Transitioning from Rent to Own

[Kirk]

I bought my first mask and snorkel after getting certified to dive.

I bought my first fins, regulator set, and warm water wet suit after about 50 dives.

I bought my first bcd, weight belt, cold water wet suit, and tank after about 70 dives (I knew I wanted to dive locally, and not just in the tropics).

I bought my first drysuit after about 100 dives (that was a bit of sticker shock), I also bought a cheap (or at least is was back then) digital bottom timer about that time.

After about 180 dives, I wanted to start doing some tech diving (things started getting a bit pricey at that point, I won't go into detail, but lets just say I have a lot of stuff, and many hundreds of dives since then I'm always tweaking my stuff).

I say buy the gear.  Sure gear is expensive, but you want to go diving..... right??  You need gear to dive.  Will it be the gear you really want, probably not..........., but you can always sell what you dislike and buy other gear later.  Scuba gear actually has great resale value.  OK, if bought new, you're not going to get what you paid for it, though the resale certainly off sets the cost of gear rental.

Don't be afraid to buy used gear either.  Your first regulator, buy new (or at least from a local dive shop that services their end of season gear before selling them off.... remember you need that thing to live under water....).  Other things (i.e. tanks, weights, bcd, fins, etc.), ....... who cares....  if you don't like it.... sell it.  Mask....  you want to buy that new, in a shop, you want to make sure it fits you.  A leaky mask, especially for a newer diver, really sucks....

As far as used gear. 

I've owned 5 bcds (Zeagle Ranger, Halcyon Pioneer, Dive Rite Classic, Dive Rite Junior, and Halycon Explorer), only one was purchased new.  I currently only have one (the Halcyon Explorer, it was bought used, has received more than its share of abuse, and still holding up.....  note to the original poster, don't buy this one, it would work like crap with a single tank) .... sold the other four, got my money back and then some, except for the one purchased new, that I got back for about 70 cents on the dollar...  not too bad in my opinion.

Tanks.... Of my 10 tanks.  8 were bought used (two of them were actually made when I was a little kid), though two of the tanks I bought new, little 6 cf argon bottles, a little specialty item, hard to find used...  Just make sure they are either in hydro, or if not, makes sure the seller will guarantee the passing of hydro, and of course adjust the price to include the cost of hydro testing.  (Hydros are needed every 5 years, and the cost of hydro is about $20 at All Safe Fire Testing over on Washington Avenue North, just northwest of downtown Minneapolis).  And of course, avoid the pre 1990 aluminum tanks.  They have a bad habit of going boom (!!!!!!!!!!!!).  And a lot of shops refuse to fill them (or at least those shops that have thinking owners and employees who have friends and family).  Those older aluminum tanks were made of a bad alloy which tends to get cracks in the tank neck. 

Wet suit, make sure it fits you.  Buy new or used at a shop or someone's home, don't order through the mail.  If it doesn't fit well, it will not do the job, and you will be cold.  - Kirk