Buying Used Gear - Scuba Tech Tips: S14E01
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 17 ส.ค. 2022
- There are good deals on used scuba gear but some items must be avoided. Alec shares his decades of experience when buying used BCD's, tanks and regulators for diving.
Watch my "Alec Peirce at the Ranch" for ranch and home ideas. / @alecpeirceattheranch
**** Alec Peirce Scuba ****
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I remember like it was yesterday taking lessons to get certified in 1972 and the instructor (a guy named Clinton Lovelace in Milwaukee) had that same orange Seaquest BC that had just arrived in his shop, and he was trying out in the pool. Everyone was amazed and thought it was super high-tech.
For sure. Back then it would be as if Iron Man showed up, a super hero diver!
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Great video as usual Alec. Horse collar, I learnt to dive with one of them back in 1988 In the UK we called them ABLJ's Adjustable buoyancy life jackets. Some had a mini cylinder for back up inflation. 👌
Look up my Vintage Scuba on BC's as i did video on tank filled BC's. Lots of fun back in the day to not over fill the horse collar.
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In England we used to call those horse collars a " Mae West" for obvious reasons 😂
In Germany they were known as "toilettensitz " ( toilet seat)
I bough all my present gear nearly 30 years ago!
I have a mk10/G250 scubapro reg that breathes as well or better than any reg I've hired in the intervening years when I've been in foreign climes without my own gear.
My B.C.D is also scubapro and has worked faultlessly in all that time.
I'm happy to keep on using this old stuff because I've had it all from new, I'm the only one who has ever used it so I know it's been well looked after both pre and post dive, and regularly serviced
Last year I was diving the cenotes in Mexico and I had many positive comments about my rig as it's considered vintage now (as am I😁) and even a serious offer to buy my regs from a cave diver, such is the reputation of this combo.
Thanks as always Alec for sharing your knowledge, it's always an absolute pleasure to listen to you 👍
Thank you Vincent for watching and sharing your knowledge.
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Real good episode Alex, Thanks a lot.
Thank you, glad you liked it.
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You totally read my mind with this one especially me being a new diving thank you! My uncle being a 30 year diver gave me used equipment, I asked a million questions, some things he said to replace before I use like hoses and stuff. I kept trying to ask him for used every thing, mask, fins, then I starting asking about where can I find cheap...he then stopped me and said to refrain from thinking about cheap stuff. I responded with "but I'm poor!" He didn't laugh, he then said "If you died and could buy your life back one time, think about how much you pay for it and use that as a reference to buy equipment with... Because I tell you the truth, you won't be able to buy your life back, trust me."
Your uncle is a very smart man. Listen to his many years of wisdom.
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I love vintage scuba gear please keep this videos comming
Will do.
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Another great video 👍
Glad you enjoyed it Joseph.
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Had a chuckle at seeing the horse collar. I cleared out my former club's bomb site of an equipment locker two years ago and the gear got older and older the further back I went, finally stumbling on two horse collars and some round masks right at the back.
That happens so many times. The farther back the older the stuff. Didn't see any dinosaur bones back there?
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Great video Alec, always a pleasure to listen to.
If I May add a personal advice, I say that whenever I want to buy used scuba gear, it is always a good idea to ask a few questions to the owner.
I'll ask him why he decided to sell it, how long has he been diving, which dives he did, where did he travel, ecc... Most of the times you can figure out if it is someone very passionate about scubadiving, and therefore took good care of his equipment... Some other times it will tell you that he bought all the equipment to take the OpenWater course, didn't like it and decided to hide everything in the basement for a decade before his wife forced him to clear up some space...
Sometimes instead it might give you the impression of someone not passionate at all, very sketchy, asking to pay cash, only looking for a fast deal... And that you should avoid doing any business with.
This method helped me quite a lot with used gear purchases ( currently diving off a ScubaPro Mk15/G250, ScubaPro 15 liters tank and a Zeagle Scout BCD that I paid 150$ in total, regularly manteined by my local dive store )
Cheers,
Giulio
Good points and thanks for sharing Giulio. Good collection you have too.
