At what point do you buy a tank?

[FWADIVER]

as a general rule of thumb, buying new scuba gear doesn't usually save money.... but its a good justification in our heads.

 

[benstudly]

I own two and am glad I can just head down and dive when I want (I lake dive since I live 2.5 hrs from Monterey). Fill up on the way home and I am ready for the next mood. The cost of ownership isn't so high that I would't own one. Also I know where I live I have a buddy that is a fire fighter and he can get my tank filled for free every so often.

 

[ajtoady]

I live on a lake and owning my own tanks is a no-brainer. I go diving whenever I want and get them filled at when I want. I also use them at my docks to do my pre-dive weight checks.

 

[eelnoraa]

I believer tank rental for AL80 is $10/weekend, NOT per dive. So to get apple to apple comparison, you really need to consider how many weekend you dive in a year, not how many dives.

My suggestion to OP is to buy everything else first. Leave tanks to last. And if your local diving calls for AL80, I don't see issue with rental tank. But if you want heavier larger tanks, then it make sense to buy your own. Also, look for used. You can buy 2 used tank for a little more than one new tank

 

[raftingtigger]

I used to own a tank many years ago and used it so little I finally got rid of it. Years passed and now I'm back into active diving. I bought a tank so I could work on my own gear. Bought it used and paid $80 for a short AL80 and current visual (hydro still good for several years). It has been very helpful. Then I got use (I paid for hydro and viz and it lives at my house - the scout has first use) of one of my scout's father's tank (he's not around) and find we can go lake diving without all the hassle of trying to find time to get to the LDS between my hours and theirs (not to mention the 30 mile RT drive to the closest LDS). Except I'm currently broke - I'd like to get one more tank. For me owning a tank is currently the right thing.

 

[blackvans1234]

This website does not specify
Force-E Scuba Diving rental gear - Best dive rental equipment in Florida

Same with this one- and they charge 12.50
Boca Dive - Florida Dive Industries Inc.

This site say's daily rates, but their fills are only 4 dollars
Scuba Diving and Snorkeling Rental Equipment

Another 12.50 fill, nonspecified amount of time
Rentals

I am almost positive that these are daily rentals only, and the shop would charge you a fill if you tried to come back and get a fill

Maybe ill call these shops just to see.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

even if you don't have a wife... you probably will still end up with a stack of tanks . If your moving to Fla and have access to weekly diving - go for it.

To a scuba diver, buying a first tank is a slippery slope. It's like the little old lady who starts off with one cat and gets another to keep it company. Pretty soon she's got a house full of cats, and she's known in the neighborhood as the "cat lady."

When I first got certified, I thought it would never make sense for me to buy my own tank. After purchasing the rest of my gear, I finally bought a new AL80. It was so nice to be able to do post-dive pressurized reg soaks and conduct a shore dive on a moment's notice. I could bring my gear down to a local dive site, see that conditions weren't good enough, and simply drive home -- no special trip to drop off a rental tank at the LDS or feel like I had "wasted" a tank rental. Eventually I wanted a tank that had better buoyancy characteristics and more capacity. That's when I bought a HP100. Since then, I've started "collecting" used tanks when the price is right. My last two tanks I bought used without a current hydro/vis (HP120 - $50, HP100 - $50). I now have 6 tanks. It's a sickness.

One of my regular dive buddies got into tech diving several years ago. When his local source for trimix fills dried up, he started mixing his own gas. The other night we were counting how many tanks he owns now. I think the count hovered around 20. Pretty funny considering that he just purchased a rebreather (forgot to count the 2 tanks that came with that). :shocked2: On a side note, the same guy owns two drysuits, two scooters, a DSLR UW photo rig with dual strobes, etc. He should have been named "Noah."

As long as you're going to use the tank on a regular basis, just go out there and buy it.

 

[Jaydubya]

You buy tanks after your other gear but only if you dive locally and you can't stand the hassle of renting and returning them.

I'm out of town visiting my family and I just rented tanks for the first time since 2007 today since my doubles were out of hydro (I didn't know- since I've been getting fills without a problem at 6 different places). The shop here refused to fill them. I then drove almost all the way to my Dad's house (30 miles) before I realized that without my doubles I would need a weight belt. Back to the scuba shop. They told me they don't rent weight belts and weights but felt pity and gave me a free loaner.

 

[boulderjohn]

You have gotten a lot of good advice. If I were in your shoes, I would get two tanks, used or new, as soon as I got there. The only way you will lose out is if you lose your interest in diving and don't do enough dives to make it worth while. If you do, you can sell them at a reasonable price. If you bought them used, you might end up selling them for the same price you paid, so you will be ahead of the game no matter what.

Research indicates, BTW, that there is a relationship between owning equipment and remaining an active diver. Having that stuff sitting in your garage is apparently a motivation factor.

 

[blackvans1234]

In regards to buying a used tank (or two)

Things to keep in mind would be:
-Is it up to date on hydro
- Is it up to date on VIP
-Is it a luxfer previous to 1990

Am I forgetting anything else?

EDIT- Has it been left with pressure