Used regs

[ofl0926]

Hey whats up everyone. As some of you may know, I am in the market for a set of regs. I just came across a good deal on some used regs. I know with new regs, you get the warranty. What are your thoughts on buying used regs? Thanks guys

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[tstormdiver]

The biggest thing to look for is that the regulators are what you need for the dives you plan to do with them & that they can be reasonably serviced. Working in a dive shop, it is amazing how many people buy used equipment that is so old that it is obsolete & we are unable to get parts for them.

 

[halocline]

The biggest thing to look for is that the regulators are what you need for the dives you plan to do with them & that they can be reasonably serviced. Working in a dive shop, it is amazing how many people buy used equipment that is so old that it is obsolete & we are unable to get parts for them.

It's also amazing how many dive shops you can walk into with a perfectly functional regulator that can be easily serviced and be told "it's obsolete and parts are not available." Very few regulators are 'obsolete' and most have not significantly improved in decades.

If you stick to major brands (avoid Dacor!) like scubapro and aqualung, you'll almost certainly be able to get it serviced no matter how old it is. The trick is finding a decent and qualified tech that hasn't bought into the 'newer is better' nonsense. The best way to buy a used regulator is to have a mentor that can help you, or buy from a trusted source. You might look up SB user DA aquamaster, who has a closet full of high quality regulators expertly serviced that he occasionally sells.

 

[tstormdiver]

Halocline, some of the major brands no longer carry parts for some of their older products (we carry Oceanic, Scubapro & Aqualung, along with a few others). There are some that parts are no longer made for. That is as fact. It has nothing to do with how "decent & qualified" a tech is. In fact if they are "decent &qualified", they would be smart to refuse to service such regulators.To try to service a regulator by just throwing in parts can be very dangerous. If you want to do that for yourself or take the risk of financial repercussions if someone should get hurt using such equipment, then be my guest. I know some think that dive shops are only out there to rip off people. In our shop, if it can be serviced (with proper parts), we will. If you also read my post, I said nothing against buying used, but just to make sure it can reasonably be serviced, that makes life so much simpler, doesn't it?

 

[ofl0926]

I see what your both are saying.

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[Bob DBF]

If you are going to buy used regs, make sure you have done your homework. There are a lot of good deals but are bad ones as well.

As for the ability to be serviced, check with your LDS and find out if they have used or off rental units to sell. I got my first single hose that way. It worked out well as I now use it on a pony bottle.

Now should you want to go to the dark side, there a number of other members on this board that service their own gear, including regs. It's not for everyone but it can be fun.




Bob
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I may be old, but I’m not dead yet.

 

[redacted]

Halocline, some of the major brands no longer carry parts for some of their older products (we carry Oceanic, Scubapro & Aqualung, along with a few others). There are some that parts are no longer made for. That is as fact. It has nothing to do with how "decent & qualified" a tech is. In fact if they are "decent &qualified", they would be smart to refuse to service such regulators.To try to service a regulator by just throwing in parts can be very dangerous. If you want to do that for yourself or take the risk of financial repercussions if someone should get hurt using such equipment, then be my guest. I know some think that dive shops are only out there to rip off people. In our shop, if it can be serviced (with proper parts), we will. If you also read my post, I said nothing against buying used, but just to make sure it can reasonably be serviced, that makes life so much simpler, doesn't it?

You really need to open your eyes and re-think this liability (danger) excuse. When is the last time you shop made a service error? When is the last time you heard of a service error from neighboring shops? When is the last time your shop was sued for a service error? Neighboring shops? Shops in your state? Any shop????

Yes, there are some regs for which many parts are no longer available from the manufacturer. It takes a little extra effort but many of those are perfectly serviceable with generic soft parts. Other may require parts that may require some innovative searching. And some may even require a trip to the junk yard. Few shops are willing to put in that kind of effort for any but their "special" customers. They would much rather sell new regulators and dispose of the old ones so they can not be recycled.

Just imagine what would happen if automobiles were readily maintainable for 20 or 30 years. It is understandable - but it is the $$$ and not that the liability sky is falling.

Edit: Let me add a little story. I picked up a Mk5 from a diver who said it had an unrepairable leak from the area of the HP seat retainer. His shop had serviced it but said that the part needed to fix the leak was not available. It was a Mk5 din so I would have been happy with just the din connection. It turned out that the shop failed to properly seat the o-ring that seals the HP seat to the seat retainer. I didn't even change the o-ring - just seated it correctly and reassembled. (I did offer to return the reg but the owner had already replaced it with a Mk25.) I don't believe the shop intentionally scammed this diver. But I do believe there is a culture in the scuba wholesale and retail community that works to condemn older used gear. And through incompetence and deceptions, they are pretty successful. On the bright side, it keeps a pretty god supply of used regs and parts available for us DIYers at great prices.

 

[halocline]

Halocline, some of the major brands no longer carry parts for some of their older products (we carry Oceanic, Scubapro & Aqualung, along with a few others). There are some that parts are no longer made for.....To try to service a regulator by just throwing in parts can be very dangerous.

I'm not sure what your point is, that parts are not available or that servicing just by 'throwing in parts' (presumably on the same regs for which parts are not available) is dangerous?

Certainly all parts for all regulators are not available, but for the VAST MAJORITY of major brand regulators made in the last 15 years or so, rebuild kits are easily available. Please tell me about a scubapro reg made since 1985 for which rebuild parts are not available. And I'm not sure where the 'very dangerous' bit comes in, but it always sounds good to try to argue against danger, doesn't it?

I don't think that dive shops are out to rip people off (although there is some pretty 'bold pricing' at a particular dive shop I'm familiar with) but I do think that representatives of dive shops do frequently give divers advice based more on encouraging sales than on any demonstrable truth. You can't blame them; selling gear is what keeps them in business.

 

[elan]

Hey whats up everyone. As some of you may know, I am in the market for a set of regs. I just came across a good deal on some used regs. I know with new regs, you get the warranty. What are your thoughts on buying used regs? Thanks guys

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I always add a cost of fresh service and parts to the price of the used reg that I want to buy, In many cases the price of this freshly serviced reg will approach the price of a new reg. In this case it's just better to buy a new reg IMHO. Unless it is something really old and nice and can be serviced at a reasonable cost.

 

[redacted]

I always add a cost of fresh service and parts to the price of the used reg that I want to buy, In many cases the price of this freshly serviced reg will approach the price of a new reg. In this case it's just better to buy a new reg IMHO. Unless it is something really old and nice and can be serviced at a reasonable cost.

A good step to assess the worst case situation but not always true, depending on the shoppers knowledge and ability to provide some level of self service. I am usually able to put a used regulator back into service for a couple bucks. Some, like the Scubapro 109/156, will usually run $10 to $20 as they usually require a poppet upgrade and possibly a few other parts. If the exhaust tee or rubber cover are bad, that will run another $20 and $10 respectively. But there are also used regs that I have purchased that were returned to service with nothing more than inspection and a little lube.

The big difference is what can the buyer do and what must the buyer be dependent on an LDS (that may be looking to punish used gear buyers) to do for them.