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I recently was debating whether to get these two used tanks. I created a financial model for total cost of ownership over 3, 5 and 10years. Once you add the coat for hydro every 5 years and visual every year and the cost to fill it every time, you are better off just renting them from the LDS. My local one can rent you one $15. If your tank or valve needs any repairs, your costs are even higher. I own all my dive gear except tanks.
Nothing wrong with renting if that's what you prefer. Good thinking on the cost projection too.
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Owning your own tank has a huge pro - independence. There is not always a dive store where you are going. The dive store may run out of tanks. Not every dive is planned a few days earlier to have time to go rent one. There are a few factors which make it worth having your own tank. If you can live without them - good for you. It happened to me too may times that I asked someone to get a tank for me while getting the gear from LDS to not have one.
80 cuft aluminum cylinders have gone up lately. $300 to $400 for a new one these days.
I was going by pre-covid pricing. Your right and may go up more for a while longer.
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@@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter In Europe also but more because of the ironworks in Ukraine that stoped production
I did buy a few BCD's Reg's and Fin's from Garage sales and Craigs List and saved A LOT OF CASH $$$ . I paid the dive shop to clean and fine tune the BCD's n Reg's and they agreed that I saved a huge amount of $$$. Many people take SCUBA lessons in the midwest and buy all the needed gear . They have dream of taking a lot of dives in the ocean .... but then realize that it costs a lot of $$$ to travel and they have only used their gear on one or two trips - so they sell it off . I tell people to RENT it instead of buying it , if you don't live near the beach !
A similar situation in central Canada, lakes and rivers are OK but cool. They dream of warm Caribbean waters but the travel cost is a shock to some until they see how much fun it is. Rent to start, then maybe second hand good gear, then your first new set around 30 to 40 dives will last for a long time. Hope folks learn from my and all your comments to be better, safer and happy divers.
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@@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter I forgot to add in as you know I live in Chicago and everyone thinks it will be great FUN to dive there .... until they find out - it's COLD WATER - the visibility is HORRIBLE and it lacks pretty coral reefs and tropical fish and those 2000 ship wrecks are VERY DEEP ! and no Dive Shop sells ,CHEAP tropical dive vacations $$$.
The only things I bought new are masks, snorkels, suit, boots and gloves. All the "hard" gear I bought used. You can do it IF you know what you are doing and what needs to be checked/replaced by a professional.
Oh and one more thing. Before going diving with it, always test it in a safe environment - like a swimming pool or a shallow water (like 1,5-3m).
I agree Piotr that IF you know what you doing and use a pro for service, you can get great value from used gear. Thanks for watching.
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Got my own gear recently. My tank was 400 brand new and a lot of places are increasing it to like 500 (used, people in my area sold theirs for around 3-3.50). The rest I got new and the good thing is my regs come with free parts for 5 years which you dont get for used gear. I supose if people can aford it, buy new or find one that barely has been used and abused. Some good tips on here 🥰.
Thanks Blondie.
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Hi Alex another excellent video !
You mention steer away from wet suits over 20 years old
Back in the 1960s when I started diving a wet suit was considered a luxury !
It cane in a box a sheet of neoprene a pot of glue and a zipper
Also a paper pattern with the different sizes on it hopefully you cut out a pattern your size and glued it together !
You mentioned old geans having no value ?
I recently seen my niece who finished high-school and is starting college
Last time I seen her she was 4
Running around with a cast on her arm she fell out of a tree and broke her arm
My niece was wearing genes all ripped to shreds
My first reaction was she is in rags I got to take her to value village and buy her some clothes
Turns out that is the "STYLE "
Now for young women
Ripped genes cost up to
$80 a pair
What we do for dive gear
We go to the dive shop and ask if anybody is getting out of diving ?
A lott of new diver followe their buddies into the sport
And they buy the best equipment maxing out the credit card !
after a year for one reason or another
health , panic, or what ever they find out diving is not for then and they ask the guy at the local dive shop to sell it for them
Simply track the guy down nock an his door cash in hand and good equipment can be bought at a fraction of the cost
Oh yes a lot of that is true Carl. Thanks for watching.
A
I always dived on a budget so, except for the wetsuits, fins , mask and tuba, I bought my diving equipemnt used, and it filled the bill pretty well.
I can make the parallel with the automobile market: I would never suggest a mechanics to buy a new car but to choose a used one that he deeply inspected.
