Used or New? What do You Trust?

MoBayDiver · Aug 7, 2003

I have seen some great deals on used BC's, Regulators, Tanks, Drysuits, Wetsuits, and a million accesories. Some look good, some even sound good, and some sound too good to be true.

What do you trust, and not trust to by used?

What whould you never buy new if you didn't need to?

Love to know your thoughts...

Bob3 · Aug 7, 2003

I'll buy all sorts of stuff, used OR new, as long as the price is right.
For used items, I spend what an item is worth for parts or scrap value, other times I'll calculate what an item is worth including the cost of a total overhaul.
Much of the work I'll do myself.
The more aware & better educated you are in market value & the ways of repair, the less risk is involved.
Ebay is a good research tool, look up the completed auctions & see what the current market values are. Get parts and/or repair estimates, go from there.

herman · Aug 8, 2003

I have/will buy used if it meets my needs, I could care less if it's new. Anything that I can't service myself, I take straight to the shop for a once over before I dive it. If you are not capable of looking over a piece of gear and making a good decision on it's condition, I would suggest that you have some one who can do it for you. Fact of the matter is, we ALL dive used equipment on every dive, the only real question is who used it last. Dive gear last a very long time and used gear is a great way for new divers to get in on a budget A whole lot of it on the used market is there just because the owner wanted the "latest and greatest" , not because it was no longer safe to dive. I do shy away from places like Ebay. I will not buy anything used sight unseen unless it's impossible to hurt (like weights) or I know the owner personally.

matt t. · Aug 8, 2003

I've done pretty well with alot of used gear. Only got burned once. Even that time it wasn't so bad.... All the other items I purchased in the same deal more than made up for the bad piece of gear. If possible have someone with some knowledge check the stuff out. If not possible, have conditions (in writing) that the gear can be returned if something is wrong. There are alot of GREAT deals out there if you look around. Good luck.

Matt

MerKiwi · Aug 26, 2003

Bought my reg and bc at a very reasonable price, and it allowed me to start diving without the hassle of renting soon after I got certified. So, all good there.

Now though, I'm thinking about replacing these (especially the reg) with new gear since I'm having trouble trusting my gear the more I dive on it. The reg requires a lot of effort to crack and the bc's sprung a few leaks

New gear is a small price to pay for peace of mind I reckon.

Rick Inman · Aug 26, 2003

I need a dry suit (48 degrees is just too cold for my 7mm) but don't have the money to buy from my LDS. I could afford an el cheepo online but I'd rather get something better and have local support. I just made the perfect compromise. I bought a used DUI dry suit from my LDS. I pick it up with new wrist and neck seals on thursday.
Yeah, in this case, used is my perfect solution!

srkdvr · Aug 29, 2003

I bought used BC and Reg my first time, then saved up about a year and a half later bought all new top of the line stuff. The used you just have to look it over and get it checked out if possible.

Rich:mean:

GQMedic · Aug 29, 2003

For life support equipment, I don't buy used. I will buy last year's models of things and get pretty good savings.

Scuba cylinders, I have bought used providing they are 1. not out of hyrdo, 2. don't have a bunch of hydro stamps that look like a 20 year veteran. 3. They look servicable to me and not abused.

BCs I buy new.

Wetsuits I buy new. I get pretty good deals on them.

Diver0001 · Aug 29, 2003

MoBayDiver once bubbled...
I have seen some great deals on used BC's, Regulators, Tanks, Drysuits, Wetsuits, and a million accesories. Some look good, some even sound good, and some sound too good to be true.

What do you trust, and not trust to by used?

What whould you never buy new if you didn't need to?

Love to know your thoughts...

All of my stuff is well used --- namely by me. The real question is how can you tell how well something you bought seciond hand was maintained by the original owner?

R..

Genesis · Aug 29, 2003

PROVIDED I (1) know what it is, and (2) either know what condition it is in or know that I can clean it up and restore it to proper operation all on my own.

If not, then forgetaboutit. I'd rather buy new from LeisurePro in that case.

Used or New? What do You Trust?

Please register or login

MoBayDiver

Guest

Bob3

Contributor

herman

Contributor

matt t.

Contributor

MerKiwi

Contributor

Rick Inman

Advisor

srkdvr

Contributor

GQMedic

Contributor

Diver0001

New

Genesis

Contributor

Similar threads