New or used gear?

[jjordanov]

Hi guys,
I am newbie to this activity and I would like to buy my own equipment so I won't need the rental gear to take a dive. I crawled this forum and google products (froogle) and found a lot of different regulator sets, BC's etc... I am looking forward for an expert opinion - should I buy some used (rental) gear (2 even 3 times cheaper) or should I buy new one? I am not very sure about the quality different brands offer, but what I've heard AquaLung is the oldest one - isn't it? So they should have great experience and produce reliable stuff. Does this mean that AL used equipment is more reliable than others?
Thank you for your answers.

Jordan

 

[mfalco]

I tend to buy a lot of my gear used. Used rental gear is often a good choice because the shops usually service it before selling it. I would be careful buying used gear someplace like ebay.

 

[squidster]

Hi guys,
I am newbie to this activity and I would like to buy my own equipment so I won't need the rental gear to take a dive. I crawled this forum and google products (froogle) and found a lot of different regulator sets, BC's etc... I am looking forward for an expert opinion - should I buy some used (rental) gear (2 even 3 times cheaper) or should I buy new one? I am not very sure about the quality different brands offer, but what I've heard AquaLung is the oldest one - isn't it? So they should have great experience and produce reliable stuff. Does this mean that AL used equipment is more reliable than others?
Thank you for your answers.

Jordan

I would buy new unless your Dive Shop sells and services used gear.
Which ever way you go start with a high Quality Balanced first and second stage reg,the best you can afford.
Then add the rest.
Lots of times Divers will go out and buy the very best mask,fins,snorkels.Big name brand wetsuits.
only to come up short on their reg choice.
Its true you can get by with a Unbalanced reg,and the simple piston type is very reliable.
but you have to plan for every situation that may come up.
A balanced enviromentaly sealed reg will do well in any situation,cold ,dirty , deep depths and so on.
what ever you do ,have fun and be safe.

 

[mike_s]

I'd never buy a used regulator and dive with it without servicing it, unless it came from someone I trusted and they had serviced it as required.

If you buy used from any other source, then figure it'll cost you about $50-$75 in labor and $30 to $75 in parts to get it serviced initially the first time. Figure $120 bucks average first service. now ask yourself did you save that much from what it cost from LP or any other online low price shop? If not, then don't buy it. Buy new from the other shop.

Also consider free parts programs. This saves you about $60/year on average on parts if you rebuild every year. Figure you'll use this regulator for 5 years, so 4 more services after you buy it. 4 x $60 = $240, then add the initial $120 service and you're up to $360 in service costs that you wouldn't pay for a new regulator.

If you're saving over that above amount, then buy used. But otherwise I'm betting that buying new is cheaper in the "long run".



As for used gear sold at dive shops. Just because its being sold at a dive shop doesn't mean it's been serviced like it should be. They sell used unserviced gear all the time. If they can't show you the service records for it, then simply don't trust them or the regulator to have been serviced. this includes any gear from the rental fleet.

 

[herman]

Welcome to the board.
This is one of those never ending debates here. Aqualung (US Divers) is likely the oldest rec dive company going. It dates to the mid 50s and I am not aware of any older company. Be that as it may, AL along with many other companies make good reliable gear. I would not shy away from any of the current major brands, Aqualung, Scubapro, Mares,Zeagle,Apex, Sherwood... to name a few that come to mind. Lesser known brands may make perfectly good regs but getting them serviced, esp after a few years can be a problem. It is likely that the major brands will be easier to find service and parts for in coming years and when traveling. This is esp true if the regs you buy are older to start with. Fact is, any reasonable quality reg will last many years. I have AL regs from the late 50's and 60's that are in perfect working order as well as 70's, 80's and 90's vintage regs from various makers....darn I have too many regs. This is not to say they all perform as well as the later regs but it does illustrate the point that a quality reg will last a long time.

Cost saving by buying used is a debatable issue. Yes, you get "free" parts but they are only a small part of the cost of ownership. The service cost for each stage of a reg (usually 3) is in the $25-35 range or $75-105 per year and is not covered under warranty...in other words you pay the same for service regardless of warranty. So the real issue is parts. These can range from $10 per stage to $30 or more with the more expensive regs having more expensive service kits. It is also worth noting that hoses are not covered. It is also important to note that the warranty has to be carefully maintained...you must follow the manuf requirements and often times have the paperwork to prove it.....you lost your service receipt for 2002...sorry no warranty.....or you missed your annual date by 1 day...sorry no warranty. So, are you going to save money buying used..it really depends on the deal you get and the cost of the service kits. If you buy a $800 reg for $100 and the kits are $10 each, you saved a lot. If you buy a $300 reg for $250 and the service kits are $25 each, you lost money.
My best advise, compare used vs. similar new regs from any major manufacturer that you are sure you can get serviced locally. Talk with the shops reg tech and see what the service kits will cost you if they are not under warranty and then make a decision based on the overall cost over a 5 or 10 year period. I would also factor in the hassle of keeping up with the warranty BS and paperwork. Then buy whichever works out best for you.

