Used gear from LDS

[potato cod]

Hi there,

My SO and I are planning to get our own regs and bcs. The regs will be a priority, but if we can swing it financially, we'd like to get both.

One of the local dive shops has an upcoming sale of "instructional" gear, including regs and bcs. Most of their stuff is Oceanic. This option is nice because it would allow us to get both regs and bcs and complete our basic kit.

My question is, would you buy used gear from a LDS and why or why not? Assuming they have gear that fits us and that we like, what should I watch out for? Key questions to ask? Also, how long does this stuff typically get used before it is sold? The place I did a refresher course with (not in my current city) clearly used their gear until it was falling apart, but I'm guessing (hoping) that's not standard.

Thanks!

 

[jess4diving]

I am certain some of the more experienced divers will chime in here. I have bought some stuff new, and some stuff used. My regulator was one of the things I wanted to be brand new, with the manufacturers full warranty. It is after all the most imp piece of equipment. I would be curious what the price is of the used equipment from LDS. When I was shopping, my LDS used equip cost more than new equip from scubatoys.com and leisurepro.com. Have you checked with either of them? They have some decent prices and Larry at scubatoys gives a discount for being on this board

 

[pasley]

You will need to evaluate the gear carefully. Some dive shops use the gear until it dies, others require their instructors to have gear less than 2 years old. The rental gear, well, that is usually kept until it has paid for itself several times over. Shop around and compare new to the LDS Used prices before you buy so you don't over pay. New you can buy at a LDS your Regulator ($180-3000), octopus($70-600), computer($350-1200), spg($50-200), compass ($60-100) and wetsuit ($200-500) for a total of $1,000 or less for at the lower end of the price spectrum and have good serviceable new with factory warranty stuff. You will have to decide for yourself at what price it would be better to buy new than used. For me if the LDS used gear is over $250 I would look elsewhere.

 

[Cajuncru Diver]

Used gear that has well cared for and properly maintained is a very good alternative to the higher cost of purchasing new but good condition and regular maintainance is the key.
These are the ???'s I would ask
1). What is "instructional" gear and does that differ in any way from their "rental" inventory.
2) What is the date of manufacture of the gear
3) How long has the gear been in their i/r inventory
4) How many total dives has the gear been used for instructional or rental purposes
5) Has the LDS in house performed annual servicing on the gear
6)WHAT WARRANTY IS LDS WILLING TO GIVE ON THE GEAR!

 

[tomboyy]

I bought my first set of gear at my LDS's once a year spring sale. I picked up a BCD and a 1st and 2nd w/Octo and a SPS w/depth and compass, A shark killer knife and a computer.
The computer was the only POS out of the bunch. The BCD was beached from being in the pool .. but I was used to it . I spend close to 500.00 for all of it and consider it a fair price.
It all worked fine and they gave me a free reg servive one year later,

 

[redacted]

I have a strong preference for used gear (older the better) because it is often really great gear at very favorable prices. After all, the policies of many manufacturers effectively minimize the cost of used gear. The catch is you have to be able to tell the difference between the good stuff and the bad stuff. And you have to be able to make a decision on the price. If you or someone you trust can't do that, you could be disappointed.

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

....My question is, would you buy used gear from a LDS and why or why not? Assuming they have gear that fits us and that we like, what should I watch out for? Key questions to ask? Also, how long does this stuff typically get used before it is sold? The place I did a refresher course with (not in my current city) clearly used their gear until it was falling apart, but I'm guessing (hoping) that's not standard.

Thanks!

As others have mentioned, it comes down to the condition of the equipment, and price. But yes, I would, with the following qualifiers:

1.) Is it really a good price? To see if it really is a "good deal", check out the prices at scubatoys or liesurepro (as has already been suggested). The used equipment prices should be well below what you can get new gear online because rental gear is often VERY well used by the time the LDS sells it. But with luck it also is well maintained... scuba gear that is maintained properly will often outlast the diver.

2.) Is this gear the type/brand/quality you really want, or are you are looking at simply because it is "on sale"? This is an important point, because if it not really the quality or type of gear you really want, you'll end up purchasing the gear all over again in a year or so... many of us have "been there, done that". Many LDS's use lower-end models of regs and BC's as their rentals / instructional gear. This may be fine, or not, depending on what you want. Lower-end regs and BC's are not bad or unsafe by any means, just may not perform as well as the mid-to-upper end products in a given brand.

Good luck!

 

[Stu S.]

Dive shop used is the best kind of used gear to get. Unlike eBay, you can examine it carefully before you buy it. If something is not right after the sale, you know where they are. They can't sell something bad and hide.

If you see dive shop rebuilt regs of a quality brand, consider them. They might be scratched-up on the outside, but the inside is rebuilt like new.

The best deal was a used Aualung Malibu BC for my daughter. Size XS. There are so few divers that small, it could have passed for new. From an authorized dealer , $115.

Good luck with it.

 

[WillB]

There's no way I'd ever buy a used reg. That is the basic life support for any diver. I bought new and make sure it gets serviced every year.

But when it comes to a BC, then I'd probably ask the questions suggested by Cajuncru Diver. If it seemed like the BC was well maintained equipment, then save some money!

 

[Scuba Cowboy]

There's no way I'd ever buy a used reg. That is the basic life support for any diver. I bought new and make sure it gets serviced every year.

But when it comes to a BC, then I'd probably ask the questions suggested by Cajuncru Diver. If it seemed like the BC was well maintained equipment, then save some money!

Your brand new reg, once you use it on one dive, is now used. So you own a used reg. There is absolutely nothing wrong with used gear. It just must be maintained just like any other gear. You would not want to buy a used reg and dive it without knowing what condition its in. There is lots of older gear that is still very sevicable. I recently rebuilt a 30+ year old US Divers Conshelf reg, and it breathes as good now as any brand new reg. You just have to be careful. Get something that is still able to be serviced. Many of us old timers have and dive doublehose regs that haven't been made in 40 years, but we can still get 'em serviced and know how to dive with them. buying used from a dive shop is good, because more than likely they have serviced the gear before letting it go. Buy a name brand, have it serviced, go diving in that order.