Should I buy a regulator, or just rent??? Need advice...

[rhwestfall]

You are looking at the two extremes... what about looking into buying used/demo equipment. You need to do your homework with this route, but there are some great options out there in this realm. I still use my first reg set, picked up at a garage sale for $20, and that was 23 years ago. I didn't know much then, but a short time later, I learned it was a seriously good decision...

With diving that little, if you care for it properly, service might be stretched to as much as 3 years. There are simple things to track the "health" of your regs, and it just might be a route to go.

Where are you thinking of renting from? Locally, and taking it with you, or wherever you are? That too can make a big difference.... Knowing the source, and the way they maintain equipment is important too.

Lots to think about.....

 

[tstormdiver]

The one thing I saw that convinced me to get my own regulator was on a Bahamas trip. There was another lady on the boat who insisted on renting equipment instead of buying (I was saving up for my first reg). She purged the second stage to test it. Needless to say, evidence of a previous diver's bad dive was evident (yes, vomit) blew out. YUCK! It had not been cleaned out or anything. After that there was no question. I bought my first regulator VERY soon after that. Now I dive like crazy & am glad I have my own equipment. I know it, I know how it works, where it is, how it has been treated, cleaned & maintained & I know the general hygiene of anyone who has used it.

 

[Zung]

Buy.

I have no affiliation with any LDS, but I can see a few good reasons:

• You can buy mid range to high end gears for a not so obscene amount of money. All of the rental's I've seen are entry level stuff and they breathe noticeably less good.
• Like tstormdiver said, there's a matter of hygiene involved, even though vomits are rarely found inside regs.
• Like rhwestfall said, you can ignore the annual service nonsense and go for a service interval of at least 3 years at your runrate. I personnally aim for 100 dives or more.
• You can learn some simple tricks of the trade and make sure your gears are in top shape by following couv's commandments.
• Over here, the rentals go for about $5 per dive, so we're talking about $300 for 3 years, so the saving is not that great.
• One way to save some money is to buy used and have the gear serviced right away. But then a hundred bucks or so is only a small fraction of the cost of 2 trips.

 

[RK05]

Buy Your own. The first time you end up with bum equipment on a vacation dive that keeps you out of the water after you paid to be there you will kick yourself for not having your own gear. Spend the money to get one that is set up for cold water so you will have no issues if you decide to dive at home! I learned the hard way, having two separate issues on two different days during the same week vacation. I would also recommend buying your own computer so you always know how to use it and know it has fresh batteries. I would recommend getting one that allows the user to replace the battery.


Happy shopping!