Hey all from Texas Got a few questions about gear

[Mike Klieb]

Again hey all.
I was tempted by a very good price to pick up some Parkway regs and a BC from the son in Law of a passed Scuba instructor, now my local shop is telling me that the BC is dangerous and I shouldn't dive with it. however when I tested it everything worked fine no leaks ect have any of you heard about this.

 

[GrafCanuck]

Not in business so I would pass. Personally I'd never heard of Parkway and I have analysis paralysis when it comes to diving over the past 4 years. It's a disease with no remedy. You can search Parkway on ScubaBoard and see the replies are back in the early 2000s......Nothing wrong with buying 2nd hand gear though, particularly if you know the diver. If you go the 2nd hand route I'd recommend to stick with the named brands. Local dive shop(s) can be biased, for obvious reasons.

 

[Mike Klieb]

I bought the BC and a Reg set before the guy at the dive shop told me that. and yeah he is defiantly pushing his brands I am in the process of searching the forum but im not finding anything to support his claim

 

[GrafCanuck]

I'm sure that other more seasoned divers who are familiar with the Parkway brand will respond in due time. If both the BCD and regs work then that is great. The next question is whether parts are available, particularly outside of North America. I worked at a dive shop last year and have travelled throughout North America, Central America and the Caribbean. I've never heard of the brand Parkway through my travels. All the best. Dive safe!

 

[runsongas]

the regs likely would need generic parts to service (due to the company being no longer operative), which may or may not be doable depending on finding parts that fit. and a good amount of shops would decline to service them, complicating things where you may need to go DIY.

if you still want to stick with them, try the diy forums. but they need to be approached more as project pieces.

 

[Mike Klieb]

Yeah I think I have learned lesson and I'll start buying new luckily I am only out $75.00

 

[Jim Lapenta]

If the BC holds air for 24 hours and the power inflator works, it's fine. As far as the regs, if you could post a pic of them, someone should be able to see if there are parts available for them. You could also check them yourself with a $30 IP gauge that every diver should have in their kit anyway (Middle Pressure Gauge DELUXE Style Rubber Protector , Piranha Dive Shop |)
and a sink full of water and a ruler to check cracking pressure. You also need to check the hoses to make sure they are not dry rotted and pliable. That can be done in a sink or bathtub with the reg hooked to a cylinder.
As for your local shop telling you the BC is dangerous without even checking it? Never go in there again.
An ethical shop or tech would look over the gear for a nominal fee (20-25 bucks), WHILE YOU WATCHED THEM DO IT, and see if the gear is indeed unsafe.
They'd tell you why, ie BC doesn't hold air, power inflator sticks, dump valves don't work, etc. The reg IP is way high or low and can't be adjusted by them, no parts for rebuild once it comes time, etc.
If you were near me not only would I do this, but I'd also jump in our onsite pool with it to check it.

 

[Mike Klieb]

The Regs leak so they do need to be serviced he gave me a quote for 275 to service them The BC holds air the inflator works great. All of this has got me considering just buying the Cressi Starter set which is BC, Reg, and gauges for 550$ which is about 100 more than the local dive shop quoted me for new ScubePro Regs.
He said he has seen the bladder on these Parkway BC's "disintegrate" so I was really concerned about this so I am trying to get more unbiased opinions on here.

 

[runsongas]

look at bcd and regs from dgx or one of the hog packages from divers supply instead

DGX Custom - Deep Six DGX Streamlined OW Reg Package

DGX Custom - DGX Singles Harness / Backplate / Wing Package

HOG Total BCD Scuba Gear System Package

 

[Mike Klieb]

Why not the cressi? Just trying to learn please explain