renting vs. buying?

[SPEEDSTER]

when I first got into scuba, I bought ALL my gear right after my ow cert. took a bunch more classes, then quit diving and sold all my gear. 4 years later, I'm doing it all over again.

Mike

 

[GP]

I bought all of my gear shortly after OW certification. I new I intended to dive quite a bit and had done a fair amount of research on the internet before making my gear purchase decisions.

 

[LilmanHSU]

I bought almost all my gear now..

I only need my reg system + comp. and a tank (but no need for that now, no place to store it)

I know I know.. why would you buy other stuff before buying the important stuff?

Easy.. cost!

Think about it.. You can buy a good westuit for a couple of hundred dollars, or a BC +weights for 300-350

But a reg setup.. To make it worthwhile and functional. You have to buy the First/Second Stage, the Computer, plus the Octo.. otherwise why dive with it? you can't buy that hardware in sections...

So figure 800+ for that whole setup.. It tends to be the most expensive.

So i'm saving and renting and testing various types of equipment.

The other stuff I buy here and there..

Let me ask you all something:

When you go to a LDS to rent something, they are having a big sale and you end up spending a lot more than you orginally thought! =)

Does that happen to anyone else here?

 

[MNScuba]

It's rare that I leave my LDS spending less than $40. Even when I just 'stop by' to say hello. Always seems to be somethere there I 'have to have'.

 

[buff]

Generally, the rental equipment is of poorer quality and is not in top flite condition. This is not the kind of equipment that I would be interested in purchasing. So I don't recommend renting(unless you can rent the very model your interested in) to find out what you want to buy. If you rent you usually find out what you DON'T want to buy.

Better idea is to borrow. There isn't a diver on this board that wouldn't borrow their equipment to another buddy just to show them that what they have is the best.

And that's where the diving clubs come in-a very good resource.

 

[Weezle]

I belong to a scuba club that has something like 60 BC's and regs, tanks, nitrox compressor, cameras, weight belts, exposure stuff, etc., which makes it great, I can borrow until I buy as much and as often as I want...

 

[landlocked]

I only rent tanks. I just didn't like the junk that I was renting. Besides, I figure if I had my own and didn't have to drive 25 miles the wrong way, I would go a lot more.

 

[Jarhead]

I own all my equipment except for tanks. If I ever get where I can dive more often, I'll consider purchasing them.

 

[Tavi]

Hi,

I don't know of any one place that I could rent everything that I own.

I have most of my gear.

I've had "all" of my equipment a couple times now.
I give up!
There will always be something else I need or want.

 

[Ari]

I rent Tanks and Weights. Looks like i will buy those as well in the near future.

Ari