Old US Divers

[thethumper]

I know someone getting out of Diving & I'm picjing up 4 Al 80s for $175, but her has 2 US diver regs he's getting rid of as well. He said when he bought them 10 years ago they were the top of the line regs...Anyone know what these were & what they may be worth? He says he's logged only about 50 dive on his tanks & regs.

 

[Walter]

I got excited for a minute, I thought they were old.

Before anyone can answer your question, you'll need to know what model and what condition.

 

[Bob3]

A 10 year old US Divers reg is still considered contemporary, they need to be around 30 years old or more before considered "old".
They're Conshelf, I presume?

When buying aluminum tanks that old, it's a good idea to get a "pass vip/hydro" guarantee.

 

[thethumper]

I guess I should have said older hih ?

So you think they may be Conshelfs? Well he did say they were well taken care of, but they will still need VIP & rebuild. I dive Poseidons so I don't know anything about the Conshelf. What would they be worth? He said make him an offer.

The tanks are about 10 years old & have been Hydroed once. They have 1 year left on hydro, but will need VIP & O2 clean. He says they only have about 50 dives logged on them. He wanted $200 for all for, but he'll take $175. Think that's fair?

These folks are NOT tech or even advanced. They were vacation divers. So if the stuff was taken care of, they "should' be in good shape.

 

[Bob3]

Assuming the tanks will pass a viz+ & are not made out of that nasty 6351-T6 aluminum alloy, that's not a bad price as long as they're not beat to crap.

To see if they may be made out of 6351-T6, see: http://diverlink.com/safety/aluminumtanks.htm


Many shops will not fill them if past 10-15 years old, regardless of how the tests turn out.

Still need to know what models the regs are, 10 years ago the Conshelf was their top, if the CRS isn't affecting my memory too badly.

 

[Tm530]

10 years ago the Conshelf was already their lower end unit. The Micra or the SEA2 (Cousteau) was the top of the line. Either way, $200-175 is more then fair. If the tanks pass hydro/vis, then you basically have 2 free regs that are more then good enough. You could turn around and sell them (let me know!) and make up more then half your investment (even if they are Conshelf). If you post a pic, someone here can let you know what they are. I say go for it.
Tom

 

[thethumper]

I went & picked up the tanks Friday.Thanks Bob3....That link was helpful. From what the site says I'm A OK. The tanks are all pre 1990 but they are all Catalina tanks. They've only had 1 hydro & 2 VIPS. Guy said he only put about 50 dives on all 4 tanks before he quit diving.

Tm530 - the regs were 1 Conshelf w/1st, 2nd stage, Octo & gauges, while the other was a U.S Divers Pro Diver1st, 2nd stage & gauges, but an BC intergrated Octo. Now I just got off of NOAA's site & found a PDF file w/advisory of free flow problems in theses regs. but it looks like the fix is an appearant rebuild. File is attatched. I bought the tanks for $175, but he doesn't know what to ask for the regs. After reading the report, I may tell him they're not worth the materials they're made of.

Thanks guys.

or here's the link
http://www.ndc.noaa.gov/pdfs/SB90-4.pdf

edit: it won't let me upload file, so sheck the link.

 

[Tm530]

A Conshelf and a Pro are both excellent regs. They are definately keepers. Neither one has a safety issue. You could have them both rebuilt and they will give YEARS of service. I have an older Conshelf XII that is still used regularly. If you can get them for $100 each or less you are making a score. I wouldn't go any further then $150 each.
Good luck.
Tom

 

[pchelp]

Don't go much higher, my NEW Apeks DS4/TX50 was $162. Not the newest, or the best, but a good high quality reg at a fair price.

 

[dkerr]

I have been diving conchshelf for 3 years without problems. They are not top of the line but are pretty sturdy. They do get a little harder to breath around 90fsw but not bad enough to be worried about them.