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| New vs. Used Equipment | One of the main problems that you face as a diving beginner is whether or not you should buy your own equipment.
Why Should You Buy Your Own Equipment?
1. You know where to reach for the controls and backups.
2. Proper individual fit means you will be more comfortable.
3. You control the maintenance, which means more reliable performance.
4. You know who used your equipment and when.
5. You will save money in the long run.
6. You eliminate reliance on rental availability.
You will feel more comfortable, you will look forward to diving more, you will fit it into your schedule, and you will use your newfound skills as you intended to. You are ready to go diving, when you feel comfortable and confident.
What you should think about when buying new equipment:
1. How often will you use it?
2. Is there the warranty? Pay attention especially to regulators.
3. Usually regulators and tanks have maintenance requirements. You should know the service costs.
Used gear
Used dive equipment is often a great deal, offering the same performance level as new gear but at a reduced price. The majority of dive gear pieces will last for hundreds of dives, so the only difference between new and used gear is often just a couple of scratches and a minor fraction of the gear's entire useful life.
But used dive equipment varies from the regulator that someone bought for their friend two years ago as a gift but never used to the ancient horsecollar BC that has been in someone's basement for 30 years.
Used gear evaluation
It is easy to answer the first question for most pieces of equipment. If there are a lot of scratches (regulators, masks, fins) or missing stitching and frayed seams (wetsuits and BCs), it has probably been used for many and many times.
Used BC
Search for critical defects. Find out whether it holds air, blow BC up. Try the oral (and power inflator, if possible) and air dump.
Used Masks, Fins, Snorkel
Search for cracks that are starting to form in fins, check the straps to see if they still work. Check the mask/snorkel for fit.
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