17 replies to this topic

[bluedolphin]

I bought all my gear in 1994 and 1995, have it serviced, works great. Sure it is not the newest and fanciest, but I am happy with it. Never been one to want to compete for the most toys, or the newest and greatest, but then again, that's me.

BlueD

[scubafanatic]

.....I'd have to agree with the 'recycle' viewpoint expressed so far....... as long as you're happy with your 'experienced' gear, and can get it serviced, stick with what you've got. The main fly-in-your-ointment I see is that TUSA is something of an 'offbrand' so you may have issues getting it serviced, most especially in a remote third-world dive location......check around locally to see about the servicing aspect first.

I'd add you don't appear to be a frequent diver, so brand-new gear won't be very cost-effective for you....if you feel you've already got your basic gear foundation down pat, save your money and perhaps upgrade some of your other dive accessories ( ie, decent lights, assorted safety items --safety sausage, whistles, etc)

Karl

P.S. ........SeniorTech states he doesn't work on some low-end TUSA stuff so check with him first before getting your reg servicing hopes up.

[ScubaDadMiami]

There is one thing to consider: I just spent good money getting an old regulator serviced that still works great since I bought it in 1986, a Mares MR12III.

Nowadays, many regulators come with warranties that make the expense of annual service much less than what it costs to service an older regulator. After a couple of years of service for the older regulator, you might spend enough to pay for a new regulator. So, it might just be worth taking a look at something new if you compare the service costs of keeping the old versus spending the money for new. This is not always the case, but it is something to consider before spending the money on your next service.

Also, depending on the type of diving you do, there are certainly newer regulators on the market that outperform many of the older regulators. This might not matter that much if you are only diving on shallow dives. However, if you are diving deep, this would be another factor to consider.

I finally bought new regulators two years ago. I still keep my older ones for stages and as a single tank set up for travel. I converted another one's first stage for use with my argon bottle. They are still perfectly good for uses other than as a primary set up.