Regulators - Looking for suggestions

[cerich]

LMAO!!

@seagirl1990

And, if you are in Atlanta, you *might* even be able to get them serviced locally, as I think Deep6 may be based in the Atlanta area.

.

40 mins south of Atlanta in Forsyth, Monroe County

 

[noj3333]

I feel like I'm red in the face from screaming about buying used regulators.

This sport may be one of the best in the world for buying used gear. Newly certified divers think they love diving, they go out and spend a small fortune on gear... then life changes. Often they can no longer dive, and they sell their gear for a small fraction of what they paid for it. In my opinion it's not uncommon to see used (but nearly new) regulators trade for 30% to 50% of their on-line (not MSRP) price.

When buying used gear please...
-Make sure it's lightly uses... just look at the pictures. I want a regulator that some new diver bought, took on one trip, and is now selling. I do NOT want a rental fleet regulator that's been drug through the sand and was flooded by a student who forgot the dust cap when rinsing...
-Make sure it's still serviceable, you don't want old, outdated regulators, no matter what condition they're in...
-Make sure it passes the sniff test... do the pictures look legit? does the sellers story sound legit?, etc.
-If you're unsure, or don't like taking chances, arrange for a service to be performed BEFORE you buy them. Anything above and beyond a normal rebuild is covered by the seller... With this I'd also insist on the shop that's doing the service, they're are several places that doing service via mailing a regulator in.

It's really simple, and a great way to get high quality regs for much less money then paying new...

Lastly, a prime example... someone was looking for a SP G260/mk17 on the classified section. I have one I was willing to let go, they sell (on leisure pro) for $655... mine isn't an 'EVO' model, I was going to sell it for $250 (say $275 with shipping), but the sale fell through. My regulator is used (I bought it used), but the prior owner said it was never wet, and it looked the part. It's in mint condition, but could be bought for 41% of it's new price...

 

[stuartv]

When buying used gear please...
-Make sure it's lightly uses... just look at the pictures. I want a regulator that some new diver bought, took on one trip, and is now selling. I do NOT want a rental fleet regulator that's been drug through the sand and was flooded by a student who forgot the dust cap when rinsing...

Good post. Except, I'm not sure about this one point.

If you service a rental fleet regulator properly, it should be totally good to go. If it has a scratched up face plate, that is cheap and easy to replace. A new mouthpiece. Maybe a new adjustment knob. MAYBE a new exhaust tee, if it's really beat up-looking. You could get a perfectly good reg - just as reliable as the mint, used one - for even less.

2nd stage regulators are really pretty simple. Servicing them generally replaces everything that you'd be concerned about for wear.

The key, though, is having it serviced by someplace that is high quality. And that is whether the reg is mint, used 4 times in a pool, or a rental fleet retiree. There are some parts that might need to be replaced that are not part of a "normal" service. Parts that are not in the normal service kit. Mushroom valves. The air barrel, if it's corroded. Stuff like that. But, like I said, that could the case even if the reg was barely used - if it was not rinsed and stored properly.

Your other points are very solid.

 

[noj3333]

@stuartv, I just said that what *I* want.

All my points are broad statements. I think as a general rule of thumb, a lightly used regulator from a caring owner, who bought it new and used it a few dozen times, would likely look better on the inside then a well used regulator from a rental fleet. Along the same lines, I like gear that looks ok (or new ), and not abused/ on it's last legs.

As for it's servicing. I personally don't insist on a service before I buy them. However, if I were to I'd have the seller seller send it to AirTech... they're my regulator service shop of choice.

 

[stuartv]

@stuartv, I just said that what *I* want.

Gotcha. My bad. I took it as "this is what you should do:"

And, like I said, what it looks like on the inside doesn't necessarily have anything to do with whether its life has been long or short. One dive in salt water, with an improper rinse and store, could leave a reg looking terrible on the inside of the 1st and 2nd. Even thought it might still be mint on the outside.

At least with rental regs, you'd have some hope that they at least get rinsed occasionally by somebody who knows how to do it correctly. And if they're being used often, that means they are not sitting for long periods of time with salt water in places it shouldn't be. Or other "things" in places they shouldn't be.

My biggest gross-out idea is the idea of breathing through a reg that has been vomited through and then not cleaned THOROUGHLY. And that could easily be the case in a reg that somebody bought new, used once or twice, and then stored.

 

[ibj40]

Hey there! I'm a frequent and fairly new diver, I've decided that the $50 Amazon find-regulator isn't going to cut it for me anymore, I've trialed a Sherwood at a dive spring and absolutely LOVED it. But then I was told it doesn't work as well in salt water. At this point, i'm really looking in the market for more or less $600 or $700 (no more than a grand). But can be an easy breath? I really don't understand what key words i'm looking for that kind of market, either, and ScubaPro keeps popping up. Which, no offense I haven't really favored there business so far (I'm only 8 months into this hobby)

If there are any words of advice that would be greatly appreciated!

PS- I've been all over this forum trying to find my answers and haven't found it yet, sorry if this is a re-post!

The first regulator I bought after I got certified in 1986 was a Sherwood Oasis. Out of my more than 1,000 lifetime dives, it has only been in fresh water a couple of handfuls of times; all other dives have been in salt water. Of course, I have it regularly serviced at a dive shop with an extremely competent technician, so maybe that's why it works so well in salt water.

Now, the person who told you that a Sherwood doesn't work well in salt water, did they have a more expensive one that was perfect for salt water diving?

 

[ams511]

40 mins south of Atlanta in Forsyth, Monroe County

Now I know the reason I-75 S is always stopped. All the customers going to your shop.

 

[noj3333]

Now, the person who told you that a Sherwood doesn't work well in salt water, did they have a more expensive one that was perfect for salt water diving?

**BINGO**

 

[ams511]

Good post. Except, I'm not sure about this one point.

The main point is knowledge. Know what you are buying and who you are buying from. Do the research. The internet (and SB) are a great resource.

 

[noj3333]

The main point is knowledge. Know what you are buying and who you are buying from. Do the research. The internet (and SB) are a great resource.

I also didn't get into another reason I like used gear. This hobby has a high cost of entry, especially when you want to own your own gear.

When buying quality, lightly used gear, the original purchaser who bought the stuff new suffers a finical hit when they sell. They're the one eating the depreciation, so you can enjoy their used gear. When buying used you can always move that gear along (if you want to upgrade, or get out of diving) without taking a huge hit. Those reg I was going to sell, I paid $260 shipped, so I'd be down $10... I f I bought them new and sold them for the same price I'd lose about $400.