

Packages are rarely worth it IMO. It's best to choose each piece of gear based on what will work best for you, and sometimes that takes lots of research and experience to choose wisely. Virtually all experienced divers have tried different types of BCs, and you'll want to try a jacket style, back inflate, and a backplate/wing arrangement before you come to your senses and realize that the BP/W is the only way to go.

Wait, did I just write that or only think it?

 

[spoolin01]

Why buy new when you can buy new stuff used for 1/3 the price? Just hold out for stuff that has hardly been used, but well cared for. There's a lot of that around. Buying from the original owner, not a used goods seller, is probably a surer bet. A good tool is to search eBay for Completed Items of the type you want to buy, to determine going prices. This is a good time of year to get good deals on eBay, not as much competition to buy. Don't know if you have craigslist where you are but around here there's lots of top condition scuba stuff listed. Many sellers have inflated expectations of price but you can wait them out. With scuba stuff, it's a buyer's market.

 

[Renetita]

Thanks for the advice!
I appreciate all your interventions!
This site is terrific!