I found a used BC at what looks to me like a good price. I think it is a fairly basic model, similar to one that I rented on a recent trip to the Keys. Anything in particular that I should be looking for or asking about if I go to take a look at it? Would I want to take it to a dive shoop to have it checked out?
Obvious signs of wear, or fading would be no goes.
Does it hold air? You don't need a tank to inflate a BC. OPV's should open at about 2.5-3 psi. You can orally inflate the wing. If you can develop 3 psi with your lungs (that's a lot BTW for a human to generate) you can inflate the wing as much as you can and then squeeze it to test the OPV's Before testing manually actuate the OPV a couple times to verify they open and close. Old tried salt can cause them to stick a bit.
After verifying the OPV(s) work leave it inflated, ideally over night. It should hold air. It might be ever so slightly softer in the morning simply due to changes in air temps, but it should not be limp.
If you can't test over night try for at least an hour. In an hour it should remain nice and tight.
Does the power inflator work? A bit harder to test without a tank and reg, but it the "add" button is not sticky and the BC doesn't leak down over night it's probably OK. You will probably want to have this part serviced, runaway inflators are no fun.
Salt in the bladder? Might be a sign that the current owner wasn't the best at gear cleaning a maintenance, but I have *never* see a bladder that failed due to salt crystals, and as a manufacturer of BC's I've had the opportunity to inspect some bladders that literally contained enough salt to make home made ice cream.
Is it a recognized brand name still in production? That's helpful if you need parts, but most of the parts you might need, like OPV seats or Power inflators tend to be pretty generic.
Tobin
