own versus rent?

[a22shady]

Having your wn gear is it's nice. And what you pay in rental fee's is probably what it cost you to service them once a year.

Or look at Atomic Reg's they are High quality great regulators. And you get them serviced every 2 years or 300 Dives.

Atomic Aquatics - Before Atomic Aquatics, there was no "best' in scuba diving

 

[diver 85]

i am considering owning my own reg (apeks flight or aqualung micron), my dive buddy is questioning rationale of buying. we are both recreational warm water divers with approx. 20 dives per year. is is worth the hassle (maintenance, travel weight) to own your set, or continue renting from reputable (padi) dive shops? so far, we only had good experience renting.

My thought is: Own when possible.....Traveling is NO Problem ie travel weight etc

 

[scubafanatic]

although I'm 110% in the ownership camp, for you I'm not so sure...you sound pretty indifferent to scuba gear, just slapping whatever is on hand at whatever rental place is available seems to be working for you, I'm not sure you'd really appreciate having your own gear. I'm an admitted gearhead and probably have enought stuff to open up my own gear rental facility, but freely admit that approach doesn't work for everyone, so for you I'm gonna recommend you not bother owning your own gear.

 

[editmojo]

I'm a vacation diver like you and was perfectly happy renting until I got into some "scary-bad" regs during a trip to Mexico. Cracked leaky hoses-- free flows with about half of the divers in the group.

I now own my whole kit.

 

[jd950]

When I was doing my OW dives (with a rental reg) I went out on a boat and it was quite rough. While talking about this with the instructor, he mentioned that the prior day a diver had gotten so seasick she barfed into her reg shortly after entering the water. Caused me to look over my reg a bit and wonder if it was the same one.

Do a search here and you will find it isn't all that uncommon for people to deposit their breakfast into the sea, sometimes through the reg. That could cause a malfunction, but even if not, I don't like the mental image of sucking down someone's breakfast through a rental reg. Yes, I know a dive op should clean and disinfect regs between rentals, but ...

Rent or buy? Personal choice.

 

[Couv]

If saving money is part of the equation, you should consider buying a used regulator. Buying used can sometimes be a crapshoot unless you are into DIY. If DIY is not your bag, the best advice would be to contact (send a PM) someone who rebuilds regulators like DA Aquamaster http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/private.php?do=newpm&u=12863 or BlueWaterDiving http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/private.php?do=newpm&u=7753 and ask if either has a rebuilt ready to sell.

Good luck,

Couv

 

[SwimJim]

I recommend learning about reg's and then buying one. If you plan on diving for a long time it's an investment. I service my own dive gear, regs included, as I haven't been happy with the service tech's in the area. Since I've been doing my own I've had ZERO failures. Doing your own servicing may not be for you, but the Airspeed press book on reg servicing would be required reading for any diver if I was King.

 

[Couv]

delete

 

[Louie]

I'm with the majority of responders and vote in favour of owning your own equipment.

The cost of buying a new set of regs may sound expensive BUT do remember that it is a long-term investment. Unlike many gadgets and toys, diving equipment is not something you replace with each new fad. A good set of regs should last you MANY dives (I've had my Apeks for nearly ten years and it's gone through a lot and I know divers who'd clocked thousands of dives on theirs).

If you pay rental fees every time you dive, it will add up eventually. You may be doing 20 dives per year but who knows, you may end up doing a lot more in the months or years to come.

Other reasons for owning your own gear include:

• Hygiene
• Knowledge of service history
• Maintenance
• AND knowing exactly how your regs work - this could be crucial in an emergency

But to be fair to rentals and shops, the quality and maintenance of equipment depend on the resources and dedication of the rental source/shop. There are plenty of outfits who with a good history of rental equipment and take the safety of their clients seriously.

Scuba gear; should I rent or buy my own? | Sea Forever

 

[hg frogman]

i am considering owning my own reg (apeks flight or aqualung micron), my dive buddy is questioning rationale of buying. we are both recreational warm water divers with approx. 20 dives per year. is is worth the hassle (maintenance, travel weight) to own your set, or continue renting from reputable (padi) dive shops? so far, we only had good experience renting.

As others have said (and I have witnessed this many times as well) rentals regs can and do dysfunction, even in a very "reputable (PADI or whatever) dive shop". The client before you may have let the octo dangling and getting full of sand and dirt on the ground, for instance. Or he may have let water get into the first stage by not putting the cap while rinsing. And just hide this and let it go unnoticed. Etc. Even in places with brand new quality rental gear and top technicians, this can and do happen, and isn't any good. And it's even worse in many places with junk rental stuff.

A reg is a life-depending device : it's better to own yours. 20 dives a year is far from nothing, and with appropriate care and further learning on this subject you may be able to have your regs serviced at a reasonable (and not too costly) pace.