Buy my own reg or keep renting?

[elgoog]

If the latter, is used a good option?

Yep, all the regs I own are used. Make sure your LDS is able to service them.

That said, if you're diving a few times a year then having a full kit of your own gear will feel like freedom to you. I know when I got my own gear that the cost of a day of shore diving and the hassle involved in getting it organised were both significantly reduced and as a result I started diving more often.

100% agree with the above.

Another advantage I noticed after getting my own regs was that I had far less jaw fatigue. With rental regs, even during the dive, I would feel pressure on my jaw from the hoses routing however they were and the invariably different mouthpieces every time. With my own setup, I was able to try out different hose length, different LP ports on 1st stage, mouthpieces, etc to find the combination that worked best for me. Once that was dialed in, it felt much better overall - something I never had with the rental regs.

 

[sphyrnidus]

My former reg costed €400 or $500 and lasted approximately 800 dives So that is 60 ct per dive. The next I paid € 500 for and is now in use for 300 dives. They get service every other year, costing about 100. I do not service them myself as that would be the end of them
So renting is far more expensive.

 

[going2aussie]

Everyone,

Thanks so much for the input. The best thing about this board is opinions of people who are at my experience level and those with obviously a ton more. A BCD I'm definitely doing. I have some buoyancy issues and I'm hoping that will give me more options to work things out.

In terms of the service on the regulator setup, from what sphyrnidus is saying that really it just has to go to the dive shop once a year. Is there anything I'll need to do with it other than make sure it doesn't get water inside and keeping it rinsed after diving? My concern about the equipment is purely maintenance. I don't want to be that guy underwater with no air because he didn't he had to do step A every 3 months and step B every 6 months.

If I go forward, I'll definitely look at going used and getting the LDS to service it.

In terms of someone's question, I'm based in Seattle, WA, and I dive mostly in Roatan with some trips to liveaboards. Probably going to the Coral Sea in Australia in Novemberish.

Thanks again for your input. I read all of the posts and appreciate it.

 

[lamarpaulski]

Get your own regulator and you will be glad you did. You will take much better care of it (i hope), can customize mouthpiece, hoses, gauges and be assured of its performance. You will get used to the regulator and attachments so they are second nature to you - a good thing. When something goes off kilter a bit you will notice it and not chalk it up to a rental reg's idiosyncrasy. You will learn how your reg breaths under effort and depth. You will know the reg is serviced appropriately.

 

[sphyrnidus]

The first stage is to be protected from getting water in to it. That is basically only when rinsing it, because when it's attached to the tank water can't enter. The second stage is always in the water and doesn't need special care/protection. With all your gear, the way to keep it alive for a long time is rinsing it after every dive (or if you do more than one dive in a day, certainly after the last dive) On liveaboards we always rinse our regulators after every dive. Most people don't do this, but especially in warm areas corrosion sets in real quickly. After getting out of the water, taking the tank off, remove the reg. it is a small trouble to rinse it.
Your BCD/suit should also be rinsed thoroughly after dives (not especially after every dive on a liveaboard.)
Leaving stuff sitting around salty is a way to kill it quite fast.
I love Seattle btw, it has nice bicycle roads, because your mayor came to visit the Netherlands and was so impressed by our bicycle roads he wanted to implement them too. I did actually bicycled around your city some years ago

 

[bmlbytes]

In terms of the service on the regulator setup, from what sphyrnidus is saying that really it just has to go to the dive shop once a year. Is there anything I'll need to do with it other than make sure it doesn't get water inside and keeping it rinsed after diving? My concern about the equipment is purely maintenance. I don't want to be that guy underwater with no air because he didn't he had to do step A every 3 months and step B every 6 months.

If you get a used regulator, take it into your dive shop the day you get it. Have them do a full inspection and service on it. They will tell you what's wrong and will get it in good working order after that. The manufacturers usually recommend a yearly maintenance on regulators, so just keep track of what time of year you usually do maintenance on it.

For any used equipment I would really recommend having it inspected. My girlfriend's used regulator was repaired with blobs of glue. The dive shop cleaned all that up and rebuilt the regulator. That could have been bad if they didn't catch that.

 

[diver 85]

buy a good used rig(1st stage & 2 2nd stages--& SPG) for under 200------would be one option.......

 

[wolflegresley]

Rather right or wrong the method I used to purchase my gear was simply comparing to rental costs. I'd purchase the most expensive rental item first and move down the cost. This way you are maximizing your budget and increasing the opportunity to dive - also by doing this you get to try many different configurations and diffrent types of gear.However for me buying a regulator din (with a yolk adapter) was one of my first purchases. I bought it because I wanted to know the history of my life support- I know how well I treat my equipment and i KNOW when it was last serviced and what the interval in between servicing is. This is important to some, not to others. I have been to resorts who only service their regs once a year and with 2x dives a day that's a conservative 500 dives in between servicing. Obviously I don't use that resort anymore...but that is one example, albeit on the extreme side.Another plus with owning your own regulator is you can begin changing the hose routing to find your own specific sweet spot - and regulators are light and are easy to transport.Good luck with your decision.

 

[oly5050user]

I've started to dive more, but it's still more a lot of diving a few times a year vs a more steady amount. I've always rented equipment except for mask, fins, etc. I'm looking at getting a BCD now and my own computer. Should I bother with my own reg setup? My thoughts are that the rental stuff is maintained by people who know a lot more than me. Am I better off given my dive frequency to stay renting or is buying worth it? If the latter, is used a good option?

Thank you.

you say rented stuff is maintained.....really? Maybe only when it breaks!
do you rent a car and before returning it go to the car wash and clean it inside and out? Peoples drag rental gear thru sand, mud, drool in it, pee in it, and God knows what else.
if it is cost , look right now for a Sherwood dealer. At these rates why. Buy used? Special of the month advertised by Sherwood are 3 different package sales on till June 30. Price ranges from $999 , $1299 to $$1499. $400,$500,$600 under suggested retail price. All include a bcd,regulator,alternate air source,computer. I sold 3 complete packages like this myself this week here at Scuba New York , others in the facility sold another 5 or 6..

 

[flspy]

Having your own gear, ESPECIALLY regulators, is an investment well worth it in my opinion. That said, I live in Florida and dive at least 50 dives per year. However, haveing your own gear offers two major benefits over renting:

1. You have the option of higher quality gear that you know how it's been handled and maintained, and
2. Sheer convenience. It's a PIA to have to reserve, pick up, and return gear every time you want to dive.
Plus if you decide to abort a dive because of conditions, etc., you know you can just go again tomorrow.
You also can just put everything in the car and head to the boat in the morning, without having to wait in lie at a busy dive shop.

When you rent, you are limited to what the dive shop has to rent. When you own, the sky is the limit.

I also have a pair 100 steel tanks- another great purchase if you dive a lot. Expensive? Yes. But that is an extra 20 CF of Nitrox over the standard aluminums dive shops rent.
You can just top them off during the week and be ready to go Saturday morning, after work or whatever.