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

[pwscottiv]

If you skydive and rock climb, I think I'm starting to understand the spare air and two alternates ideas. Well, recreational scuba diving is about a thousand times safer than either skydiving or rock climbing, so rest easy. OW diving means you can safely ascend to the surface at any time during the dive. Reg failures in a well serviced decent reg are VERY rare, and almost always related to free flows rather than air stoppage. Running OOA, as long as you're careful and attentive, is likewise very rare; almost always caused by simply carelessness. Taking a pony, spare air, or additional secondary air source is unlikely to add to your safety by any measurable amount, and in fact may be theoretically "less" safe.

I would suggest you get the minimal gear you NEED, and do some diving. After 50 dives or so I have a feeling you'll have a much better sense about safe diving practices and the equipment involved.

Cool, at least someone knows where I'm coming from... Some of the other sports I'm involved with are HIGHLY gear dependent and it was my perception that SCUBA was the same way. It's nice to know that there's a little safety margin there for failures

 

[Damselfish]

Redundancy and features are good to a certain point, then they start to become a liability. Without referring to specific gear, there are a couple reasons why people will try to discourage you from buying "extra gear you don't need":

- pretty much everything you add introduces additional possible points of failure, makes it harder to get streamlined, and/or provides more places to get snagged. So you should have a good reason for adding stuff, make sure you're actually improving things overall.
- some folks feel that if you get certain types of extra gear because you think it's more safe, some people may unconsciously take extra risks because they have all these spares and equipment, resulting in being less safe.

When you are new, it is hard to know where the line is. So there is a lot to be said for diving and learning, and adding things once you have enough experience to know you really need them - rather than buying a bunch of stuff you regret. Sometimes these threads have a lot of advice that is biased by the diving and preferences of the person responding, but really there's a lot of good advice in this thread. The person that said "if you haven't already used it, you probably don't need it yet" sums it up pretty well, that's a good place to start.

 

[trucker girl]

Another option to consider is asking your LDS if they have any rental gear they might sell you. This can be a great way to buy things at a significantly lower price while being confident in the condition of the merchandise and maintaining a good relationship with your LDS. I was still a student when I was getting into a different gear heavy sport and if I were you I'd talk to your LDS about your budget issues and see if they can work with you on getting the gear you need within your budget. If they can't or won't do so at least you've given them the opportunity.

Every piece of gear I have (except mask/fins/snorkel/boots/wetsuit) is from my LDS's used rental stock. The Dive Guy gave me an in-house warranty- since most of it was pretty old. I've also traded up- I turned in my console gauges for a console computer (cost me $75 to upgrade) and I turned in my regular 1st stage for an environmentalized (he isn't a dealer for the brand I had, so he couldn't just convert it). Then, when I had a small problem with the new first stage, he swapped it out for a different one (same brand/model) no charge.

I've got a very old (but fully functional) BC that I'm thinking about upgrading- I will probably trade it in for a newer used BC- from a source that I trust who won't sell me junk- aka my LDS

A good LDS is hard to find- I'm just glad I live 10 miles from mine!
(for the distance-challeneged- I live in the boonies- I have to drive 15 miles for fast food! So a nearby LDS is a serious perk!)

 

[SussexMedic]

I've purchased the majority of my gear online, either used (ebay) or from online stores like ScubaToys or DiveSports (authorized dealers). As of yet, I've never had problems with any of the equipment that I've purchased and I've easily saved hundreds of dollars. Before I get lectures about used life support equipment, I've always had my regulators serviced prior to using them in OW and have factored this expense into the price of these equipment purchases. I've had such bad experiences with my "local" LDS's that I now even send my regulator's off for service at Scubatoys (which does a great job). That way I don't have to deal with the local LDS trying to convince me that the brands THEY carry are the best and charging me a fortune to penalize me for not buying from them.

To the OP: All of your choices look like sound gear as most gear from the major brands will serve any rec diver well. My advice would be to take your time and buy as little as possible since your choices will change after you dive more. I originally bought a great IDI Advantage BCD and dove it for years but then made the leap to a DSS BP/W with long hose and I wish I have dived that configuration from the begining.

