Rent or Buy

My daughter and I have recently become certified OWD. During the course I tried different equipment and found the equipment, well, different. We do have our own mask, fins, snorkels, wetsuits.

We will probably dive 1 - 2 trips per year where we will do 4 - 5 dives per trip.

Given the maintenance requirements of our own equipment, condition of rental equipment, advances in new equipment that is then picked up by dive shops for rentals, abuse of rental equipment, and any other factors.

Can anyone think of reasons to continue to rent or purchase our own equipment? Some of my concerns of owning our own equipment are:

1. recognizing faults within our equipment.
2. cost of maintenance.
3. lugging it through the airport etc.
4. having it become outdated.
5. cost of new, good equipment

Concerns on renting:

1. condition of the rental stuff, poor maintenance, or simply cheap equipment
2. unfamiliarity of the rental equipment
3. time spent getting the rental equip
4. using old outdated rental equip.

Also would you consider purchasing used equipment? Compared to some of the package prices, the used equipment seems to be way over priced.

I was just going to rent my equipment when I first got certified, but after I found what it was going to cost me and that I wouldnt always get the same equipment, I had decided to buy. I did by some used equipment from the dive shop. Actually I bought the same BC that I used for my pool dives and I had been given a tank and regulator from my grandfather. The tank passed hydro and vis and I had the regulator serviced. Anything else I bought was either on barter for services, or on a house account with the dive shop.

I may be paying more by supporting my LDS, but I am doing exactly that, I am supporting them. If they were to close up I dont have any shops within a reasonable distance.

SolarStorm:

My daughter and I have recently become certified OWD. During the course I tried different equipment and found the equipment, well, different. We do have our own mask, fins, snorkels, wetsuits.

We will probably dive 1 - 2 trips per year where we will do 4 - 5 dives per trip.

Just to put this in perspective, if you buy all your own stuff - wetsuits, regs, computers - it's from $1000 to $2000 per person. That's anywhere from $50 per dive to $100 per dive, assuming 2 years worth of diving.

Given the maintenance requirements of our own equipment, condition of rental equipment, advances in new equipment that is then picked up by dive shops for rentals, abuse of rental equipment, and any other factors.

Can anyone think of reasons to continue to rent It's way cheaper or purchase our own equipment? It is soooo nice to have all your gear exactly the way you like it. And not slobered over by someone else. And reliable. Some of my concerns of owning our own equipment are:

1. recognizing faults within our equipment. Take care of it, and this ia a moot point
2. cost of maintenance. $200 per year (or, $20 per dive)
3. lugging it through the airport etc. this is admittedly a PITA
4. having it become outdated. Buy quality and this isn't an issue for about 8 years
5. cost of new, good equipment see above

Concerns on renting:

1. condition of the rental stuff, poor maintenance, or simply cheap equipment semi-valid
2. unfamiliarity of the rental equipment valid
3. time spent getting the rental equip usually surprisingly short
4. using old outdated rental equip. also surprisingly not usually an issue

Also would you consider purchasing used equipment? Nope Compared to some of the package prices, the used equipment seems to be way over priced. Yep

Click to expand...

Generally, I encourage folks to buy their own if they are:

A) Vacation diving more than 50 dives per year
B) Diving locally with any regularity


...Vague, I know, but everyone has different criteria. Scuba gear is so expensive, it takes a lot to tip the scales towards owning, from a purely dollars perspective. The usual thing that pushes someone to owning, if they are on the borderline, is famaliarity and security of using their own gear; something it is incredibly difficult to enumerate in dollars.


All the best, James

Maybe a middle of the road approch would work for you.
Good used regs are fairly inexpensive and forget the BS about them becoming outdated. There are plenty of Scubapro Mk-2s & MK-5s, USD/AL Conshelfs and Sherwoods from 20 or 30 years ago still diving strong. Parts and service are still easy to find. There has been little real change in regs in the last 25 years. Granted some of the less expensive older regs like the MK-2 don't breath quite as well as a top of the line Scubapro or AL but the average diver can't tell the differance anyway as long as the reg is in good tune. Same goes for BCs, there is plenty of life remaining in some of the older gear. There is little need for computers or other fancy stuff if all of your diving is easy travel "follow me" dives.
Buy a used, middle of the road reg and BC from a well known brand and dive them.

