Living the US for two years - what should my strategy for tanks be?

[IrenePanik]

Hi,
I just recently moved to Chicago and brought my gear with me, but could obviously not bring my CE-marked tanks. I've so far dived with 12 liter steel (200 bar) doubles, which trim very nicely. From what I have gathered, the equivalent size should be LP85:s. I've always bought second hand bottles and tried to find some here as well, but I'm struggling. Now I'm considering what a good strategy would to be, given that I'll only stay in the country for two years.

Should I just suck it up and buy new tanks (~1000 USD) and then sell them in two years? Can I expect to find a buyer in the Chicago area? What would the price for second hand tanks with 3 years left on testing be do you guys think?
Or should I hold out and buy used tanks - they pop up now and then?

 

[passedoutwookie]

I guess the answer depends on how budget conscious you are. It would definitely be easiest to just order what you want and expect to take around a 25-35% loss when you sell them.

On the flip side I have had good luck finding deals on tanks on marketplace and scubaboard. You may have to be a little patient or be flexible in what you want. If you do buy used, chances are you will get your money back out of them when you sell them down the road.


LP85s are abundant in Cave Country. Maybe you need to visit the area or find someone willing to give them a ride to Chicago.

 

[NothingClever]

I’d avoid the LP85 twinset unless you know for a fact that your local dive shop will reliably provide you a “cave fill”.

Even in Florida I’m limited to where I can fill my LP85 twinset. When I can get a cave fill, life is grand but it’s a real let down when my SPG has a sad needle.

I’d focus on sourcing an HP100 twinset for the volume. You’re actually in a decent area for used cylinders if the cost of new is daunting.

If you buy new, you’re not likely to have trouble selling them starting a couple of months out from your return home.

I see cylinders on here all the time for competitive pricing - the seller’s not losing his shirt and the buyer is getting a decent discount.

 

[RIHappyDiver]

Calling @Marie13 . You would be a good source of information on this one.

 

[ZephyrNYC]

I'm in a similar boat as yours: I want to buy my own cylinders instead of renting or borrowing. I don't want to spend the money on brand new and I prefer HP steel right now.

Thus far, I've seen used cylinders on:
Facebook marketplace
Ebay
Offer Up
Craigslist
Dive shop websites
Reddit
And of course, Scubaboard.

I'm pretty sure I saw some used cylinders in the Chicago area recently.

 

[IrenePanik]

I guess the answer depends on how budget conscious you are. It would definitely be easiest to just order what you want and expect to take around a 25-35% loss when you sell them.

On the flip side I have had good luck finding deals on tanks on marketplace and scubaboard. You may have to be a little patient or be flexible in what you want. If you do buy used, chances are you will get your money back out of them when you sell them down the road.


LP85s are abundant in Cave Country. Maybe you need to visit the area or find someone willing to give them a ride to Chicago.

I think a 25-35% loss would be OK to bear, as long as I get the tanks earlier rather than later. I found tanks that were advertised as LP-85:s, but they turned out to be LP 113 cu ft made out of aluminium and at this point I'm itching to get into the water.

 

[IrenePanik]

I’d avoid the LP85 twinset unless you know for a fact that your local dive shop will reliably provide you a “cave fill”.

Even in Florida I’m limited to where I can fill my LP85 twinset. When I can get a cave fill, life is grand but it’s a real let down when my SPG has a sad needle.

I’d focus on sourcing an HP100 twinset for the volume. You’re actually in a decent area for used cylinders if the cost of new is daunting.

If you buy new, you’re not likely to have trouble selling them starting a couple of months out from your return home.

I see cylinders on here all the time for competitive pricing - the seller’s not losing his shirt and the buyer is getting a decent discount.

Yeah, it's an unknown for sure, but there seems to be a couple of filling places around and I'm hopeful that I will be able to find one that is agreeable. I'll probably end up buy a stage to be sure I can do two rec-dives.

The HP100:s buoyancy profile seems to be very negative, almost 8 pounds per tank at full and slightly negative even at empty, which I'm not sure I like. I would imagine that these tanks have a pre-requisite of diving in a drysuit to be properly weighted, or what is your experience? I normally have a v-weigh and butt-weight, so that's in itself not an issue, I could just not use those

Would you say that even in Chicago there are buyers for LP85:s? I talked to a shop in Chicago and they thought LP85:s were very uncommon.

 

[ZephyrNYC]

I think a 25-35% loss would be OK to bear, as long as I get the tanks earlier rather than later. I found tanks that were advertised as LP-85:s, but they turned out to be LP 113 cu ft made out of aluminium and at this point I'm itching to get into the water.

Al 113s? Hmmmm, I've never heard.

 

[grantmac]

I think a 25-35% loss would be OK to bear, as long as I get the tanks earlier rather than later. I found tanks that were advertised as LP-85:s, but they turned out to be LP 113 cu ft made out of aluminium and at this point I'm itching to get into the water.

There are no aluminum LP tanks for SCUBA. Those are a steel tank of probably 18L.
You want to be looking for some HP100s, they are common.

 

[ZephyrNYC]

I think a 25-35% loss would be OK to bear, as long as I get the tanks earlier rather than later. I found tanks that were advertised as LP-85:s, but they turned out to be LP 113 cu ft made out of aluminium and at this point I'm itching to get into the water.

You could always rent till you find a good deal. For example, I've flown to Utah twice in the past month. Even if I owned my own tanks, I wouldn't be able to take usable cylinders onto the plane. I just rented nitrox tanks from the local shops. The thing is that most shops around here only rent Al80s for nitrox. In California where I live, it's easier to find steels for rent.