Poseidon regulator rental

[Blacthorn]

Hi folks,

I was wondering if anyone could point me to somewhere that I could rent one of the poseidon regs. Either a Cyklon (5000 or metal) or an Xstream. Now, here is the REALLY fun part. I am hoping to find somewhere that will rent over the mail. If this doesn't exist, then it needs to. Some store owner figure out how to do this. It would be great, for testing out a reg, before you buy it, not to mention for traveling. For those of us who aren't near any many shops, its bit tough to decide on a reg to buy.

Thanks for the info and the patience.

 

[Basking Ridge Diver]

Hi folks,

Now, here is the REALLY fun part. I am hoping to find somewhere that will rent over the mail. If this doesn't exist, then it needs to. Some store owner figure out how to do this.

So what if you decide to try/rent 10 or 15 regulators - some maybe new out of the box - some not. You decide on a regulator and then you look on the internet and buy the cheapest set you can find after you try all the different regulators from that shop. How does that shop owner benefit?
Me personally - I would not buy one of those regulators - someone ships it in the mail and does whatever they care to do with a reg and ships it back - multiple times to multiple people - who may or may not be certified or careful with equipment? That shop owner in my opinion is taking all the risk and gaining what?

 

[scubadiver888]

I ended up buying a Poseidon regulator after trying one out for a day of diving. What I did was get in touch with the local distributor and tell them which shop I would deal with if I decided to purchase a regulator. He brought a regulator to the shop for me to rent with the understanding that if I purchased a regulator from that shop (authorised Poseidon dealer) he would credit me the cost of the rental.

 

[diversteve]

I'd be surprised if there's even a Poseidon dealer in Iowa...

Plus what shop owner in their right mind would invest in $550 Poseidon Cyclon regs (or $700+ Xstreams) for their rental fleet when there's any number of sub-$300 workhorse rental regulators designed to take that abuse.

 

[scubadiver888]

We have three Poseidon dealers in my immediate area and the distributor is local and known by all the dealers in the area. Even with all that, no one would have Poseidon regs as part of their rental inventory. As diversteve points out, shops are going to use cheaper regs because they will take a LOT of abuse. I used to service the rental equipment at one of the shops I worked at and people did stuff to the rental gear no one would ever do to their own equipment. It was all very abused and neglected. Just doesn't make sense to put Poseidon gear in rental.

 

[ams511]

Plus what shop owner in their right mind would invest in $550 Poseidon Cyclon regs (or $700+ Xstreams) for their rental fleet when there's any number of sub-$300 workhorse rental regulators designed to take that abuse.

I disagree. My understanding is there is a standard 100% mark-up on scuba gear, so a $700 Xstream would cost $350 wholesale. If the dealer wants me to purchase a $700 regulator then I want to dive it first, so he should have a demo unit on hand. Poseidon's line is mature and they don't have many changes from year to year, so the $350 is a multi-year investment. I am not saying that the demo unit needs to be put into rental but one should be available for clients to test in a pool or on a dive trip.

LDSs complain about online sales but if they do not provide a level of service beyond what an online store provides then why should I buy from them?

 

[diversteve]

So why disagree? when we seem to be in agreement:

the dealer wants me to purchase a $700 regulator then I want to dive it first, so he should have a demo unit on hand...I am not saying that the demo unit needs to be put into rental but one should be available for clients to test in a pool or on a dive trip.

The Key words in my post were rental fleet - not demo. I doubt they'd rent and send it to the OP in Iowa though either.

 

[oly5050user]

So why disagree? when we seem to be in agreement:
The Key words in my post were rental fleet - not demo. I doubt they'd rent and send it to the OP in Iowa though either.

wait till you have it serviced..rebuild@kits for it are not cheap, and to find a good tech to work on them is difficult as well.

 

[diversteve]

I'm not the person buying one - I have one. Also3 local dealers and and excellent tech at the one I use.