When i put my hand on a used equipment, The first thing I do, I disassemble all the mechanisms, clean it deeply and replace the consumables as the Orings, the schrader valves, the diaphragms where applicable .
For the parts, I can usually find them relatively easily but very often, i have to rearch parts individually and not in kit form
For the bcd,s, it is relatively easy to find mechanical flanges as one of the wear effect is that the glued in flanges lose the bonding to the bladder and need to be replaced.
I even converted a Scubapro Stratus snorkeling vest to a small compact diving BCD, For sure , it needed mechanical flanges for the inflating device and overpressure valve. It fills the bill for the use of a small tank for short shallow dives.
very good topic and very good video.
Thank you Jacques.
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Please We need review or comparing between scubapro supernova and seawing gorilla fins !
Other channels to product comparisons much better than I can. Check out "Simply Scuba" as they have a huge library of gear reviews.
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Good job but probably if I find a Cousteau style hard shell backpack I will buy it !
Look through my Vintage Scuba playlists, I have 2 or 3 on hardshell BC's you will like.
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I recently got a pair of 1992 Luxfer al100 tanks for $200 from an older diver who needed to switch to something that weighed a bit less. They passed Eddy current vis in August when I bought them, and hydro was done in 2021. My LDS fills them for me no trouble, but do you think I might have trouble with shops saying they are too old to fill despite them not being the bad 6351 aluminum? Thanks, James
The age of a tank is not that important. If it passes VIS and hydro its good even if made in the 1960's. Our vintage divers regularly, some always, dive using vintage tanks (Rob I'm looking at you). They passed, are filled, go diving. If the LDS has concerns, tell them to watch me and learn something about old things!
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@@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter All of the shops local to me categorically refuse to fill 6351 tanks, even with current eddy current testing. One shop even refuses to fill any aluminum tank older than 1990 regardless of alloy. Because of this, my 6351 tank is now part of my garage compressor plumbing.
I now know that if I see someone dressing in stretchy Kirkland jeans after a dive, they watch Alec!
Ha probably Ted.
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The first question for me is always (regulator's/Tanks): Was it used in Saltwater? If yes then it's a no go for me.
Not easy to find only fresh water divers but its possible.
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I have to disagree a bit. All my gear I buy used, except for my computer. I make sure to inspect it thouroughly at first, but most of it I service myself afterwords. I get that it is generally a good idea to buy stuff new, if you are not really a gearhead with some technical flair, but for me it saved me a lot of money buying my Poseidon cyklon system used and rebuilding it afterwords. My wing as well. Also buy my pants used sometimes ;)
It's great that you are skilled and confident to service all your own gear. My decades in LDS ownership says the majority want nothing to do with self-service. Trusting your dive shop to service/fix/recommend gear is what builds a fantastic customer base.
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Well I may wouldn't mind to buy a used bcd, I had the chance so I could buy a used bcd, from a divecenter, they used for their students, but I found a cheap one online, brand new.
I just thought: I had around 13 dives so why should I buy a more expencive bcd, if I am not even sure if I would prefer: west, wing or sidemount so I guess for beginners (until 20 dives) a used bcd wouldn't be such a bad idea.
Or buy, like I did, a bcd which is quite cheap, seac and cressy, both have bcd for divecenters, diving schools so they aren't bad but cheaper then others.
I love your video, but I guess some used staff could be bought if you are a kind of greenhorn, but yeah you would miss the $50 when you would buy your secound bcd forexcample.
Secoundly I guess it's a huge different where you would buy a used bcd or regulator. 🤔
Your right Ben, new divers are more cost sensitive as they are not sure if they will be diving in 3 months or 30 years. Used or rental gear helps get divers over the first dozen or so dives then they should look for their "first" set of gear. Think i'm on my 300th set but we all start somewhere, right?
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Off topic but do you know of a heavy booty so that I can wear my rk3s that I bought for my dry suit when I am diving wet?
If your legs are light, use small 'chicklet' weights around your ankles. Lots of dry suit divers need them to maintain trim.