 

[jjordanov]

Thanks a lot guys!
I would prefer new gear too.. but it is too expensive to afford...
I'll stick to the "somebody else has used it before" solution.
@herman: thank you very much - I had actually those kind of thoughts but you helped me to take the decision.
@mfalco: ebay is not my favorite place to go shopping, but sometimes it there's no other choice it happens to buy something. Anyway I usually buy from ebay sellers that are not private persons but ebay shops - you can "even" contact them...

Anyway I found really cheap stuff here: Galactic Snow Sports. I bought some skis for cheap last year from these guys and I am really surprised that they also sell scuba stuff. Chatted a little bit on the chat support and they told me that all the scuba equipment is serviced, but since my life depends on it I will bring it to a scuba shop and get it serviced.
I don't know if this is a good choice but even with servicing it will be cheaper. I agree that new is better and first time I have a chance I will get some new stuff.
So I intend to buy dry suit, reg set and bcd - any other advices? It looks very tempting but once again I would like to get an expert advice.

regards, jordan

 

[RonFrank]

I don't hesitate to buy used, but for my reg I purchase new simply because once I added in the cost of a service, buying used did not make much sense.

I use Zeagle, and would recommend their products to anyone.

 

[herman]

Thanks a lot guys!
I would prefer new gear too.. but it is too expensive to afford...
I'll stick to the "somebody else has used it before" solution.
@herman: thank you very much - I had actually those kind of thoughts but you helped me to take the decision.
@mfalco: ebay is not my favorite place to go shopping, but sometimes it there's no other choice it happens to buy something. Anyway I usually buy from ebay sellers that are not private persons but ebay shops - you can "even" contact them...

Anyway I found really cheap stuff here: Galactic Snow Sports. I bought some skis for cheap last year from these guys and I am really surprised that they also sell scuba stuff. Chatted a little bit on the chat support and they told me that all the scuba equipment is serviced, but since my life depends on it I will bring it to a scuba shop and get it serviced.
I don't know if this is a good choice but even with servicing it will be cheaper. I agree that new is better and first time I have a chance I will get some new stuff.
So I intend to buy dry suit, reg set and bcd - any other advices? It looks very tempting but once again I would like to get an expert advice.

regards, jordan

Your welcome. Ebay is my least favorite place for new divers to buy gear. I buy stuff off of Ebay but I also service it myself so repair cost is not an issue. Some stuff on Ebay is great and a good deal but other stuff is a plain ripoff. Hard to tell from the photos some times.
I looked at the regs and BC's on your link. The reg might be OK but both the BC's are missing LP inflator hoses.....WHY???? I don't get a warm fuzzy about them.
Another good place to look for used equipment is Craigs List. Local stuff you can get your hands on before plunking down money, a much much better choice than either Ebay or some questionable on line dealer.

 

[mike_s]

Your welcome. Ebay is my least favorite place for new divers to buy gear. I buy stuff off of Ebay but I also service it myself so repair cost is not an issue. Some stuff on Ebay is great and a good deal but other stuff is a plain ripoff. Hard to tell from the photos some times.
I looked at the regs and BC's on your link. The reg might be OK but both the BC's are missing LP inflator hoses.....WHY???? I don't get a warm fuzzy about them.
Another good place to look for used equipment is Craigs List. Local stuff you can get your hands on before plunking down money, a much much better choice than either Ebay or some questionable on line dealer.

I agree.... be cautious about EBAY and dive gear.

I've bought some stuff with no problems, but bought a few pieces that had rubber hose protectors that hid the corrosion under them. Of course the pics didn't show this.

It's definately 'buyer beware'.


CraigsList is "more local" than EBAY, so you can at least inspect it first to see damage, etc. You can also ask to take it to your local dealer to have him check it out. If they won't let you, then there must be a leary reason.

 

[jjordanov]

Yeah, I watch craigslist too, but I don't have enough free time when not at the computer... Anyway, I think I'm ready to order from Galacticsnowsports and they assured me they don't sell BCDs with missing parts and whaterever and there's some misunderstanding, but I think they just made some stupid dids. As I look now they even changed their website - haha - thanks to me. Well, they sounded good to me and my first job on Monday morning will be to order some gear to dive with Thanks a lot guys, I will let you know when I come back from the local scuba shop with my inspected "new" used gear.

Jordan