Buying used/new equipment on eBay/craigslist...

[Noob@40]

I bought most of my gear used. It can save you a lot of money. There is always someone out there who has bought a BCD with all the bells and whistles and now must have a BP/W. The same goes for regs, computers tanks etc. Even if this gear is in pristine condition the seller can not expect to get anywhere near what they paid for it. Its just like a new car. When you drive it off of the lot the value plummets.
However, I must agree with others here and say be careful with ebay. Look first to your local ads,boards like this and KIjiji. If you can't see the gear and try it on you are taking a big risk and may end up buying the same item twice. I would also advise against the spare air for now and please get a real octo. I have tried the airII and would not want to rely on one at 100'.

 

[AbyssalPlains]

I don't know that many recreational divers that actually dive to 132 ft, ....

Uummm, me?
Everybody else I know?

 

[matts1w]

Be aware that it is a VERY VERY VERY good idea to have used regs serviced when you get them. They may be a mess, have been sitting around for three years in a garage, a hose is about to go or the mouth pieces are disgusting, whatever. In fact, it would be a very poor decision to not do so. At least I think so....

By the time you have serviced all three stages and paid for parts, it will cost you about $75-$125. Add in shipping, and you may have almost another $140 tacked on to your used reg set. A year later you will be buying parts for the annual service for $25-$50 dollars.

At that point the regs with no factory warrenty and no parts for life program might not be that good a deal. I would rather spend a bit more and get a product backed by an LDS and factory.

Also, be certain you can still get parts for the used regs. We have had several people show up in the past with old Dacor (for instance) stuff that is still in great shape. They do not get real happy when we tell them no one is supporting that model anymore and parts kits are tough to find.

There are two things I just wont buy used...regs (unless it is a monster deal)due to the above and wetsuits (gross).

Just something to think about....

 

[scubapatton]

I bought a good chunk of my initial dive gear on eBay back in 1999 and 2000. It was an excellent route to go. I have since bought new gear over the last year or so (mostly through local dive shops). There is nothing wrong w/ eBay or CL, but it is more of a buyer beware. You noted you have 5yrs xp on eBay, so you know some of the games/tricks.

I would lose the spare air for now. Get thru your lessons and then you can look at that. Even if you got the spare air, it is incredibly unlikely that you will have it with you through your lessons. You will also be diving quite conservatively in class so needing spare air will be highly unlikely. Even if your buddy tweaks out, the instructor or divemaster will be right there to aid you. If you are trying to cut costs, lost the spare air for now.

The Air Source is a solid option. I have the air source and an octo for my classes. I pull the octo off when I go fun dive, but for classes, I want to have the octo so my students know where it is and they do not freak out when they see my gear "missing" an alternate (when in fact the Air Source is there the whole time). If you go through your training dives with this gear, you will be fine. You will get practice with support and should feel comfortable with it by class-end. If not, maybe you can ask the instructor for a "quickie" pool session.

I would probably go with BCD, reg/alt, and computer for your first setup. Getting the computer now is another thing as noted above... if you train with it now, with supervision, you will be stronger with it later.

I would also have all things serviced. If you talk to the seller, and feel comfortable with them, you may get them to cover servicing, or lower pricing to off-set it a little. You should have it all checked out before doing too much with it.

As for product choices, those are all good ones. The Black Diamond is a good BC. I prefer the (Seaquest) Balance, but since it sounds like you have a solid deal potentially in the works on the Black Diamond....

I use the Legend ACD LX reg as my backup (it is my wife's primary when we vacation) and we are both happy with it. It tends to give a little dry-mouth though, just fyi. I was not bothered by it, but my wife who has very few dives under her BCD has noted it to me a few times. It is a great reg though.

Good luck, get the gear you like at a price that makes you happy and get wet. You will learn your gear quickly in your class. If you do go with the Air Source, point it out to the instructor.. sometimes they may miss that you have it and not remind you and your buddy about different techniques for out-of-air scenarios, etc.

 

[pwscottiv]

Be aware that it is a VERY VERY VERY good idea to have used regs serviced when you get them. They may be a mess, have been sitting around for three years in a garage, a hose is about to go or the mouth pieces are disgusting, whatever. In fact, it would be a very poor decision to not do so. At least I think so....

By the time you have serviced all three stages and paid for parts, it will cost you about $75-$125. Add in shipping, and you may have almost another $140 tacked on to your used reg set. A year later you will be buying parts for the annual service for $25-$50 dollars.

At that point the regs with no factory warrenty and no parts for life program might not be that good a deal. I would rather spend a bit more and get a product backed by an LDS and factory.

Also, be certain you can still get parts for the used regs. We have had several people show up in the past with old Dacor (for instance) stuff that is still in great shape. They do not get real happy when we tell them no one is supporting that model anymore and parts kits are tough to find.

