Low down on new vs used bcd and regs.

[redacted]

Service is also dependent on how you take care of your gear. When rinsing regs I ALWAYS have them hooked to a tank (or pony tank) and soak them pressurized. I do not rely on the dust cap to be waterproof enough to use as a seal to keep water out of the first stage.
With my piston regs I also get the hose right up to the ambient pressure holes and cup the reg in my hand while pressing the hose up to the holes to force water through the chamber. This gets fresh water flowing through getting the salt and debris out..

While you can't go wrong keeping your reg pressurized while you wash away unwanted/harmful residue, sometimes it is quite difficult or even impossible. I often rinse the ambient chamber and tank connection (before changing tanks) on my BP 1sts, especially if it will be a few hours between dives, using a squirt bottle. But after a period of diving I always SOAK my regs for 6 to 8 hours to draw the salt from unprotected connections (like where the din/yoke retainer screws into the body) that just are not adequately dealt with by a hose rinsing. And I use a good "inlet protector", not a dust cover, and have had no problem with water incursion in about 20 years. Some protectors seal better than others, so make sure you understand how yours seats before you leave it in a tub overnight. Din connectors can be a problem finding a cover that seals well.

 

[diver 85]

I'd go the used route.........but, that's just me.......

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

While you can't go wrong keeping your reg pressurized while you wash away unwanted/harmful residue, sometimes it is quite difficult or even impossible. I often rinse the ambient chamber and tank connection (before changing tanks) on my BP 1sts, especially if it will be a few hours between dives, using a squirt bottle. But after a period of diving I always SOAK my regs for 6 to 8 hours to draw the salt from unprotected connections (like where the din/yoke retainer screws into the body) that just are not adequately dealt with by a hose rinsing. And I use a good "inlet protector", not a dust cover, and have had no problem with water incursion in about 20 years. Some protectors seal better than others, so make sure you understand how yours seats before you leave it in a tub overnight. Din connectors can be a problem finding a cover that seals well.

With my piston regs I soak them overnight AND run hose water (while underwater) through the ambient chamber.
I guess I'm always in a position to rinse gear properly since I mostly do local day dives. When I'm on a charter I don't worry about a thorough rinse of all gear until I get home.

 

[yardpro]

i buy used all the time...they are great deals...

dont buy into the fearmongering...

they will last forever. simple oring replacements and they are as good as the day they were made.

 

[lnjohn]

I too recommend buying all the big ticket items used and saving yourself a small fortune. I find craigslist to be my best source for used gear locally, but I have also seen some good deals on fleabay. I would caution you that buying regs on craigslist or anywhere used can open a can of worms when you get them serviced. For example, I just bought an older atomic b1 regulator from someone and it appeared to be in very new condition. I purchased it for $120 which I thought was a pretty good deal as it was DIN and came with an extra new DIN conversion kit. Upon hooking up the regulator to my tank all was well until I pressed the purge cover which promptly cracked. Fortunately, I live close to Atomic and not knowing the history of the regulator had it serviced, $146, jet piston upgrade done $80, comfort swivel and color kit installed $99 plus taxes. So in the end my $120 regulator ended up being a new b2 regulator, but at a high cost of $467 when all was said and done. It is less than new, but I would have been better off buying someone's used b2 with a recent service. I have also picked up HP 80 and HP 100 tanks for $25, Hp 119 for $60 and a steel 72 for $10. I only buy tanks if they still have air in them, I have not had a steel tank fail hydro and some of my tanks go back to 1969. I only buy steel never any AL. On a bc, fill it with air and see if it loses any in 5-10 minutes. My price point for a used bc is usually $100-200 while the initial purchase was most likely closer to $600 by the original purchaser. I did spend $300 for my halcyon eclipse, but it was a BC I could not find anywhere for less at the time. The best deals are typically bundle deals where someone buys all the gear and stops diving after their certification. I have stumbled across quite a few of those and typically sell a few of the items to get my purchase price back and keep the remaining gear for my kids who will be diving with me in 5+ years.