Opinions are deeply appreciated

[Choco.A]

Hello all my compressed air addict buddies~

Im doing my internship now and barely surviving on minimum wage (aren't we all? lol)

So a (rich) customer who's girlfriend has 4 BCD and 3 regulators because she didn't like the feel/fit of it while diving.

The direction my internship is heading is for DM followed by Instructor and going into the XR technical range. So eventually, i'll still need my own gear right?

Her BCD is the Cressie Air Travel which according to reviews is super travel friendly.

And her regulator is the Cressie Atomic B2 (both primary and octopus)
She also changed the color scheme to pink and her BC inflator hose is a Miflex Pink one.
All in all, i know she spend a bomb on it..

Now, both BCD and regulator is 3 months old and gone for less the 5 dive trips.

and she is selling it to me AS A SET for $590 USD.

WHAT DO U THINK?
Should i??? She's coming this weekend so i need to let her know by then.

THANK YOU

 

[lv2dive]

That is decent price for a used BCD / reg set. Generally speaking, when buying used, I'd start at 50% of retail and go from there when determining an appropriate price for me. "Appropriate" taking into consideration the age/condition of the gear, how much I want it, etc.

One thing to consider is that if you are planning on going technical, this BCD will not support that. You will need a BP/W or a SM rig. That may or may not be an issue for you - a lot of people (myself included) have a separate kit for recreational diving and tech diving.

Another thing to consider, as a working DM/Instructor, is does your dive shop sell the Atomic and Cressi product lines? If not, do they have a preference for you to "wear" what they sell?

Finally, have you tried this rig? Initially I assumed but it never hurts to ask - have you tried this BC, does it fit? Do you like it?

I'm sure there are several more things to consider but those are a few things to get you started.

 

[diversteve]

Will she sell you just the reg? It's a premier reg that should work no matter how far you get in your diving career. Also all Atomics have a 2 yr/300 dive recommended service interval - mine go a lot longer than that with no problems - in the long run that will save you some money since labor, not parts is most of a service charge.

The BCD being a travel model might be too lightweight to be useful in training situations - it likely doesn't have the lift you'd need either for rescue purposes. They're also typically made of lighter materials to get the weight down so may not be durable enough over your next few years of training. It looks from the picture that the D-rings might be plastic also - as a working DM you're going to use them a lot so you might want to see about changing them to metal if possible.

Decent enough to function as personal travel gear though.

That's a pretty great price though, B2's list for $729, $40 more if it's sealed. Also the B2 Octo is about $350 more - it will breathe the same as your primary in an airshare situation which you can anticipate doing a lot of with customers most likely.

I'd buy it. maybe tell her up front you might be reselling the BCD in the future.

 

[northernone]

Nice reg, unsuitable bcd. I don't know your used dive gear local market but it seems expensive.

The regulator is an expensive one, I don't know if it's durable and cheap to service for a dive professionals reg. The fact it has 5 dives to me isn't worth anything, a fulltime instructor in a warm climate can put 500 dives per year on a reg. It it is purchased used with 5 or 50 it isn't much difference but costs much more for nothing.

The bcd is light, thin materials, low lift. Not a working professional's bcd for instructing.

Do you plan to work as a dive professional? Cheaper more long lasting gear might be better suited.

Regards,
Cameron

 

[Hoag]

I have a Cressi Air Travel, and I have had problems with mine since the first time I used it. Over a couple trips, I have gotten most of the problems sorted out, but there is one issue that is simply a factor of the BCD itself. It is about 4lbs positively buoyant. You will have to carry 4lbs of weight just to offset the buoyancy of the BCD.

The Cressi Air Travel has some really nice features many of which have been mentioned above. It is very light, it packs easily, it is a back inflate (as opposed to a jacket), and it is very adjustable. On paper it looks like a very good BCD. At $590US "package price" is less than the cost of a new B2 reg, so the package is probably too good of a deal to let slip through your fingers. If I were you, and if her BCD fits you, I would probably buy the package, but I would do so knowing the drawback of the BCD being 4lbs positive and I would expect the BCD to be a short term purchase until a better option becomes viable.

Good luck with whatever you choose to do.

 

[scbaNE2179]

The direction my internship is heading is for DM followed by Instructor and going into the XR technical range. So eventually, i'll still need my own gear right?

Question-so are you looking to use this exact set of equipment if and when you venture into tech? I'm not a tech diver but I'm pretty sure this equipment is geared more towards recreational diving. If you think you may want to go into tech, I would at least look into a BPW and DIN First stage set up. This way, you won't have to buy gear twice-the BPW will grow with you alongside your journey.

 

[stuartv]

It seems to me that the reg set alone is a good deal at $590, so I would snap that up.

If you're aiming to be an instructor, you will need an integrated BCD. Tech will need something different, so you'd need both.

I don't see any reason NOT to buy the package. Then either sell the BCD immediately, while it's still like new, and get something better for instructor use. Or, keep it for use during your internship and get something more robust later - like maybe after you are hooked up with a shop and are able to get staff pricing.

The comment about whether the shop you end up working for sells Cressi is definitely relevant. But, that is not an issue until such time as you complete at least your DM training and are being taken on as staff - which may or may not be at the shop where you intern.

 

[Hoag]

It seems to me that the reg set alone is a good deal at $590, so I would snap that up.

If you're aiming to be an instructor, you will need an integrated BCD. Tech will need something different, so you'd need both.

I don't see any reason NOT to buy the package. Then either sell the BCD immediately, while it's still like new, and get something better for instructor use. Or, keep it for use during your internship and get something more robust later - like maybe after you are hooked up with a shop and are able to get staff pricing.

The comment about whether the shop you end up working for sells Cressi is definitely relevant. But, that is not an issue until such time as you complete at least your DM training and are being taken on as staff - which may or may not be at the shop where you intern.

@stuartv, this might sound like a stupid question, but what do you mean by "an integrated BCD"? If you are referring to a weight integrated BCD, the Cressi Air Travel BCD is a weight integrated BCD. Or were you referring to something else.

 

[stuartv]

@stuartv, this might sound like a stupid question, but what do you mean by "an integrated BCD"? If you are referring to a weight integrated BCD, the Cressi Air Travel BCD is a weight integrated BCD. Or were you referring to something else.

I mean a BCD that is not a BP/W. Either a jacket style or a back inflate. Those have the air cell and harness integrated together. A BP/W is a BCD. It's just not an integrated BCD.

 

[Hoag]

I mean a BCD that is not a BP/W. Either a jacket style or a back inflate. Those have the air cell and harness integrated together. A BP/W is a BCD. It's just not an integrated BCD.

Thanks for the explanation.