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@@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter sorry, I was misleading, I was thinking to fill the fin pocket when using the xl fins, from my dry suit, when diving wet. Thanks again
Humm...not suprised someone who owned a dive store, and just asked his viewers if any of them wanted to buy one, generally advises against buying used scuba gear 🙄 I bought tons of great gear here in Thailand, both used and new, the past couple years, including BCDs, regs, gages, lights, fins, and more, at 20-40 cents on the dollar, from both individuals and shops who were either no longer diving or going out of business due to the pandemic.
My explanations are based on decades of servicing all types of used gear. Same with used cars, some have a great resale value, others are lemons. Knowing which is key.
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@@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter Certainly agree 👍
Show me a 200$ new scuba tank , I'll buy a full truck load.
Rare but still possible as some LDS's liquidate or sell off.
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Go abroad. In Poland you can buy every amount of tanks for 200$ a piece.
@@piotrkubiec5549 you can probably buy much more in China.
However, we talking about Canada.
Speaking of used gear, I picked up an old steel Walter kiddie tank. 1961, ICC 2400. You wouldn’t have ANY info on these tanks? Specifically a REE value?
I do Mac. First they are a great tank that stands up without a boot. See its patent here: www.freepatentsonline.com/2541065.pdf. Here is info from www.scubaboard.com: scubaboard.com/community/threads/old-walter-kiddie-find-with-1-2-straight-thread-valve.599358/#post-9168962. Suggest asking the group for information on your model with pictures. I know a lot but these guys know much more. Good luck.
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@@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter that’s actually my post on scubaboard. I haven’t found any other info on the tank. ☹️
so why wouldn't you buy your used equipment from the local dive store directly.
there are people who have medical issues or at an age where they can't dive anymore. they've bought good quality equipment and now want to sell it.
p.s. new wetsuits are cheap on amazon so i would never buy used
Most dive shops have a used section from their rental gear turnover. Very few have outside gear for liability and 'blame' reasons. There are annual Scuba Swap shows where reputable stores and divers exchange gear. We were going to shoot at a local swap but Covid cancelled it until next year.
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Ah man I been wondering who keeps out bidding me on this old crap! STOP STEALING MY AUCTIONS ALEC!!!
OK you can have the next one.. ops sold!
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Alex I'm only a couple of minutes into your video and I could not disagree with you more. I know you're in the scuba business and videos like yours are basically a commercial got it. Here's the deal you lead off with an ancient piece of equipment I happen to have three of those and all three of them are functioning but I'm going to leave that alone for now. Here's the fact and it's a little bit ugly and dive shop owners are not going to like it but it's absolutely the truth. Most people that get in to scuba diving don't stay in it long they're all excited at first they buy The Best of the Best of the Best Equipment available then a couple of years later they've not used it and they sell it. You can buy a lot of very good equipment for not a lot of money if you know what you're looking for. You're staging this with old gear that's not made the century. That is unfair to the used equipment Market. Most scuba gear regardless of decade was made with quality in mind because back in the 70s 80s 90s whatever they had ambulance chasing lawyers. So they didn't put out junk for the most part. Now that said you're in the business of selling a scuba equipment I got it you don't make any money if your students go on to Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist or wherever and pick up a set of gear that's two or three or four years old that has been used about six times in that period And honestly it's pretty darn good gear because three or four years ago when it came out it was the best of the best of the best. The laws of physics and Physiology have not changed good gear is good gear whether it can be serviced or not is another question.
Easy mate. I'm not selling anything. Sold my last dive shop Scuba 2000 years ago. Also as a certified service pro on dozens of brands, I know what can and cannot be safely dived. Finally as someone who has been diving since 1958, that 62+ years (how old are you?), I have hands on experience servicing vintage regs and do know what is safe and which have no replacement parts. Do remember that time deteriorates all things no matter how well made. Keep on watching, lots for you to comment on.
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@@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter your a little older than I am, I was first certified in 1984 so I've been around a bit.
How much premium gear gets sold and almost never used? Sometimes this premium gear gets sold a few years later and can be a very good buy for a diver on a budget. Yes there is a ton of obsolete junk out there and I've bought some myself.
Back when I was young I had little money for diving, I'd check the pawn shops for gear and I'd find bits and pieces actually put together a very nice set of double twin 72's with an old scubapro bcd. I loved that setup.
I just bought a BCD just like the one in your video and I plan to dive it the summer.