What did you buy that you regret?

[art.chick]

Zeagle Ranger BC (way too complicated to rethread after dumping weights)
Expensive dive bag (got stolen anyway)
Cheap snorkel with no purge
Wrist computer (is tough to put on with gloves, and I forget it often)
and with my buddy's gear:
her honkin' heavy steel tank
Her harness weight belt

 

[RoyN]

$40 dollar pocket snorkel by Oceanic. Stolen from by a couple of kids (harbor seals). If anybody dove at Pt. Lobos in Carmel and find that snorkel, could you PM me? Thanks.

 

[shoupart]

1. Mares Volo Power fins (I'm just glad I got them for $50 2ndhand)

2. Blue Tang stainless steel knife. I don't know how they can claim it's stainless; it started rusting up on the first very dive, ever after a thorough cleaning. Titanium all the way, baby!

3. Mares Power Syncho BC. It was just too bulky and unwieldy for me.

4. O' Neil 7mm boots- didn't have a thick sole. Too think for walking on rocks out here. After one low tide attempted beach dive across a bunch of sea urchins, I bought thick soled boots immediately.

 

[Narcd_dvr]

1. Sealife Reefmaster for $350 and sold it for $75 a year later. (live and learn)
2. Dive Rite Reel

 

[peterbkk]

The first hydro on the tank was 1971. But I only paid $200 for it so its all good. Its hard to know better when you don't.

This story gets more astounding as it unfolds. It ought to be in a separate thread as a lesson for others.

It is astounding that a 1971 tank could still pass a hydrostatic test. Most tanks have a usable life of 20 to 25 years, after which the effects of the constant stretching under pressure will deteriorate the metals.

If you have not used it for 7 years, you must get a full test, including hydrostatic done before getting it filled. It could be a bomb waiting to explode.

Regards
Peter

 

[MeiLing]

This story gets more astounding as it unfolds. It ought to be in a separate thread as a lesson for others.

It is astounding that a 1971 tank could still pass a hydrostatic test. Most tanks have a usable life of 20 to 25 years, after which the effects of the constant stretching under pressure will deteriorate the metals.

If you have not used it for 7 years, you must get a full test, including hydrostatic done before getting it filled. It could be a bomb waiting to explode.

Regards
Peter

Nowadays, the shops here do a VIP Plus before a hydro as tanks can pass a hydro which is more expensive but fail the eddy test (the Plus of the VIP Plus). Most shops will not fill a tank that is over ten years old if it doesn't have a current VIP Plus sticker.

 

[rockjock3]

Nowadays, the shops here do a VIP Plus before a hydro as tanks can pass a hydro which is more expensive but fail the eddy test (the Plus of the VIP Plus). Most shops will not fill a tank that is over ten years old if it doesn't have a current VIP Plus sticker.

Which shops. There only 1-2 shops on the island that do Hydros (that I know of) as most of them send them to Gaspro and the likes to get the hydros done (because the setup to do the hydro), but I have had 10 tanks hydro'd here (at different shops) and none of them have had to have a VIP+. I always got my tanks back with a standard VIP from hydro.

 

[rockjock3]

I regret most, hmmmmmmmmmmm.

My jacket style BC (long gone).

 

[MeiLing]

Which shops. There only 1-2 shops on the island that do Hydros (that I know of) as most of them send them to Gaspro and the likes to get the hydros done (because the setup to do the hydro), but I have had 10 tanks hydro'd here (at different shops) and none of them have had to have a VIP+. I always got my tanks back with a standard VIP from hydro.

Ocean Concepts for one won't fill a tank older than ten years if it doesn't have a VIP Plus done by a dive operation. And I've been hearing the same from other folks. We'd had ours done before I'd heard that too. One of our tanks was condemned on the VIP Plus that they did prior to the hydro. Obviously they didn't bother to send it for a hydro.

 

[rockjock3]

Ocean Concepts for one won't fill a tank older than ten years if it doesn't have a VIP Plus done by a dive operation. And I've been hearing the same from other folks. We'd had ours done before I'd heard that too. One of our tanks was condemned on the VIP Plus that they did prior to the hydro. Obviously they didn't bother to send it for a hydro.

Hmmmm. That is the first time I have heard of any shops doing that (so far). My tanks have been hydro'd between two years ago and up to as recently as 2 months ago and never was forced to do a vip+ on them. Of course, with OC I am not suprised (that is a lot of other stories). I have had tanks done through three different shops, but they all send the tanks out to the same place for hydros (gaspro).