Light or Tanks?

[JeffAustin]

Really, get the light. You live where a drysuit would be really nice, I'm guessing. So, when you get one( a drysuit), your al 80 doubles won't be ideal, you might be wishing you got steel tanks then. If you have no tank at all, then I would get some singles to start. In northern waters, if the sun is out and I am shallower than 20 ', then I will stow the light, any other time and that baby is blazing away!! Diving with a powerful light is cool for signaling/communication with your buddies, and you are now equiped to do night diving (with the proper training).

 

[runvus4]

Well, even if he owns tanks, he still needs to visit the LDS to get them filled, unless he has his own fill station. Renting a tank vs owning a tank and taking it in to get filled isn't much more inconvenient. I'm going with cost/break even scenarios. I'm also assuming that more often than not, for North East dives, a dive light will be used more often than not:

Just going from the only LDS near me that rents both doubles and cannister lights:

Single tank rental Alum 80, LP 95 (DIN or yoke) hp 100, 120 with H valve $15.00
Double tank rental (lp 80s, 95s 104s or alum 80s with gas fill) $30.00
Cannister light rental $50.00

Cost savings per dive for owning your double vs renting - $30.00 if he really needs double al 80's, ro 15 if he can get by with a HP120 with an H valve.

Cost of doubles with manifold : 600.00 (Assumption since that's what he has to spend, can be more or less depending on new/used/exact tank/manifold)

Dives to break even - 20 for manifold doubles, 40 for single with H valve

Cost savings per dive for owning Cannister light vs renting - $30.00

Cost of cannister light : 600.00 (Again, assumption since that's what he has to spend, can be mroe or less epending on new/used/model/make of cannister light)

Dives to break even - 12

Mathmatics may differ for your LDS' prices.

 

[Quest]

runvus4 once bubbled...

Excellent breakdown!

So i guess if your planning to dive with your canister light more than 12 times a year then its worth it to buy one. Then again if your planning to dive with tanks more than 20 times a year then its worth getting tanks.

As for me i do about 20 dives a week. Renting tanks is just way to expensive for me. and i have gotten more use out of having several sets of tanks then having my canister light.

The convenience is having a filled tank ready to go when you decide to go diving and no dive shops are open. Often is my case living so close to the beach.

Just as i will be doing in an hour, got my gear in the car and i will be stopping at the beach to do a 1hr beach dive on my way home from work. Now if i had to rent i would have to find a diveshop open after 5pm on a friday and waste time getting it filled or filling out paperwork that uses up the daylight hours.

 

[JeffAustin]

20 dives a week, huh? If you are doing your 20 dives a week in Florida, then you really don't need a light, do you? I live close enough to the water to be diving every day, and I'd still choose a light over extra tanks(assuming you already have two or three tanks). You wouldn't be starting many dives at 5pm up north during the winter without a light; it's dark at 5:30pm. We dive all winter long, but you better have a light!! So, like Gearhead said, and by your own admission, you are diving in gin clear water during daylight hours ; your need for a light in those conditions is minimal. Oh, by the way, what if you get delayed in getting to the beach and it's dusk by the time you get there?