Posted by brianc on October 13, 2000 at 16:45:52:
In Reply to: Tanks: Buy vs. Rent posted by JRM on October 13, 2000 at 14:21:51:
and now for the counter-point...
I own four tanks and wish that I had more. I do go to some places where going for refills means a good drive. I think that 50 dives to break even on buying versus renting is a great deal. That's less than a year of diving for me. I plan to have these tanks for many years. I like being able to dive on little notice and I never feel that I lost money on a rental if a dive is called at the last minute. I also like to know how all my gear had been cared for - it's my life, no one looks out for my safety as much as I do.
Two of my tanks are Al 80's. I bought these first when cost was a big issue. I use them for pool sessions and shallow dives. My other two are steel HP 100's. I use these as my nitrox tanks. I prefer to use these tanks with my drysuit. The saving in weight is a significant difference in my comfort out of the water. I like the larger tanks because, well ... I've never found myself with too much air under water!
For me it came down to convience and long-term economics. As long as I can breathe, I want to do some of it underwater.