Tanks on Ebay

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Fill it with your own compressor and expired tank = non-issue.
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Tanks expire for good reason 

I used to have a video showing what happens when a 150 psi tank ruptured

nearly killed two people and severely crippled one now we are talking about 4500 psi tank wrapped in Carbon Fiber that is glass sharp 

Very true we are talking about a 100000 to 1 chance but people do win the Lotto with worse odds 
 
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Yep, we all have to make our own decisions regarding risk exposure The stats are against all of us dying from heart disease or cancer or a car crash vs a horrific accident from a tank. 

Even if you reanalyze the numbers to be more appropriate and only look at airgunners, fireman, divers, welders, support staff for any of that, etc (people who are around high pressure air tanks) accidents are simply not something we hear about. And you can bet your bottom dollar that if tanks were taking off limbs, causing death, or flattening houses we would be hearing about it here on the forums. 

My Drager 4500 (bought from Ebay) expired earlier this year, in May I believe. I'm in no hurry to recertify it, although my local welding/fire supply business told me that they'll keep recertifying it for as long as I want (yes, even past the 15 year "lifespan"). 

My SCBA looks like it never saw a fire. There aren't any chips, gouges, frayed fibers, etc. ALL of those things would make me reassess my use of this particular tank. As-is this is not something that keeps me up at night. 

When I first bought it I had the fire supply place do a visual inspection for corrosion, pitting, etc of the inner liner. They said it looks brand new inside. 

I feel good about saving $5-600 bucks, and don't even feel like I'm risking life and limb by doing so. 

There's government regulation...............and then there's common sense. 


 
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If you are serious about reusing an expired tank make sure it is at least thoroughly inspected and fill to less than maximum pressure to be on the safer side such as 3500psi max or less for example.

You could buy guns that require low fill pressure too such as the 2000psi Benjamin Discovery or Maximus or Challenger or find a 1500psi Mac1 USFT.

Don't go looking to buy 250-300bar capacity guns. LOWER start fill pressure the better so you aren't forced to push towards max pressure on the expired tanks.
 
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I like a bargain as much as the next guy. If you compare the cost of a brand new tank and divide it by 15 it will give you a rule of thumb to go by when evaluating used tank prices. It hasn't been my experience to find used tanks priced proportionate to their remaining life span. Expired tanks can be bargains if you are lucky and get one that hasn't been badly beaten up. Most used tanks pictured on Ebay and other classifieds are cherry picked for the ad photo out of a large number being sold. I don't think tanks magically degrade into hand grenades on their expiration date. Very often tanks within their 15 year manufacture date are not a bargain compared to a new tank if a buyer divides the tank's remaining life by the tank's price. Many times partial life tanks aren't such a hot deal when a buyer does the math.
 
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Just an example of the condition of one of these expired/good for nothing ebay tanks. 

Screenshot_20200915-135308.1600203708.png


I originally was using one of the $40 ebay fill stations too, but got tired of it eating orings so upgraded to the STIK BOY I think it's called. 

So, all-in I think I'm a little over $200 bucks for a 60 min SCBA. 

Also, I wouldn't hesitate to look at some of the Acecare offerings. There's more than a couple airgun manufacturers using tanks made by those guys on their guns these days. 

I think a 60 min Acecare setup will put you somewhere between the $150-200 range of an expired or near expired Ebay set-up, versus a $6-700 new setup from one of the main companies who have been selling tanks to airgunners for years now. (So, Acecare would be in the $300-400 or so range I believe, fill station and all, at least the last time I looked). 
 
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I like a bargain as much as the next guy. If you compare the cost of a brand new tank and divide it by 15 it will give you a rule of thumb to go by when evaluating used tank prices. It hasn't been my experience to find used tanks priced proportionate to their remaining life span. Expired tanks can be bargains if you are lucky and get one that hasn't been badly beaten up. Most used tanks pictured on Ebay and other classifieds are cherry picked for the ad photo out of a large number being sold. I don't think tanks magically degrade into hand grenades on their expiration date. Very often tanks within their 15 year manufacture date are not a bargain compared to a new tank if a buyer divides the tank's remaining life by the tank's price. Many times partial life tanks aren't such a hot deal when a buyer does the math.
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I've seen a whole lot of tanks with 3 to 6 years left going for about $100/yr, but don't recall if I've ever seen better pricing. I agree with you -- if you're going to buy a tank with three or four years left for $375, you'd be better off buying a tank with 15 years left for $600.
 
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Again, buying and using an expired tank only makes sense if you've got a means to fill that thing (ie your own compressor). Without your own compressor (or a good buddy with one), an expired tank is a paperweight cuz no commercial location is going to fill it. 

The cost/year concept goes out the window when you're filling your own tanks past that 15 year mark. 

As @goodolebvc recommended earlier in the thread, "Do you own research and make your own call."
 
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Acecare tanks are probably as good as any other brand of SCBA tank. There are two issues to keep in mind before buying an Acecare tank. Their tanks are usually CE certified which will not be filled by a U.S.shop. They sell some DOT certified tanks but they are much more expensive than their CE certified tanks. The second issue is they only sell a non-U.S. spec 18*1.5 neck thread tank which is compatible with cheap Chinese made fill valves. The CE certified Acecare tank setups can only be filled by a compressor owner and one who is satisfied with a lesser quality fill valve and hose. If Acecare offered .875-14 neck thread tanks they would be an attractive option to buyers who own a compressor. The 18*1.5 threaded valves will function but U.S. thread valves are much higher quality and user friendly.
 
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Acecare tanks are probably as good as any other brand of SCBA tank. There are two issues to keep in mind before buying an Acecare tank. Their tanks are usually CE certified which will not be filled by a U.S.shop. They sell some DOT certified tanks but they are much more expensive than their CE certified tanks. The second issue is they only sell a non-U.S. spec 18*1.5 neck thread tank which is compatible with cheap Chinese made fill valves. The CE certified Acecare tank setups can only be filled by a compressor owner and one who is satisfied with a lesser quality fill valve and hose. If Acecare offered .875-14 neck thread tanks they would be an attractive option to buyers who own a compressor. The 18*1.5 threaded valves will function but U.S. thread valves are much higher quality and user friendly.
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Hi

En aliexpress puede comprar tanques Acecare a mejor precio que en ebay y refente a la valvula si monta una 18x1,5 Din 300 CE no va ha tener ningun problema de seguridad otra cosa es que la homogacion no le sirva en U.S.

Regards 

Enkey 
 
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