seanw - 7/26/2019 9:21 PM
I have no problem buying used gear. I bought my mask, fins, wetsuit, and dive computer new (the first three because I wanted them sized properly and not peed in), and my BC and reg used (oh, and a used drysuit and weights). At the low end of the gear models, features stay pretty much the same. e.g. the difference between my BC and the current model is zippers and a set of trim pockets I added aftermarket anyway, and the difference between my watch and the model before is an extra button. The sky’s the limit with regulators, but the basic models haven’t changed significantly in forever.
New scuba gear depreciates like crazy and there’s a lot of stuff out there on the used market. A lot of deals to be had especially with people that took up diving for a year and the stuff sat in their closet. I’ll suggest focusing on stuff that’s only a few years old and ask about the service history (was it serviced? Do you see corrosion or obviously bad hoses?). If you buy a regulator then get it serviced prior to being used — they replace all the wearable parts, clean and inspect the insides, and test it.
All that said, if you’re new to diving, consider renting to start like Joe mentioned above. The reason for this is that you’ll figure out what you like and don’t like, which’ll help you buy the right thing the first time (new or used). If you buy right off the bat, you might find out things you don’t like, or the types of diving you find you like may call for different gear than you first thought. While I’m still happy I bought my BC and reg used right after I got certified, I’ve already replaced the BC (and initially bought it used, it got lost in shipping, ended up finding a great deal on a new one) and have started to get a feel for the used market on the regs I want to get next. I also have a son that can use any gear that I have two of, so doubling up is less of a problem for me.
Alec Pearce Tech Tips on YouTube has some great videos on features for the various pieces of gear which may help you with the things you want, and what are fancy bells and whistles.