To buy a regulator, or keep renting

[waterduck]

I read most of the posts but the one thing that keeps popping in my head is " if you can afford to go on expensive dive locations then what is so difficult about buying a good life support system like a regulator that you can be sure of ?" There are plenty of good options of regulators out there on the market that won't break the piggy bank.Would you eat off of somebody else's spoon or drink from the same canteen?

 

[Doby45]

I read most of the posts but the one thing that keeps popping in my head is " if you can afford to go on expensive dive locations then what is so difficult about buying a good life support system like a regulator that you can be sure of ?" There are plenty of good options of regulators out there on the market that won't break the piggy bank.Would you eat off of somebody else's spoon or drink from the same canteen?

Oh good grief Charlie Brown. This discussion is about as definitive as "What is your favorite color?" There is no right or wrong answer. It may not make sense money wise for you to buy your own gear, but in the same token you might run across a great deal or a friend that used to dive that has some excellent equipment that you can have. Each situation is different.

 

[BoltSnap]

I read most of the posts but the one thing that keeps popping in my head is " if you can afford to go on expensive dive locations then what is so difficult about buying a good life support system like a regulator that you can be sure of ?" There are plenty of good options of regulators out there on the market that won't break the piggy bank.Would you eat off of somebody else's spoon or drink from the same canteen?

Some of these people who don't want to buy their own equipment even though they are frequent travelers and divers and complain about spending $500 for a regulator setup (more or less) are also the type of people that upgrade their iPhone whenever apple comes out with a new version costing several hundred dollars and with almost yearly upgrade cycle.

If money and luggage is an issue for me, I rather skip few meals out and take less clothing with me to vacation and have my own equipment including a BC and regulator than renting my equipment.

 

[SCRedWolf]

Oh good grief Charlie Brown. This discussion is about as definitive as "What is your favorite color?" There is no right or wrong answer.

Isn't that half the 'fun' of these opinion/personal preference questions? You get pages upon pages of responses about what each different person would do which of course isn't necessarily relevant to what the OP will do. It'd be more efficient for an OP to setup a poll rather than an open-ended question. I'm going to add scuba gear to my list of taboo subjects that are very personal to a guy which may or may not have any logical basis in fact: religion, beer, sports teams, ideal woman, and scuba gear. I'm sure there's others.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Would you eat off of somebody else's spoon or drink from the same canteen?

Sure, if the spoon or canteen is rinsed first. If you dunk your own regs in the dive op's rinse tank, as many of us do at the end of each day, our regs may be just as likely to share microbes with other people's regs as spoons or canteens under the sort of circumstances we often have to deal with when traveling. It's difficult to expect the same degree of cleanliness at some tropical resort where fresh water is precious and soap is used sparingly as you'd get back home. It would hardly surprise me if the restaurant next to the dive shop has their dishes washed in a manner less than what the public health authorities back home would consider sufficiently sanitary to meet code. I do the best I can to be sanitary about the myriad things I come into contact with on my trips--a rinse here, an alcohol wipe there, bottled water, etc.--and then pray that my immune system can deal with the rest.

 

[dmaziuk]

In this case your life support system is the one between your ears, you're born with it and can't buy another one.

Would you eat off of somebody else's spoon or drink from the same canteen?

Would you eat off somebody else's fill in the blank here?

Buying regs for vacation diving is usually not economical. About all of them should work fine for shallow warm water diving and if you get a problem one the shop will give you another. What you won't get is new toy, molded custom mouthpiece, "streamline" hose setup, WAI transmitter, ultra-slim SPG, and so on. Whether those things are worth the extra cost is entirely in the eye of the beholder.

 

[Nation of Heat]

Isn't that half the 'fun' of these opinion/personal preference questions? You get pages upon pages of responses about what each different person would do which of course isn't necessarily relevant to what the OP will do

I definitely enjoy reading everyone's different takes on the question, along with their reasoning. Being a reasonably new diver I'm glad to read multiple perspectives, especially when it comes to dropping money on equipment. Though I get how it my be pretty redundant to those who have seen a billion of these types of questions.

 

[CryHavoc]

I find the whole would you eat off somebody else's (fill in the blank), eat off someone else's spoon or drink from their canteen comments hilarious. Anyone who deployed to Irag or Afghanistan and participated in a meeting with local leaders can tell you meal stories that would astound Western sensibilities. But to the OP'S question, I say buy and then dive local.

 

[Snoweman]

If you can afford what you want, buy it. I was lax about getting mine serviced, and had to pay for parts about three years later (when my dive computer needed a new battery). I'm not sure this was the smartest way to treat the equipment. Since it sits in a basement for 99% of the year, dry rot is a concern. If you don't want to invest in a reg, get a SeaCure custom fit mouth piece and a bunch of zip ties. Operators will change them out for you, especially when you explain that you have custom fit it to your mouth.

As for me, I bought the regulator before walking out of the dive shop, after getting certified. I don't regret it, but it doesn't make financial sense. I have since bought my own BCD (lightweight for travel). The only thing I need to dive when I travel is: tank, weights, and wife for her Delta Card and elite status to allow me to check bags for free. I take my equipment back to the hotel, and rinse it in the shower. I've never known why I have done this, but now I know having read the comments about pee and snot soup at the dive shops.

 

[Frank Daneluk]

My vote is to buy.
To me using someones regulator is like wearing someones underwear.
During of my open water dives years ago I was on the boat going to my next dive when I noticed a white foam around the mouth piece. Yuck.
As soon as I got back home, off to the dive shop to purchase a reg.
Just do yourself a favor and never service your reg unless your qualified to do so. That defiantly for the professionals.