mike_s
Contributor
Yeah. In noticed this thread was "resurected" from 2002.
I don't think it makes sense to own tanks unless you dive a LOT,
when you have a decent dive shop within a reasonable distance
and resonable rental prices. I mean, you still have to go in
and get air fills anyway, so returning the tank only requires
one additional trip.
Most dealers charge $150-$169 for an AL 80, unless you live
near a "volume dealer" or in a competitive markets like south Florida,
where you can get tanks for $120-$130 on average. You still
have other "yearly fees" such as visual, hydro every 5 years,
and maybe O2 cleaning.
With that said, I still own tanks. I had 5, but I'm down to
3 now (2 new AL80's I just bought and 1 steel 72). Yet I still
want to buy more tanks... Go figure. (Hope to sometime
buy a few steel 95's for Nitrox).
The reason for owning tanks is simple. It's just simplier to own
your own tanks than it is to have to go to the dive shop to
pick them up and return them in a timely manner.
But... I typically still use shop/rental tanks when I go on long dive trips.
It's just a hassle to carry a bunch of tanks on vacation or it's just
easier to use the tanks provided as part of the package on the
dive boat. That and they typically already have the tanks
filled and loaded on the boat when I get there, which is less hauling
on our part. It's worth the extra $2 or $3 per tank you pay
as part of the "package".
I don't think it makes sense to own tanks unless you dive a LOT,
when you have a decent dive shop within a reasonable distance
and resonable rental prices. I mean, you still have to go in
and get air fills anyway, so returning the tank only requires
one additional trip.
Most dealers charge $150-$169 for an AL 80, unless you live
near a "volume dealer" or in a competitive markets like south Florida,
where you can get tanks for $120-$130 on average. You still
have other "yearly fees" such as visual, hydro every 5 years,
and maybe O2 cleaning.
With that said, I still own tanks. I had 5, but I'm down to
3 now (2 new AL80's I just bought and 1 steel 72). Yet I still
want to buy more tanks... Go figure. (Hope to sometime
buy a few steel 95's for Nitrox).
The reason for owning tanks is simple. It's just simplier to own
your own tanks than it is to have to go to the dive shop to
pick them up and return them in a timely manner.
But... I typically still use shop/rental tanks when I go on long dive trips.
It's just a hassle to carry a bunch of tanks on vacation or it's just
easier to use the tanks provided as part of the package on the
dive boat. That and they typically already have the tanks
filled and loaded on the boat when I get there, which is less hauling
on our part. It's worth the extra $2 or $3 per tank you pay
as part of the "package".