Older gear?

[linc213]

I am trying to get wet again.....was an avid diver for a number years and now want to dive again. On vacations I just rented gear. My old gear is in good shape and I will be taking them in for service this weekend. I have a set of Sherwood Blizzard regs from 1992 that were used a lot, console is Sherwood as well. I bought a set of Oceanic Delta 4s in 2001 along with my first computer, an Aeris 300G. As far as BCDs go, I have an older Dive Rite Transpac with rec wing that I bought in 95 or 96, it isn't pretty but everything works still on it. I bought a jacket BCD in 2001, a Seaquest Pro. The Oceanic regs, Aeris 300G and SeaQuest BCD only have 3 or 4 dives on them. If they pass service OK, should I just use what I have and get back into diving or should I upgrade? My wetsuits and drysuit do not fit me anymore so I will need something new. Since Aeris was bought out, should I be worried about it being an older computer? It seems to work fine but I have not dove with it. Sorry for the long winded post and thank you.

 

[runsongas]

you can definitely just get the regs serviced, but you might find the price of a service and parts to be more than you expect.

if the bc still holds air, go ahead and use them. worst case is you buy a new inflator for 15 dollars from dgx.

if you are worried about the computer, you can ask your LDS to do a pressure test and verify the depth sensor. but otherwise, i would just dive it and compare with a buddy to verify.

 

[ams511]

I wouldn't worry about the computer. Aeris was the sister company to Oceanic and their computers are very similar.

 

[northernone]

First off, welcome back.

In your situation I'd test the regs, and dive your equipment without worry.

Hopefully you have a good reg technician. Depending where you bring them for service be prepared for being upsold new gear or prohibitively high service quotes to encourage new purchases.

Regards,
Cameron

 

[herman]

There is nothing wrong with older regs, those are babies, some of my regs are over 50 yo. As long as you can have them serviced then they are just as good as most modern regs, in some cases better. You should not have any issues with parts for regs that young.......although you may find a dive shop that tells you differently. Get a second opinion ...and a new dive shop, if you get the "these are old, dangerous and new regs are much better speech" .
The one possible exception, it the computer is the round puck type, many of those suffered from cracking due to poor materials. It is easy to determine since the crack are around the outside edge where you can see the threads. If they are cracked, odds are they will soon leak, no reason not to use them but don't depend on it for your dive. But then again, you shouldn't be depending on a computer anyway.

 

[linc213]

Thanks everyone. Dropped off everything to the closest shop to me. They are a Sherwood dealer so no issue on the Blizzards, he did say they send out regulators that they don't sell to a repair/service shop that just does service and repair. So hopefully in a week or two I will get everything back. I did finally hear back from Oceanic/Huish about factory service but they directed me to send them to a shop in California.