Looking for some imput

[skimphish]

im getting ready to get open water certified, and was just given 2 Al. tanks, a aqualung regulator, dacor gauges, and weight belts (11lbs and 6lbs). my neighbor was clearing out his garage and just GAVE me all of this. i know i still need to buy a mask, fins, and BC, but i was trying to figure out what type of Octopus ppl suggest? the master chief who is certifying me said that i might as well stay with aqualung since i have a aqualung first and second stage reg.. any suggestions would be great!

 

[Teamcasa]

im getting ready to get open water certified, and was just given 2 Al. tanks, a aqualung regulator, dacor gauges, and weight belts (11lbs and 6lbs). my neighbor was clearing out his garage and just GAVE me all of this. i know i still need to buy a mask, fins, and BC, but i was trying to figure out what type of Octopus ppl suggest? the master chief who is certifying me said that i might as well stay with aqualung since i have a aqualung first and second stage reg.. any suggestions would be great!

Most of the octos on the market today are really pretty good. Listen the the master chief - sounds like good advice.

 

[300bar]

Just listen to the master chief,it makes life easier when getting your reg. serviced.

 

[Couv]

Welcome to Scuba Board,

Well done on your acquisition.

I too concur with the Master Chief.

But, if this came out of storage from a garage in PC, Fla, please have it checked out prior to use. At least do the inspections in this thread.
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/regulators/260452-regulator-checklist-inspection.html

Couv

 

[skimphish]

^i plan on going ahead and having it rebuilt (both stages). he hasnt used it for a couple years, so i just want to be safe rather than sorry. i figure i got it for free, so spending a lil bit to get it rebuilt is a small price to pay.

thanks for the input guys (i realized i misspelled "input" as "imput" in the title, lol). any suggestions as to where to buy an octo from? i have heard that i should stay away from leisurepro.com (from a guy i know on a car forum who dives) but havent heard anything about scubastore.com. i ask b/c the aqualung calypso/titan is $78.29 from scubastore.com

 

[halocline]

That price for that octo is reasonable. You could also see what's on ebay in terms of used USD/aqualung 2nd stages, but at most you'd save $40 and then you have get it rebuilt anyway. What model aqualung reg is it? If it's the titan or legend, you're a very lucky person.

There should be some numbers stamped into the tanks. Among these is the date of manufacture, and you want that to be after 1988. Aluminum tanks made prior to that might be very difficult to get filled. Look for DOT 3AL3000 (several numbers following) then you'll see a 2 digit number followed by either an arrow or a C (or some symbol) then another 2 digits. Those are the month and year of the original hydro test, which is when the tank was made. Luxfer is the most common manufacturer, and I think their symbol is the arrow-looking thing. (I'm more familiar with steel tanks that they don't make)

 

[skimphish]

the tanks were made in 1992. they are getting hydro'd as we speak actually. the last time they were done was 2002. i cant remember the brand off the top of my head however.

as for the reg its a Aqualung Conshelf 20.

i got a question regarding the tanks actually (i dont want to start another thread though):

can i paint the tanks? mine are a light blue, and im not crazy about the color. i was hoping to paint them either yellow with a black stripe towards the bottom, or black with a yellow stripe. if it cant be done its no big, it would just be more my style.

 

[Curious Monkey]

^i plan on going ahead and having it rebuilt (both stages). he hasnt used it for a couple years, so i just want to be safe rather than sorry. i figure i got it for free, so spending a lil bit to get it rebuilt is a small price to pay.

thanks for the input guys (i realized i misspelled "input" as "imput" in the title, lol). any suggestions as to where to buy an octo from? i have heard that i should stay away from leisurepro.com (from a guy i know on a car forum who dives) but havent heard anything about scubastore.com. i ask b/c the aqualung calypso/titan is $78.29 from scubastore.com

I caution you in purchasing anything from Aqualung online. As far as I know, almost anyone that is selling their gear online is not an authorized (US) dealer.
Here's a little reading:
Leisure Pro is NOT an authorized Aqua Lung dealer

 

[skimphish]

^i read and called scubastore.com and found out that they are infact an authorized aqualung dealer.

You will find only the best brands at Scubastore.com and because it is not very common for online dive shops, we are very proud of the fact that we are authorized dealers of them all. As such, each and every one of our products comes with a full manufacturer's warranty.

 

[rstofer]

Painting a tank MAY be a really bad idea if it covers corrosion. One of the first thing a tank inspector looks for is whether the tank has been repainted. You will be getting the tank visually inspected every year.

Richard