gear dilemma

[tbone1004]

Cool. I'll see if I can negotiate with the guy for the steel 100's then.
Guy sent me some more pics from the steel 100's deal. Still hasn't given me individual pricing. gah. It looks like the steel 100's are Yoke not DIN.

And just got an email saying the guy wants $250 for the pair. Not exactly what I was looking for, so I'm going to pass.
Thanks much guys. It's nice to just think out loud sometimes.

Only reason I started looking thru the full gear sets was in case one came with a good enough regulator to justify upgrading, and/or came with a wing better suited for singles. I bought the transpac used and it came with the rec wing. I have it tied down right now so it doesn't taco, and I rarely use it anyway. My instructor always made sure we could surface with no help from the BC

 

[Bubbletrubble]

I didn't specifically answer your question (which deal should you take: A or B?) because I found both of the "deals" less than ideal. I agree with Colliam7 that you should be looking at deals for tanks only...not a bunch of other stuff that you won't use (100 lb. wing, not so great reg, etc.).

FWIW, I'm skeptical that the guy selling the steel 100s is actually selling HP tanks. The big tip-off is that they come with a yoke/k only valve.
If he were selling 2 HP100 steels with DIN valves for $250 and the tanks were in hydro...I'd say that's a pretty good deal.

You mentioned that you'll be going on a trip with a bunch of experienced divers. Why not ask them if you could borrow a couple of HP steel 100 (or larger) tanks for a few months? That should buy you some time to increase your chances of scoring a good deal on Craigslist or Ebay. Every tech diver I know has a garage full of steel tanks and probably wouldn't miss one or two for a little while. Alternatively, it might be advantageous to join a local dive club for discounts on tank rentals.

Don't rush into buying dive gear that you're not entirely happy with.

Good luck with your search.

 

[tbone1004]

Thanks. I currently have two HP 130's that my instructor is letting me borrow "indefinitely" since he doesn't like lugging them around *he bought them for a couple of side mount trials and doesn't have enough time to do that stuff anymore. They have an adapter on them for Yoke's, and I've been underfilling them to 3200psi because I wasn't sure my 1st stage should handle the 3442 since it's only rated for 3500. I just prefer to have my own gear I guess.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

I have never had a problem using yoke regs (modern, manufactered in the 90s or later) on a 3442 service pressure DIN/K convertible HP tank valve. There's no need to underfill them. Here's a nice SB thread regarding the issue.

FWIW, I have had local dive shops refuse to fill the HP tanks up to the service pressure if I leave the yoke adapter inserts in. No big deal. I just remove the inserts for the fill and then re-install before diving.

Your instructor is being really nice about the tanks. It sounds to me like you can now afford to be more selective in your tank purchase.

Have fun out there...

 

[tbone1004]

Ya, my instructor is amazing. Tried his atomic subframe today too. Love at first look. My LDS gives our university a discount and got it down to $60 I think for me. Pretty stoked. Now just to sit tight and wait for a good tank opportunity...