Used Scuba Gear

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Andy Lebbing

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Location
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Hey Guys, I'm new to diving and was looking for what to look for when going to check out used gear. Is there anything that screams dont buy this or any tricks that anyone has used over the years to figure out if something is reliable gear?

Thanks,
Andy
 
I have done a few dives in Cozumel last year but my real training for my certification starts this Thursday.
 
I would recommend you that you get some more training under your belt and become more familiar with the dive shop,supplied equipment used for your training first, this will give you a beginning point of reference to begin and there will be things you don't like about some of the gear in class. This board is a huge repository of information. You can use the search feature on the board, and/or use google which will pull up old posts relating to the topic in question. We have members which are brand new to diving all the way to members who have been diving since the 1950's, along with instructors, scientists, and industry. Don't get in a big hurry, take your time, do some research, take your training, you have a lot of new things to learn and you need to focus on the instruction, which is more important than the gear. If you rush out and buy gear just taking recommendations you will wind up with a lot of gear you will eventually want to replace since you have no point of reference now, but will soon. Most divers will tell you to buy what they happen to like or prefer. The dive shop is going to tell you the brands they sell are the best. You can also by lightly used gear for less money, but you have to be careful on used/older gear, as a lot of manufacturers have been bought out or closed down. I have a 25 year old Dacor regulator new in the box. Dacor is out of business, but all you would know is it is "brand new in the box" and looks like a great deal! As I said earlier, slow down, you have plenty of time to learn about equipment. You can make costly mistakes and have to use something you don't like until you can afford to replace it. It is better to wait until you finish training before making major equipment purchases. Find a local dive club, they will be a great source of information independent of the dive shop.
 
Ok I think I'm going to look at the gear still because it is seems like a very good deal so I could possibly resell the stuff and make a profit, even if I don't personally like it. Is there anyway you can tell without pressurizing the system in the bc and the regulator to see if the system is in good shape? Or is the only way to take it into the water and check it out with a tank?
 
you can only check for physical damage without hooking it up to a tank for regs. if there isn't any obvious physical damage, the reg can probably be serviced. without a tank, you can't tell if there is ip creep or leaks that indicate a need for servicing before use. you don't need to take it underwater if you have an ip gauge and magnehelic (or the ole bucket of water) to just test the reg.
 
You will likely be told that scuba gear is "life support" and should never be bought used...both of which are BS. What all that tell you this fail to realize is every single bit of gear we dive with is "used" after it's first dive, the only questions are how old is it, how well was it maintained and who used it last. Funny thing is most of us who really understand dive gear are more worried about brand new (unproven) gear than we are about our old but tried and tested gear.
There is nothing wrong with used or even older gear as long as it has been (or can be) maintained. There are brands and models to avoid but as a newbie at dive gear if you stick with Scubapro and Aqualung (aka US Divers) you should be ok , they have a great history of supporting older models and so most of their regs are still serviceable. There are some models that are not but ask around. You may however have issues with dive shops telling you they are not serviceable in an attempt to sell you new gear. Other brands such as Sherwood, Apex, HOG, Zeagle and othes are OK too if they are not too old and you have shop near you.
 
Hey Guys, I'm new to diving and was looking for what to look for when going to check out used gear. Is there anything that screams dont buy this or any tricks that anyone has used over the years to figure out if something is reliable gear?

Thanks,
Andy

There's a lot to say about your question but I think I can summarize by saying, "YES" used gear is worth checking out....

However... and this is the important part.... a lot of the used gear you find online has been dived to death and is either being sold for way more than it is actually worth in that state or it is run down to the point that you really don't want to dive with it.

I don't think I can really give you a list of what to look for and what not to look for in your local area, though. For that you should get the advice of an avid local diver.

That said, there are a couple of general rules of thumb I can give you:

1- make sure the manufacturer still exists. A lot of companies have gone under in the scuba game over the years and if the company is out of business then you'll have trouble getting it maintained.

2- make sure there are no recalls on that bit of gear. Many items have been recalled over the years for safety reasons. There are lists. Find one.

3- get informed, as I said. If you don't have access to local divers to ask then post here. In any case don't buy something you know nothing about.

4- and of course the usual caveat emptor. There is no warranty on stuff you buy second hand so if you make a bad choice you're basically S.O.L.

5- be patient. Good gear does become available from time to time but you have to wait for it. If you want instant gratification then you will need to go to a shop and buy it new.

hope that helps.

R..
 
Oh.... just one more thing. If you buy second hand and you know what you're doing then it's possible to get some pretty good deals. When my daughter got certified I bought most of her gear second hand and managed to get everything except the reg for just a little over €200. It was all top brands in new or almost new condition (Seaquest Diva, Mares Avantii fins, Suunto Vyper computer, compass, boots, gloves, snorkel weight belt, weights). I didn't buy her a regulator second hand because I had an Aqualung Legend that I wasn't using so I gave it to her. That would have added another €150-200 to the price once I got it maintained.

What we bought new was the mask and the suit. I would have bought her a second hand suit but she didn't like the idea so we splurged on that. I didn't buy her a tank because for now I can use the shop's tanks when I need one.

In other words, you can get good deals on good second hand stuff. The down side is that I was a daily project for me that took several months of waiting for just the right thing to come along.

R..
 
Ok I think I'm going to look at the gear still because it is seems like a very good deal so I could possibly resell the stuff and make a profit,

What makes you think that?
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

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