I've no experience with inflator/reg combos so I have no opinion on that one but I'd lose the Spare Air. When you hit the deep wrecks, look at a 30 or 40cf slung bailout bottle which will give you a bunch of gas to get you up with stops.

I only wish I could find a good course to service my own reg but that's another post.

Allen

 

[RJP]

...BUT I also put a VERY high value on my life... So setting myself up with a very reliable/redundant system is 1st priority.

But that's not what you're doing, based on the gear you've selected.

 

[fuzzycoconuts]

For anyone that buy scuba gear on ebay, Please, Please, Please have it checked out at your local dive shop that you trust.
While I interned at for my Dive Master at Adventures Under the Sea in Tampa, I saw some really good gear that was bought from Ebay. So there can be some good buys.
But I have also saw some seriously bad gear that would get someone hurt. So please have your gear checked out the second you get it in.

Just my 2 cents....

-David

 

[pwscottiv]

But that's not what you're doing, based on the gear you've selected.

What have I selected that is putting me at greater risk? What would you recommend?

 

[RJP]

What have I selected that is putting me at greater risk? What would you recommend?

Well, I was partly confusing this thread with another on gear selection, so I was a bit off in my thinking.

But that said, the AirII would not be considered a way to minimize risk. It would be a way to eliminate a hose, but not risk. (I won't argue that it actually INCREASES risk, as that's a whole 'nother thread.)

 

[pwscottiv]

So as many of you had guessed, when I talked with the LDC owner he was less than pleased. The first thing I did before I had even said anything about buying gear online was that I very much appreciated the time he and his associate spent with me explaining the gear. I then went on to say that after carefully considering the deal he offered me, I came to the realization that I would be able to save about $1000 by purchasing my gear used online. I said that I knew his time was valuable and the only thing that I assumed would make him truly happy would have been for me to buy all of my gear there. I offered up $40 cash to him and I let him know that although $40 wasn't necessarily all I thought his time was worth, I felt compelled to do what I could to at least partially compensate him for him lending his expertise. He said that he felt "insulted" by the fact that I would try to pay him. Which, although I've never been in any sort of situation like this before, I was pretty shocked. He wouldn't even take my money. I did end up talking with him a bit more and he seemed to calm down.

However, it's hard to know what his true feelings will be in the future... My point in being upfront with him and trying to pay him was obviously in no way an attempt to insult him. I figured that most people who walk into his store, pick his brain, and then go buy online, don't really give a **** and wouldn't even consider being upfront and/or trying to compensate him. What gives? I mean this is capitalism. I did not go into his store with the "plan" of picking his brain and then going online to buy everything... I had considered that depending on the prices in the store, I might need to purchase online, but I hadn't actually made up my mind until I got his quote. I guess what's most confusing and frustrating to me is that my gesture of goodwill was taken as an insult. I didn't expect him to be super happy about the fact that I got great deals online or anything, but it would have been nice for him to recognize that I was doing what I could to factor in the fact that I shouldn't actually be buying gear at all because I'm in college and at the same time understanding that his time had a decent amount of value to it (whether or not he was helping another customer or not... Which he was not, because I was the only customer in the store at that time), and therefore offering to compensate him.

 

[CDNScubaMoose]

I work in sales (not Scuba) and it always hurts when you loose out on a sale. I give you credit for telling him instead of just showing up at the class with all your gear but paying him for his time might have been considered as charity on your part (I don't think that was your intent) and could have been taken as an insult. I understand your view on $1000 and I can relate as I started diving when I was in High School so that makes sense. Only thing that I can offer up is from the sales perspective - there are two types of salepeople: those that sell on price and those that sell on service. Sounds like this individual is more on the service side and when he lost out to a price only scenerio then it really stings (might make him question if his sales approach is the right one). You mentioned that you only really considered online after you got his quote - my only thought is you should have talked to him then about what your thoughts were and given him the chance to try to make things right. Hopefully you can rebuild the relationship with him and enjoy the sport.