SCBA Tanks, is there a reasonable price brand?

[Houli]

I am helping a friend look for a scba tank without breaking the bank. Is there a more reasonable priced brand out there that still has DOT certification? Looking for 45 min - 60 min tank. Little concerned buying outdated tanks. Good used with some life left would probably meet his needs. Any help would be appreciated.

Cheers

 

[Colorado_CJ]

Lots on EBay, "Scott" seems to be the most prevalent brand.

I bought one for $100.00 (a 2012, 45 minute model). If you are worried, you can get them recertified for ~$30.00 from most any dive shop.

 

[napairgunner]

Price is all about how many years left before the 15 yr expiration. You can always go to your local fire service and see if they are rotating any out of service soon and see if you can pick one up. I have 2 30 min MSA's I got that way. I don't think the brand however is that important BUT you can get a gun compressor for less than a thank so that is in my mind a better way to go anyway.

 

[sleebus.jones]

I picked in an out of date tank for $28 (Scott) off of ebay. CF tanks are designed to develop leaks, not fail catastrophically. That may/may not ease your mind. I asked to recert a SCBA tank I've got (2012) at a dive shop and they said $30 for visual inspection + $80 for the actual hydro. I was a bit shocked. I'm going to ask my local fire stations where they get theirs hydro'ed because that seems like a bit much.

Any new tanks are going to be quite $$$.

 

[Humdinger]

There is no free lunch. Tank purchases are a Catch-22. If you buy an old tank off of Ebay you then need to purchase a compressor to fill it. If you divide the remaining useful life of a used tank and add all of the hydro fees, visual inspection fees, and fill up fees from a 3rd. party vendor, you will see that your used "bargain priced" Ebay tank is actually more expensive per year of useful life remaining than a new tank costs to operate on an annual basis.

IMHO, the cheapest route for a newbie is to buy a new CE 6.8 or 9 liter tank and valve from Aliexpress and buy a Yong Heng compressor and aftermarket cyclone water separator for it to provide dry air. If you decide you love the sport, upgrade from the Yong Heng at a later date to a lightly used dive compressor from Craigslist, Ebay, or the AGN classifieds. if you are truly hooked, buy a new Alkin W31. If you are a trust fund baby, doctor, or hedge fund manager, buy a new Bauer.

The under $2,000 utterly dependable compressor has yet to be invented. Some guys are lucky and have one that lasts but they are the exception, not the rule.

 

[bandg]

There is no free lunch. Tank purchases are a Catch-22. If you buy an old tank off of Ebay you then need to purchase a compressor to fill it. Otherwise, if you divide the remaining useful life of a used tank and add all of the hydro fees, visual inspection fees, and fill up fees from a 3rd. party vendor, you will see that your "bargain priced" Ebay tank is actually more expensive per year of useful life remaining than a new tank costs to operate on a yearly basis.

IMHO, the cheapest route for a newbie is to buy a new CE 6.8 or 9 liter tank and valve from Aliexpress and buy a Yong Heng compressor and aftermarket cyclone water separator for it to provide dry air. If you decide you love the sport, upgrade from the Yong Heng at a later date to a lightly used dive compressor from Craigslist, Ebay, or the AGN classifieds. if you are truly hooked, buy a new Alkin W31. If you are a trust fund baby, doctor, or hedge fund manager, buy a new Bauer.

The under $2,000 utterly dependable compressor has yet to be invented. A few guys get lucky and have one that lasts but they are the exception, not the rule.

Should have put IMHO behind that last sentence as well, IMHO. But all in all a good summary.

 

[Gerry52]

A SCOTT, MSA, SURVIV-AIR or SPERIAN are all good brands with LOOOONNGG survival rates. If they'll be filled with a user owned compressor & not a dive shop you can find inexpensive, "expired" tanks that are still in good shape on Ebay. 

 

[Houli]

All good information, will have to give more thought to what will fit his scenario best. Sometimes you just have to bite the bullet. I 'll keeping looking, something is bound to show up or get my attention. I'll checkout ebay and keep an eye out on the forum Classifieds.

Cheers

 

[18.13]

https://www.scbasalesco.com/product/draeger-60-min-4500-psi-carbon-fiber-cylinder-reconditioned/

 

[xindaris]

I bought 3 that were past expiration but brand new in the box on eBay that came from fire departments that were upgrading. They were very responsible and I have been filling them for a couple of years with no problems. I fill my own tanks.