So it really boils down to having your own BC and regulators (like herman said you don't need computers). Even with so few dives planned, it's still a no brainer to have your own equipment:

1-You can buy a top notch regulator, Scubapro MK2, with an octo for a little over $200. This will give you many, many years of service. With your diving schedule, you can go several years between servicing if you a) properly clean b) learn to inspect your regulators for proper functioning before each trip (not difficult) c) keep the pressure off the second stage seats by keeping them the purge buttons depressed. This makes maintenance costs a non-issue.

2-I believe you can get perfectly fine BCs for around $250. They don't need much in the way of maintenance, other than making sure the bladder and the inflator is functioning correctly (the inflator may need servicing if problems develop)

So renting is not really much cheaper, the costs will catch up in a few years and you'll feel a lot better diving with your own equipment.

My advice is to rent for a while and take notes on the equipment you use. Along the way, you'll get a good feel for what you really like and what you don't. And, you'll decide one way or the other whether diving is really going to be a lasting hobby. The combination of those two will lead you to a clear decision as to whether you want to buy or not. My wife and I rented (without taking notes, unfortunately; that made the equipment selection ultimately more difficult) for about 15-18 dives. Once we decided that we really wanted to dive and dive more, purchasing our own gear became a no-brainer. The two major factors were the inconsistency in the quality of the equipment from one rental to another and the different gear arrangements often required for one rental set or another. You identified all the positives and negatives, but you did not give any weight to any of them. By renting and diving for a while, you will get a much better idea about what is important to you and why. Then, I think, the decision will be pretty clear to you.

I too would suggest renting a while, as you decide what you like, is a good option, but there is an alternative.

When I had two teens start certification, and was starting to get back into diving more myself, I was facing quite an expense, buying. Even renting for 4 people gets pricey! I have done quite a bit of vacation rental diving, with very very few problems, and none of those insurmountable, but with my kids I wanted them to get to know their gear much more intimently than is possible with varying rentals. I wanted them and my girl friend to feel comfortable, and not be struggling to master chaging configurations and styles.

The compromise I made was to purchase the same rentals my kids were training on, after having them serviced. We got the pick of the gear at the end of the season, as our LDS upgrades much of their gear for the next year. Serviced and backed by the LDS, that I know and trust, at VERY good prices.

Several years down the road much of that gear has been upgrade slowly, but every bit of it is still usable. Several regs are still in use, and as they outgrew their BCDs I passed them along to my brothers family as they were getting into diving

As far as being outdated, if my original regulator and J valve tank had not been destroyed by a fire, they would have remained serviceable to this day. Herman's "antique" gear that he dives with regularly shows just how durable and serviceable this stuff can be when maintained correctly.

When gear is yours, you know how well maintained it has been, and are comfortable in it.

I would also say don't buy right away. That said, do buy your own gear once you've determined exactly what gear suits your needs the best.

People that have their own gear generally dive more often.

Your own gear will fit the same every time, everything will be in the same place, and you know how well it's taken care of.

Diving more often brings confidence and skills.

Lugging through airport? Look, you really never take tanks or weights. The rest of the stuff isn't really a big deal, especially with good luggage (wheels!) and proper packing. You will save money by not renting gear for every dive of your trip, you will not have to use rental gear that is hit or miss, and you will not have any worry about your gear because you already know it's good to go, comfortable, and safe. Dive more, worry less.

Yeah, try alot of different BCs. See what you like be it jacket style, back inflate, bp-w...Then buy

"You really don't need a computer."--------? I've dived with operators who insist that you DO have a computer. Check it out before traveling or you'll be renting one.