Posted by O.B. on October 13, 2000 at 14:55:25:
In Reply to: Tanks: Buy vs. Rent posted by JRM on October 13, 2000 at 14:21:51:
I'm sure that others on the site will give you a detailed analysis of brands and costs and so forth but my opinion is RENT!!
I did the math a while back and decided that you'd have to dive a whole hell of a lot to break even on a purchase. You basically
save 3 dollars a dive by buying (renting is 7 bucks, air fills are 4) which means that you'd have to do 50 dives to break even.
But then you have to have it inspected every year and hydro-tested every two (two -right?!!). Those things both cost a significant
amount - especially the hydro. And I don't know about you, but where I live, having two tanks lying around is actually a worthy
safety concern (not to mention the space they take up). I actually own two brand-new tanks that were given to me, and I STILL find
it more convenient to rent! It's worth the 3 bucks a dive to me not to have to carry them around, store them, maintain them,
clean them and fill them after each dive. I'm sure other people will tell you that having your own tanks is a big savings...
-Other Ben