SIUegyptiandiver
Registered
Herman, I totally agree that newer is not necessarily better and safer, unless the old stuff can't be reasonably serviced and maintained or it is very uncomfortable. At my LDC, my friend, the service tech still has double hose regs that we play with on occasion! Tanks with J-valves and no pressure gauge, unbalanced first and/or second stage single hose regs, non weight-integrated bc's (heck I learned in a Mae West vest), double hose regs, venturi tube depth gauges, The Edge computer....all stuff that can be fun to play with in confined water for us old farts.
As far as enjoying your diving to its fullest, however, I disagree somewhat that, "reg and BC technology has changed very little over the last 35-40 years, styles, colors and materials (cheaper plastics) have but the design and function are still the same". Weight integrated bc's are easier to use, more comfortable to wear and thus safer, in my opinion. I personally prefer to dive balanced first and second stage regs with user adjustable breathing resistance. To each his own I suppose. Though I have never used bleach bottles as buoyancy compensating devices, I guess they worked well enough in their time
. Wetsuits are certainly made much better than the 1/4" stiff-as-a-board hard rubber Michelin Man suits of old as well. But purchasing new wetsuits was covered very well already.
To the OP, think comfort and remember what you are wearing is life support equipment. If you are handy and comfortable working on your own gear, service kits are certainly available for many older models that dive centers no longer care to service. How much do you trust your abilities to keep the gear working well? It's your life, is it worth a few more dollars to have someone certified work on it? Ha, Suunto used to try to make us have a service tech change the batteries in the Solution....for a fee. Its on o-ring kit and a new battery, not difficult and I could always go back to using tables (GASP) if I messed that up. I got training, however, before I started servicing my own regs and bc (no, I am not a certified tech, but work along side one when doing this).
As far as order of purchase, that is very individual; based on need and budget. My mantra for years has been: Mask (snorkle? up to you), Fins, Regulator with computer, BC, wetsuit, etc, etc. I use that each time I pack gear also as a mental check list (backing up my written checklist).
From basic open water on, we are always taught that safety is the primary concern. Why bother with training at all if it weren't? In the 50s and 60s one could go to Sears, buy a bunch of gear and jump in. I wouldn't recommend that approach, and is it much different than buying old stuff from someone's garage sale (or at online auction) with little or no service history and difficulty in obtaining service from an unknown seller?
As far as enjoying your diving to its fullest, however, I disagree somewhat that, "reg and BC technology has changed very little over the last 35-40 years, styles, colors and materials (cheaper plastics) have but the design and function are still the same". Weight integrated bc's are easier to use, more comfortable to wear and thus safer, in my opinion. I personally prefer to dive balanced first and second stage regs with user adjustable breathing resistance. To each his own I suppose. Though I have never used bleach bottles as buoyancy compensating devices, I guess they worked well enough in their time
. Wetsuits are certainly made much better than the 1/4" stiff-as-a-board hard rubber Michelin Man suits of old as well. But purchasing new wetsuits was covered very well already.To the OP, think comfort and remember what you are wearing is life support equipment. If you are handy and comfortable working on your own gear, service kits are certainly available for many older models that dive centers no longer care to service. How much do you trust your abilities to keep the gear working well? It's your life, is it worth a few more dollars to have someone certified work on it? Ha, Suunto used to try to make us have a service tech change the batteries in the Solution....for a fee. Its on o-ring kit and a new battery, not difficult and I could always go back to using tables (GASP) if I messed that up. I got training, however, before I started servicing my own regs and bc (no, I am not a certified tech, but work along side one when doing this).
As far as order of purchase, that is very individual; based on need and budget. My mantra for years has been: Mask (snorkle? up to you), Fins, Regulator with computer, BC, wetsuit, etc, etc. I use that each time I pack gear also as a mental check list (backing up my written checklist).
From basic open water on, we are always taught that safety is the primary concern. Why bother with training at all if it weren't? In the 50s and 60s one could go to Sears, buy a bunch of gear and jump in. I wouldn't recommend that approach, and is it much different than buying old stuff from someone's garage sale (or at online auction) with little or no service history and difficulty in obtaining service from an unknown seller?
