New tank and Hydro date???

[mikeguerrero]

Just wanted to run this one by you guys:

Purchase my first X7 steel HP100 Worthington from my LDS. I go to pick it up and it has the visual tag November 2007 and they fill it up for me. I ask him to go over the numbers on the tank and he reads a hydro date 3/06. Mind you the tank is brand spanking new.

I ask him shouldn't the year at least be in 2007 and he responds, but I really don't get a good answer.

Later on this week I see another X7 steel HP 100 that has the XSscuba engraved into the metal and it has a hydro 10/07.

So what gives? Do I get cheated out one year in hydro? Since you have to pass hydro every 5 years? I haven't dove the tank yet; am I okay with it hydro back to 2006 that has never been dove?

Just want to run it by the experts on tanks....

Thanks,

MG

 

[Colliam7]

Purchase my first X7 steel HP100 Worthington from my LDS. ... I ask him to go over the numbers on the tank and he reads a hydro date 3/06. Mind you the tank is brand spanking new. ...

The tank had been sitting somewhere - warehouse, distributor, LDS, etc - for a while since it was manufactured. Nothing wrong with that at all, and it is still brand new. But, it just hadn't made it to the front of the 'sell' line.

Do I get cheated out one year in hydro? Since you have to pass hydro every 5 years? I haven't dove the tank yet; am I okay with it hydro back to 2006 that has never been dove?

Yes, you have a tank that will need to be hydroed in 3.5 years - 03/11. My personal bias - hopefully the LDS took that consideration in the selling price. Not a big deal, but maybe a few $$ off would be nice.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

It's pretty common to discount a "new" tank when the opriginal certifiction hydro date reaches or approaches one year of age. Realistically, you will need a hydro in 3.0 years, not 3.5 or else you will be paying for a VIP that will only last you from November to March.

So your cost of the 3/06 tank compared to one made in for example 7/07 (the date on the last two I just bought) is about 2/5ths of whatever a hydro test (and the redundant, totally price gounging the customer shop VIP after the hydro VIP) are going to cost you plus perhaps 2 weeks of loss of use of your tank when the hydro is done.

In light of that cost, if you are sold the older tank, you really should see some consideration in terms of price reduction.

 

[spectrum]

Of course one 5th of a $20 hydro is $4 and even a 2 year allowance is still only $8.

Assuming you stay with the sport you will have the loss of the cylinder while testing is done no mater what. It's just the frustration of doing it so soon.

Managing expirations is a huge challenge for any industry. In the case of cylinders they are expensive to ship so you can't just shuffle them around to get them where sales are hot so there will be pockets of surplus that sell late. Like any other industry sellers, distrubutors and producers can misread demand and what you see is what you got.

Lesson learned and not a hill to die on.

Pete

 

[DA Aquamaster]

Hydro costs vary.

Locally, to my recent horror, I have discovered that a hydro is in the $40 range with the VIP, and O2 cleaning for nitrox use costs $50.00 minimum (which is in my opinion totally outrageous). And of course, the local shops will not accept my current VIP's as they are not local VIP's given that I got them VIP'd out of state. I also suspect that both sets of my just purchased (used) 100 cu ft doubles tanks with non-locally O2 cleaned and inspected 11-07 VIP's will be equally useless (and the indications are that they charge $126 per set to O2 clean manifolded doubles).

So while I would not sweat buying an "old" new tank in my former location where $12.00 hydros (shop VIP included) and $10 O2 cleaning was the norm, here I would be a bit more concerned as the hydro and cleaning costs are more than four times greater.

The other issue is that a 1 year old "new" tank is not really new any more, just unsued, given that the hydro test is time limited and already 20% expired on a one year old scuba tank. I understand the rpoblem facing LDS owners. Tanks are expensive to buy and ship and the margin on them is quite low compared to other inventoried items, so they are not what you would call a lucrative item to stock, in particular as they have fixed maintenece costs just sitting on the sales floor. So many shops do not stock many tanks or many choices (maybe an AL80, and AL100 and a pony or two).

