Purchasing Tanks

[ClevelandDiver]

I had the opposite concerns when I started diving. Hauling around a tank didn't bother me, but it seemed like renting was a lot cheaper unless you did a lot of local diving:

$7 to rent a full tank for a day versus $6 to fill your $200 tank that requires $12 annual VIP and $40/5 years hydro. Didn't seem worth it.

I quickly realized how wrong I was. Picking up and dropping off tanks soon became a major PITA. I turned around and bought 2 E8130 HP steel tanks. The bouyancy characteristics are far superior to an AL80 and it holds 68% more air. Fill cards brought my cost down to $3.50 per fill, and I usually get 2 dives per fill with all that air. This brings my air cost to $1.75 for an average dive.

Of course if 2 is good, 4 is better, so I picked a pair of steel LP72s for my vintage diving. At any given time I have at least 2 full tanks of air at home ready to pick up and go diving. I drop my tanks off for fills Monday or Wednesday and stop by Friday on the way home from work to get them, whether or not I have a dive planned for the weekend (which I usually do).

Having tanks is absolutely necessary if you plan to do a lot of local diving (I am assuming rentals will be necessary when travelling). Financially it may make sense to rent if you do 25 or less local dives a year, put the hassels quickly outweigh the savings.

I have thought of buying a compressor, but at $3.50 a fill it would take a lot of fills to justify that purchase.

 

[spectrum]

If I were a petite woman or teenager I would opt for a small pst 80, which is half the size and weight of an Al-80.

I love my E7-80s to death but lets not get carried a way. Some readers will take this litteraly. 6 inches shorter, 7 pounds off the belt, 5 pounds lighter, 12 pounds less total weight walking down to the water and back.

I'm not a petite woman or teenager but as long as I'm diving with an 80-72 CF crowd I'm enjoying smaller, lighter and more capacity.

For a committed local diver the payback can be quick. Around here it returns as much as 7$ per dive ($10. rentals vs. $3 fills)

For the E7-80..... $205 / $7 = 30 dives

If you own you can be down to 1 dive shop visit per fill, if you rent it will be 2. The sheer convenience and flexibility of having air in the gear locker waiting to load can't be overstated.

Pete

 

[mike_s]

My dive buddy has 6 tanks.

Actually I've got 7 I just don't ever use one much... (steel 72)

(but I still want more! You can never have enough tanks)


But... the old dilemmia of buying tanks verses renting them.

If you've got a good local shop in town that's close, for the
average diver it'll be cheaper to rent than to own.

Owning is mostly for convience. You still have to make at least
one trip to the dive shop for fills, but you can do it on your own
schedule/time instead of having to have the tank back before the
rental is up.

Average airfill costs are around $4 bucks (+/- a buck depending
on where you are). Average rental is $6-$8 bucks. So you save
maybe $3 bucks per tank/fill.

Tank ownership means average $120-$150 for an Aluminum 80.
Plus average $10 bucks per year for a visual and $25 (averag)
every five years for hydro. So tank "maintenance" per year
will average you about $15-$20 bucks per year (per tank). So you'd
have to use your tanks at least 7 times per year just to make
up the difference between owned tanks and rental tanks.
That doesn't include the capital investment up front for buying
the tanks. Nor does it include O2 cleaning, etc if you have
Nitrox tanks. So saving money on tank rentals really
doesn't make sense, unless you do a LOT of diving a year with
your own tanks.

Chances are that even if you own tanks that you will still use rental
tanks. Typically on trips or vacation. Dive Shops often include
the price of tanks in their trips and it's easier to use those tanks
for the extra couple bucks than it is to have multiple divers carry
6 to 8 tanks in a vechile on a 6 or 10 hour roadtrip (plus luggage,
a cooler, etc). Also in places like the Keys, the tanks are included
with the price and are already on the boat. You don't have to
load/unload tanks or go to shops and get fills. It's just much easier.

So even if you own tanks, you'll still typically use rentals still some.


But is sure is nice to not have to hassle with trying to bust your butt
to get to the dive shop to pick up a rental tank when you own your
own tanks, for doing local diving. So basically it's all mostly for
convience or other needs, such as a diver needs a larger capacity
steel tank. (Steel tanks are often hard to find as rentals).

Overall, you can never have enough tanks

anyone got any steel LP95's for sale or HP 100-120's ?


Like I said, you can never have enough tanks.

 

[divesmith]

Since I am short and chunky I prefer to use steel tanks for the added weight so I can cut down on the lead. I also like a tank of smaller size but still want the air, so I went for hp100's. I was fortunate to pick them up used which helped the pocketbook. It is nice to have full tanks ready to go anytime you want to dive and not have to worry about returning tanks etc. If I get a chance to add a couple more used tanks I would probably add them to my stock. It is especially convenient to have some with air and some with Nitrox depending on the dive parameters. It is all really a matter of personal preference.

 

[Monkey Knife-fight]

I dive most weekends both days so it makes financial sense. Otherwise i wouldn't have bought tanks. renting 2 tanks for the day in my area would cost me almost $20. I have a fill card for my tanks that is for $3 fills. Also i got Al80's from a closing dive shop for $70. Easy math...$14 more per dive day, $140 for my 2 tanks, so in 6 months i will pay for the tanks probably many times over.

 

[surfsidedav]

Wow, things seem cheaper everywhere else. Tank rentals here are $6-8 if you're on a dive charter, add $5 if not. Air fills running $6 and nitrox around $15.

 

[Wayward Son]

I can rent tanks with air for $4.00 per day, nitrox for $8.80. Just a hair more than a fill costs.

Considering value for the buck, at $200 for an 80, you can buy the new E7-80 steel tanks for about $200 each. Prolly not at that shop, lol, but it might be worth asking what he can get them for. if it turns out to not be that much more, they'd be a better value.

I personally figure if I'm going to pay for steel tanks I might as well get them, LOL. I like the E7 series & it looks like the new X series are similar in characteristics but I haven't seen prices at a shop on them yet.

 

[Scottri]

Tanks were the last thing I bought but I own 6 or 7 now. I got tired of having to return them on Monday after a weekend of diving. Now I get them filled and store them in the garage and they are pumped up and ready to go when I am. No need to go by the dive shop on my way out of town.

 

[RumBum]

because late fees suck.:05:

 

[CDFDiveMaster]

Get Tanked! Personally I have 6, and still looking, I keep enough around for those buddies I dive with at the last minute who have no tanks. LDS's are pretty numerous around my parts but I find it cheaper to own some for the above reasons.

Jay