Inheriting my dad's early '90s equipment - safe? How to check it?

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ok, now I'm feeling a bit old. I got certified and bought my gear in 93-94 and had some steel tanks from my dad at that time (still have one left, 1961 voit - 1/2NPT". If the gear is good, services up good and meets your diving needs - use it well!
some LDS are very good, some are dangerously clueless - both in knowledge and skillset. If the info they give you doesn't sit right - ask around and on this board (although check the answers here too - some are not as accurate as I'd hoped when I joined). Hopefully your local LDS is good and can help you make an informed decision on servicing the 'older' gear or get some new shiny stuff and get in the water. Happy Diving!
 
I almost forgot about this thread!!! Finally had a chance to get back home and dig it out. It’s so minimal! I am a very nostalgic person so I like vintage anything. The dive shop where this was purchased in the 80s is still open so I might take it in just to see what they say.

Photos of BC and reg:
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Plus, turns out that my mom had a pair of jet fins in my size, though the strap needs replacing:
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Tanks to be unearthed tomorrow from the hard to reach corner of the storage room.
 
It’s so minimal!

By that I mean, just an orange inflatable vest. No padding, no adjustable shoulder, no pockets aside from the clip on one. Not as minimal as other equipment, but certainly simple compared to rental BCs I’ve used.

If it’s not visible the BC is ScubaPro.
 
A lot of people here know a lot more about gear than I do but my 2 cents is, the reg looks good, pretty sure thats not much different than how SP makes them today. So do the fins and gauges. You could use some bungee for the fins and make better straps than those. It looks like you could get the regulator serviced and maybe buy a 2nd stage to go with it and use the new reg as your primary and that 260 as your secondary (octo).

The BCD might work but I personally would consider a new one, or a newer (used) one. You can pick these up really cheap.

Hope that helps.
 
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Padding is overrated, and doesn't do much of anything in the water.

Find a tank with pressure in it. Blow up the BC until it pops the dump valve. Operate the valve to release the pressure. Blow it up again. Let it sit overnight. Still tight? Chances are it's good to go. Still nervous? Have a good LDS check it out. Replace the fin straps (consider springs or bungees), get the reg serviced, replace the battery in the depth gauge (I seem to recall it might show digital time and perhaps depth), and go diving!

(Then, get a computer, and do more diving....)
 
Make sure they replace the spool o-rings on the SPG. They often get overlooked and could give out with no warning.

That G250 2nd stage is pretty popular still today.

Be prepared for most LDS to try and talk you into new gear.

Since you are in the northeast, you might also consider sending your regs to airtech scuba. They will get you set right up.
 
The reg is a MK-10 with a G250 second stage. Both have parts kits available for them and are great pieces of gear, once serviced they would make a great go to regulator. The inflator/octo appears to be an Air2, second gen. I don't know for sure but I would bet service kits are available for it as well.
As long as the BC holds air for a few hours, the dump valves and inflators work, there is no reason not to use it.
 
Hi folks. My dad offered to give me his diving equipment that he enthusiastically purchased in the early '90s and hasn't really used much since. This includes a BCD, regulator/octopus setup, and a couple tanks. Of course, I'd be hesitant to buy a stranger's 20 year-old gear, but since I trust my dad, I'm a little more vulnerable to assuming that this is a perfectly good idea! I'm not a petite woman and he's only about 4 inches taller than me, so other than the obvious issue of size, which might not be too much of a problem, how do I know if this is a bad idea? Is it worth just taking it all in to get serviced and looked over? What should I look for ahead of time? Have there been any major advancements in technology (beyond the dive computer -- would still need one of those) that would render any of this outdated or obsolete?

This question might have already been answered before so if you can point me to another thread that I overlooked, that would be lovely too. Thanks so much.

get it all inspected and serviced and you should be good to go. Make sure you ask the dive shop to check if there are recalls on any of it. That information can also be found online if you want to check yourself.

If you post a list of everything here then we can tell you more about it.

R..
 
I teach out of Scuba NY, Yonkers location. We are a Scubapro dealer and have a tech on staff. Many LDS facilities send gear here for service and so does a few government agencies. Bring gear in and we will see what can be done. Tanks can be used as long as hydro test and eddy current tests pass ok. Regulators may need new hoses , will not know until gear is looked at. If you take gear to Brooklyn location they will send gear to Yonkers as Scubapro is not serviced there and that will add to cost due to shipping , handling. The bcd is really old and you may want to replace it , may not even fit you correctly. We will check it for proper function and you can choose what to do before service is done.
 
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I almost forgot about this thread!!! Finally had a chance to get back home and dig it out. It’s so minimal! I am a very nostalgic person so I like vintage anything. The dive shop where this was purchased in the 80s is still open so I might take it in just to see what they say.

Photos of BC and reg:
View attachment 470072
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View attachment 470075

View attachment 470076
View attachment 470077
View attachment 470078

Plus, turns out that my mom had a pair of jet fins in my size, though the strap needs replacing:
View attachment 470079

Tanks to be unearthed tomorrow from the hard to reach corner of the storage room.

Echoing the replies above, that's equipment that I'd dive after looking it over (or having it looked over in your case). Sensible kit!

Enjoy,
Cameron
 

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