9 replies to this topic

[KeithT4U]

In my ever continuing quest to part with as little money as possible and get the best stuff I am looking for a couple scuba tanks to carry in my truck. I look at Ebay ads and the pricing is sometimes much less than new tanks. How new is new enough? I am aware of the hydro and vis inspections but is this even a reasonable idea for such a vital piece of gear? How long can I reasonably expect any tank to last? Thanks for the input.

Keith

[gcbryan]

Tanks can last a long time. Some aluminum tanks prior to 1989 (I think) had some alloy problems but other than that they can last a long time. Aluminum tanks are more prone to developing cracks but as long as the tank passes VIP and hydro it should be fine.

I would try to buy locally (Craigslist) rather than ebay and make it conditional on passing VIP/hydro.

[VADiver]

What kind of tanks do you want? New AL 80s are cheap.

[bottomtime]

tanks are a solid investment in you diving,,,,
If you have a home base to work from,,,,
If most of your diving is on trips traveling save your money and rent,,,
that said if buying ebay remember purchase price,, shipping and generally a vip cost must be added to the purchase cost, if tank is in hydro,,,
{ most shops won't fill a totally empty cyl } w/o a vis especially if you tell them you bought somewhere else and it was shipped
because of liability and the cyl may have moisture, need to be tumbled ,o2 cleaned,adding to cost bla bla bla...
I have bought off ebay and other diving sites that are more specific in their diving style cave sites,, tech,,
try to find people selling local or driving distance of ebay and pick up if possible,,

But lets not forget you local LDS todays market may give you a chance to work a deal a win/win for both, a couple of free air fills with a new tank purchase

that said shipping is the killer of many deals, but don't forget cousins, family and friends out of town that can also p/u tanks as they pass thur somewhere it may take a little longer to get but it works. I just bought 6 steel 77's new for less than most al 80's, that a friend picked up 150miles south of me and he will pass them on to another buddy for drop at my front door ,total time 2-3 weeks, shipping saved 200 gas saved 100 plus, and I've sold 2 which will pay for 1 1/2 of mine SWEET lol good luck

watch.... wait,,, don't snooze and be fast and smart ,,,,,,,, go steel

Edited by bottomtime, 09 May 2008 - 06:04 PM.

[BubbleBoy]

I personally wouldn't buy a used tank sight unseen. If you buy a regulator that needs unexpected repair, you can at least deal with it by replacing parts. If a tank has not been properly taken care of, it may not be recoverable. I realize there are lots of exceptions to this basic rule, but, it's one that I have decided to live with. New tanks from reputable suppliers on eBay are probably fine. Used ones I would avoid. The first tanks I ever bought were used and I never had them inspected (my idiot years). I consider that I didn't blow myself up with those tanks to be one of my lucky breaks in diving. I have bought new tanks ever since. If you take care of them properly, new tanks are worth the extra money you pay.

[WreckWench]

Lots of great advice here...and if you opt to go new and want steel tanks...one of our corporate partners can give you a great price! Just let me know and I'll put you in contact with them. -ww

[shadragon]

I have bought new tanks ever since. If you take care of them properly, new tanks are worth the extra money you pay.

Fully agree. Having said that I got a pair of steel 120's from the owner of my LDS for 3/4 of new price. He picked up a pair of donated steel 100's and wanted to purge his dive locker. They had been wet twice and were inspected prior to my taking possession. You can find deals if you keep your eyes open and are patient. I would avoid EBay for tanks though. Shipping costs will eat into any savings due to weight.

If you don't want to wait and want tanks now... Go new... Go steel...

[Racer184]

I use ebay a lot; for things I can not buy locally; like obsolete electronics or a new lens for my videocamera that I cannot buy at the very same store I just bought the camera.

Around here no one will fill a tank made before 1990. They don't care what it is made of, they don't care if passed hydro last week. I just abandoned both of my 80s.

Those two 80s were "free". Well, they needed hydro testing, one needed tumbling, one needed burst disk. So those two 'free' tanks cost about $100 as I remember. (They did not fill 'em free.) So I got 4 years out of them and now they are gone. If I had bought new, I would have spent $240 including the first fills and I would still have two tanks.

So now I dive with aluminum 100s. I bought them used with fresh VIP at a local dive shop full of nitrox for less than the price of 2 empty 80s.

How far away are dive shops from you? We have more dive shops than walmarts here, so if were looking for something used I could just 'put the word out' and I think that one of them would soon find what I wanted. I like to think that all the local dive shops are GLAD to see me walk in. Most times I am 'just looking'; other times I am 'just $pending'.

[DandyDon]

I need to ebay a lot of spare stuff - just never got started...

[swfladiver]

Personally for a aluminum 80 I won't spend more then $25 dollars on a tank thats out of hydro, as thats basically the scrap value of it. I have bought a few used tanks for myself since I work at a pawnshop and have had mixed luck in getting them certified. Any tank I buy used I get a hydro and visual done on, so far out of 8 or so tanks only one fail hydro and it now sits in my living room having been converted to a floor lamp