Is it better to buy new or used scuba gear?

Used for regulators, BCDs and drysuits, where servicing restores them fully and the savings are large. New for masks, fins, snorkels and anything with a rubber shelf life and a low price.

How much do you save buying used dive gear?

Certified used regulators, BCDs and drysuits generally run 40 to 60 percent of the new price of the same model. The saving on small rubber items is too small to be worth the fit risk.

Is a used regulator as good as a new one?

After a certification service, yes on the bench: new soft parts throughout and the same tuning numbers as a new unit. The difference is cosmetic.

Used vs New Dive Gear: Where the Savings Are, and Where They Aren’t

Buying used is not a compromise on every piece of dive gear. On some it is the obviously right call; on others it barely saves anything. Here is the honest split.

Where used wins clearly

Regulators. The metal first stage of a good regulator lasts for decades, and a certification service replaces every part that wears. A certified used regulator from a current model line typically costs 40 to 60 percent of new for identical performance on the bench. This is the single biggest saving in a dive kit, and the reason DescendAgain exists. See the certified used regulators in stock.

Drysuits. A well-made shell lasts ten years or more; the seals, zipper and valves that wear are all replaceable. The saving over new is large and the risk is manageable with a leak test.

BCDs. Fabric, a bladder and a few serviceable valves. Once the inflator and dumps are serviced and the bladder leak-tested, there is nothing left to age.

Where it is a closer call

Dive computers. Electronics are reliable and the savings are real, but older models lose firmware support and factory battery service, and an air-integrated computer without its transmitter is a much worse deal. Buy used only where the model is still supported; our used dive computers page says which are.

Tanks. Used tanks are cheap for a reason: hydro and visual inspection dates, and on aluminum tanks the alloy series, decide whether a fill station will touch them. A tank out of hydro is worth the hydro fee less than one in date.

Where new is usually better

Masks, snorkels, fins and boots. Rubber and silicone age whether or not they are used, the new prices are low, and fit is personal. Buy these new and put the money you saved on the regulator here.

Lights and batteries. A used light with a tired battery pack is a new battery pack away from being a new light, and battery packs are the expensive part.

The rule

Spend on service history, not on age. A twelve-year-old regulator with a dated bench record is a better buy than a two-year-old one with none. That is the logic behind every item on DescendAgain, and the used dive gear buying guide walks through the checks.

See all used dive gear in stock, or the service intervals and bench specs we work to.