Special ordering through the shop is often an effort in futility as many shops quote long delivery delays (sometimes months to get one from their suppliers) and high shipping charges when they could in fact think outside the box, order the same on-line tank with free shipping that I would order, have it here for me next week and charge me an extra $20 for their trouble and my convenience and keep me really happy.

But at the same time the same shops will feel slighted if you just buy a new tank on-line - a situation for the customer that usually means quickly getting a tank not more than a few momths old, or getting a steep discount on a year old tank. And apparently some shops get their pound of flesh anyway by charging through the nose for VIP's and cleaning before they will even fill them.

So there is room for some compromise in the middle to ensure that LDS owners do not get stuck stocking old tank and that customers do not get stuck paying full retail for old tanks or having to endure the "I offended my LDS" sydrome by buying on-line - and part of that compromise involves things like knocking $20-30 off the old tank, offering the next VIP for free, throwing in 10 free air fills, etc.

 

[mikeguerrero]

Thanks for all the sound advice... I paid full price for the tank no discount and one free air fill....

I could go back and trade it in for a newer hydro since I have not dove it, but then again maybe I shouldn't...

What would you guys suggest; as I do want to purchase another tank to have two....

I originally wanted the X8 119 steel and he would've had to order that one, but at the last minute went with the 100 he had a bunch in stock I just didn't know better when he read me the hydro date.... And well you know the rest....

Mike

 

[Colliam7]

I paid full price for the tank no discount and one free air fill....

Wow. We usually give 5-10 free fills with a new tank. If it truly was 'full price', i.e. list, and there is only one free fill, that is certainly a different economic environment than the one here.

I could go back and trade it in for a newer hydro since I have not dove it, but then again maybe I shouldn't...

Why not? It hasn't been used. (Don't fall for a 're-stocking' fee.) Just say that after thinking about it, you would prefer to have tanks with a more current hydro. Can he accomodate you? That gives the LDS the chance to say, 'No we can't, but why don't we give you a discount on the second tank.'

I originally wanted the X8 119 steel and he would've had to order that one, but at the last minute went with the 100 he had a bunch in stock ...

Now, if you want to start a good 'discussion' ask which is the better tank for you - a 100 or a 119! (i will stay out of that one.)

 

[Ben_ca]

Stick with the 100... good enough for all the types of diving you would do in Monterey (just don't take it down to 200ft J/k) ... and when the time comes and you feel you need more gas you can double them up pretty easily.

 

[mikeguerrero]

After all the sound advice from you guys... I called up my LDS and told them that I had a small concern. That after I went to the dive shop the next week, I saw 10/07 hydro stamped tanks on the X-7 series and that mine is stamped 3-06.

I continued to let him know I have not dove the tank and it still has all the air from the fill. I also ordered another X-7 but I only placed a down payment, no rush. I told him that I want the one that is stamped 10-07.

Since there are two dive shops same owner, and I was talking to just the manager, he said, no problem just take it back to the other shop since I don't have one here.

So after Thanksgiving I'll get a more current tank; I expect they should treat me good as I've spent close to $3,000 dollars in his shop.

I'd hate to get into a fight over a tank but hey I don't want a tank that is comming up on two years against my hydro; would you?

Thanks,

MG

 

[NJDiver_34]

I just found my self in a similar situation. I purchased two LP108's with 06 hydros. They are "Old" "New" stock that have been sitting at a distributers warehouse. Though slighly outdated, I picked these babies up for $224.00 each. I would say I saved a significant amount of money over the other dealers that I was contemplated making the purchase through.

On top of the savings on the tanks, I wont be paying shipping costs because I'm going to pick tank up from the shop. Its about a two hour ride but because I purchased them over the internet and the shop is out of state I gain other savings also.