Owning cylinders - is it worth it?

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Having your sidemount tanks stay set up is far more convenient. If you can even rent them to start.

If you drop your tanks off to be (Nitrox) filled, say near the dive sites and far from your house, the freedom from shop hours may be minimal. Unless you make two trips or have two sets of tanks. But fill paperwork is simpler than rental paperwork.

ETA: Getting dinner while your tanks are filled won't work if the nitrox banks are empty as it's the end of the weekend.
 
If you go for a post-dive meal while your tanks are filled, you basically save a whole trip to the dive shop. For me, that's a 20 mile roundtrip, so owning saves $5-10 per outing just for mileage. Add that to the convenience of getting exactly what you want, especially if you're fat like me and need 30 lbs. with aluminum, and it can make up for itself reasonably quickly. But only if you're diving within driving distance on a regular basis.
 
The OP mentions $ 700.00 for AL80's...that seems like an outrageously high price. I can get two AL80's off craigslist right now @ $ 50.00 a pop. AL80's are ubiquitous...all...over...the...place. Or does the OP mean the tanks, the back plate, the wing, and a reg set ?
 
The OP mentions $ 700.00 for AL80's...that seems like an outrageously high price. I can get two AL80's off craigslist right now @ $ 50.00 a pop. AL80's are ubiquitous...all...over...the...place. Or does the OP mean the tanks, the back plate, the wing, and a reg set ?
OP is in Canada
 
I have a local dive store selling a few used ones off with current VIP and Hydro for $125 CAD or $160 CAD with unlimited fills to end of calendar year. OP has not returned since Sunday and has not acknowledged PM's so I will sign off this thread
 
I have a local dive store selling a few used ones off with current VIP and Hydro for $125 CAD or $160 CAD with unlimited fills to end of calendar year. OP has not returned since Sunday and has not acknowledged PM's so I will sign off this thread

I bought a pair of new Al 80's from a US online shop, got them shipped to a drop box type operation just across the border and then drove down to pick them up. The huge difference in price between Canada and the US (allowing for the currency difference) is often the cost of shipping.
 
Hi all. First, apologies for the late reply. I hopped on a plane to MX shortly after posting and this is my first day online since. Second, thanks so much for this overwhelming and useful feedback. Really appreciate it. I think I'll stick to renting for the time being. My lds always has tanks available and they're very accommodating - when needed, picking up early or dropping off late hasn't so far been an issue. And the shop is only 2 min away from our place so I think renting, in my particular case, makes sense. (Worried about tank promiscuity, as forewarned.) Again, thanks all for your responses.
 
I bought a pair of new Al 80's from a US online shop, got them shipped to a drop box type operation just across the border and then drove down to pick them up. The huge difference in price between Canada and the US (allowing for the currency difference) is often the cost of shipping.

See, this is why I loved this forum. I just log back in after a significant amount of time & learn something new. I didn’t realize that there was such a price difference between tanks in the US & Canada.

OP: I own one AL80, one AL40. I’m still planning on getting another 80 for a doubles setup. For me the advantage of owning is not about cost, but instead I wanted the full control over my own setup & gear.

Downside of the full control: I have to get my tanks tested now, because I haven’t gone diving for a while and I put that off. At least with renting that responsibility is not on you.
 
From a convenience and freedom standpoint...absolutely. If you want to dive the tanks you want to dive wherever and whenever you go...it is worth it to own your own tanks.

From a financial standpoint...for the average person that only dives once in a blue moon...it is not worth it ($$$ wise). For someone that dives a lot and/or someone that is particular about their setup...tank ownership is great.

As others have said...tanks have a tendency to multiply. I have two HP100’s and an AL40 at the moment. I want two more big tanks (thinking about a pair of HP120’s or just another pair of HP100’s) and another AL40, but I’m trying to put that off for a bit and just focus on getting a few boat dives in this summer (really only need the three tanks for that).

Beware tank creep. I started with 2 steel HP 100s but needed a 3rd for 3 tank spearfishing and shark dives. Then one day, my local captain called a few hours after I just finished diving with him and said that he had a spot open for the next morning. Well, there was not enough time to get my tanks refilled, so I only had one of 3 ready to go. Now, I've got 4 HP 100's. Oh yeah, now that I'm really getting into spearfishing, I've got my first HP 120, and I'm sure it's brother isn't far behind. LOL
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/

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