There are two things I just wont buy used...regs (unless it is a monster deal)due to the above and wetsuits (gross).

Just something to think about....

I'm planning on buying a brand new Legend LX Supreme from someone online... Assuming I get all the paperwork, it should still have a warranty, right?

 

[MSilvia]

Getting the computer now is another thing as noted above... if you train with it now, with supervision, you will be stronger with it later.

On the flip side of that coin, if you learn to rely on a computer now, you may find yourself quickly forgetting how to dive without electronic help. I recommend getting a couple dozen dives with tables under your belt before buying one.

 

[pwscottiv]

On the flip side of that coin, if you learn to rely on a computer now, you may find yourself quickly forgetting how to dive without electronic help. I recommend getting a couple dozen dives with tables under your belt before buying one.

I'm probably going to do the same thing that I've done with skydiving... I have an audible backup altimeter in my helmet that could potentially used as a replacement for my wrist mounted visual altimeter. However, relying on the audible can be VERY dangerous, as you might not notice that something is wrong with it till it's way too late. They don't allow beginners to wear them so they don't use them as a substitute for their visual alti... I did wear one anyway, but I used it ONLY as a backup, by setting it for about 500ft below the altitudes I need to know. I never heard it go off till I felt I had setup good habits, then I reset it to the actuall altitudes I wanted to hear it at. Same with the dive computer... I can do whatever I need to do the old fashined way first, and then double check with the computer. That way I still learn to do everything without it AND I get used to it during my training.

 

[pwscottiv]

I bought a good chunk of my initial dive gear on eBay back in 1999 and 2000. It was an excellent route to go. I have since bought new gear over the last year or so (mostly through local dive shops). There is nothing wrong w/ eBay or CL, but it is more of a buyer beware. You noted you have 5yrs xp on eBay, so you know some of the games/tricks.

I would lose the spare air for now. Get thru your lessons and then you can look at that. Even if you got the spare air, it is incredibly unlikely that you will have it with you through your lessons. You will also be diving quite conservatively in class so needing spare air will be highly unlikely. Even if your buddy tweaks out, the instructor or divemaster will be right there to aid you. If you are trying to cut costs, lost the spare air for now.

The Air Source is a solid option. I have the air source and an octo for my classes. I pull the octo off when I go fun dive, but for classes, I want to have the octo so my students know where it is and they do not freak out when they see my gear "missing" an alternate (when in fact the Air Source is there the whole time). If you go through your training dives with this gear, you will be fine. You will get practice with support and should feel comfortable with it by class-end. If not, maybe you can ask the instructor for a "quickie" pool session.

I would probably go with BCD, reg/alt, and computer for your first setup. Getting the computer now is another thing as noted above... if you train with it now, with supervision, you will be stronger with it later.

I would also have all things serviced. If you talk to the seller, and feel comfortable with them, you may get them to cover servicing, or lower pricing to off-set it a little. You should have it all checked out before doing too much with it.

As for product choices, those are all good ones. The Black Diamond is a good BC. I prefer the (Seaquest) Balance, but since it sounds like you have a solid deal potentially in the works on the Black Diamond....

I use the Legend ACD LX reg as my backup (it is my wife's primary when we vacation) and we are both happy with it. It tends to give a little dry-mouth though, just fyi. I was not bothered by it, but my wife who has very few dives under her BCD has noted it to me a few times. It is a great reg though.

Good luck, get the gear you like at a price that makes you happy and get wet. You will learn your gear quickly in your class. If you do go with the Air Source, point it out to the instructor.. sometimes they may miss that you have it and not remind you and your buddy about different techniques for out-of-air scenarios, etc.

So which regulator is your primary? I was under the impression that the Legend LX was one of the best regs on the market, correct? I got the Black Diamond for $320, does that sound like a decent deal? If the items are new I don't need to have them serviced do I? The first time I'll be trying them is in a pool, so It's not like I'm going to die or anything. As far as the Air Source II, both the owner of the school and one of their instructors actually recommended it to me... They also said that's what they dive. So why is everyone else on here saying it's a piece of crap?

 

[ReefHound]

I'm planning on buying a brand new Legend LX Supreme from someone online... Assuming I get all the paperwork, it should still have a warranty, right?

If brand new from an *authorized* dealer, yes.

If not, then no.

 

[pwscottiv]

If brand new from an *authorized* dealer, yes.

If not, then no.

So what exactly do you usually get with the warranty and how useful is one really going to be for a top of the line reg? If it's all that good, then it should just need regular maintenance if you take care of it, right? Also, if I'm VERY mechanically inclined (I'm a mechanical engineer, I've rebuilt engines, etc, etc) would it be at all acceptable for me to rebuild the regs myself if I get a maintenance manual?