That $900 used Kirby Morgan band mask I bought off a salvage guy in Norfolk

Everyone told me to buy new, said used helmets are a death trap. I rolled the dice on a Kirby Morgan 17 from a salvage diver in Norfolk for $900. Had the reg and valve serviced by a proper shop, another $400 in parts and labor. Three months in, it's been on every dive from pier work to hull scrubs and has paid for itself twice over. A new one runs close to $4,000, and I honestly can't justify that for the work I do. Has anyone else had good luck with second-hand gear if you put the money into servicing it right?

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brian_kelly9123d ago

The real gamble isn't the helmet itself, it's whether you know the guy who owned it before you. A salvage diver in Norfolk probably beat that thing through hell, but if the shop gave it a clean bill after the service, you're basically getting a proven tool for a quarter of the price. Most people freak out about used life support because they can't tell a good shell from a cracked one, but you did the smart thing by paying for the only part that actually keeps you alive.