Buying Used Tanks

[runsongas]

steel 72s also have the issues of the liners and vinyl coatings sometimes whichcan be annoying to remove. otherwise nice tanks unless if your lds refuses to fill above 2250 psi on them. hp100s are probably more ideal for you, but usually cost more. still can be a bargain used.

since you most likely will be looking for used steel tanks, get a string of leds with a plug to use as a tank light. that way you can check inside for pitting/corrosion. ask the seller to drain the tanks and bring a small rubber mallet or valve removal tool with you.

 

[TrimixToo]

Paintball tanks are not filled with well-filtered air. There can be a lot of Gunkies(tm) in them that can be hazardous. So please (please!) add the cost of a thorough cleaning and tumbling to the total acquisition cost.

I have never, so far, bought a steel tank with a problem despite some "pig in a poke" purchases. Like tbone, I love 72s as singles and deco bottles. YMMV but often they are sold *so* cheaply that it could be a bargain to buy three and throw away two. YMMV, of course.

 

[BRT]

Remember that a 3442 steel 100 has 30% more air than an AL80, weighs about the same and allows you to take 6 lbs of lead off.

 

[Bob DBF]

ing of leds with a plug to use as a tank light. that way you can check inside for pitting/corrosion. ask the seller to drain the tanks and bring a small rubber mallet or valve removal tool with you.

Because I already have cylinders, I take one along with a transfer whip so I can pressurize the tank after the peek if I don't take it or am not planning on putting it back in service immediately.


Bob

 

[Scared Silly]

I personally would steer clear of used tanks unless someone is desperate to sell a fairly new one at a very reduced cost to you the buyer.
The cost of a 80cf aluminum tank is approximately $150 for a new one with hydro and VIP, the average cost of a used one is between $80 to $125 and that's not much savings.
Remember that your used tank may need a hydro soon unless it just had one and it may also be on its 3rd or 4th hydro already.
Long story short, buy it new for the extra $50 you'll have a tank that will last you much longer than buying someones old equipment.

I have to disagree with the above. With anything there is a cost benefit ratio. Just gotta be smart about how much one is willing to spend. In other words do your homework. Sometimes one can find a good deal on new cylinders. Sometime used cylinders are priced too high. I have bought used steel cylinders for $100. they were out of hydro but clean inside. I got them re-inspected and added the valves I wanted. A great deal.

With any piece of used gear one needs to evaluate it. With a used cylinder one really should look inside to make sure there are no obvious issues.

For the OP, as you are in Spud land and if diving locally your are either in a dry suit or thick wet suit so you need ballast. As such, I would suggest you look for steel cylinders rather than aluminum cylinders.

 

[guruboy]

I would avoid out of hydro and out of VIP LP72 tanks if you are a new tank buyer.

 

[scubafanatic]

With respect to steel, I will only consider hot-dipped galvanized, not painted, and the hot dip galvanized tend to be 'spendy', so I don't often see great deals on those (new or used) because those in the know tend to keep those prices up due to high demand. Usually any decent deals require local pick up, no shipping. Among my tank fleet, I've accumulated 16 hot dipped galvanized steels (some new, some used) none at a price that was a 'steal', but I'm OK with that, I was more concerned with excellent condition and am willing to pay more for that (meaning current hydro/vis by selling LDS, plus photos of the tanks e-mailed to me for review so I could be reasonably sure of what I was getting), so far it has always worked out.

 

[USMC CPL.]

I see... not much of a price difference when your life depends on your gear.

You can pick a luxfer al80 on Amazon for 150.00. I have bought two tanks from that site and recently purchased a Faber hp100 for $318.00 new.

 

[RayfromTX]

You can pick a luxfer al80 on Amazon for 150.00. I have bought two tanks from that site and recently purchased a Faber hp100 for $318.00 new.

galvanized or painted?

 

[USMC CPL.]

galvanized or painted?

I got the stealth gun metal gray.