Old regs (15-20 years) safe?

[stinasparkle]

My husband and I have been diving for 2 years and have recently bought our own equipment because we had been spending a lot of money hiring equipment. Experienced scuba diving friends of ours recommended Sherwood regs as they are hard wearing and easy to repair/service etc, so I kept my novice eye out on ebay (we are on a budget!) and managed to buy two complete sets of Sherwood regs for us.

Both sets are about 15-20 years old (I didn't really know that until we received them and looked them up online, as one of the models is still being produced today!). One set had never been used, so there was no corosion at all and after servicing it seems to be working perfectly (used on 5 dives so far). The other set requires some new parts, but apparently should function perfectly after repair and service.

So what's the problem? Well...is it dangerous to be using regs that are so old, even if they have been repaired, serviced and given the OK? I am really worried about something going wrong in the water because of bad equipment and I wonder if regs that are so old should really still be used? I have read posts indicating that some people are still using regs that they bought in the 80s, but is this a hazard or with appropriate care and maintenance should they be just fine?

We are only recreational divers who dive at least oncer per month throughout the summer months, and our usual depth is between 15 and 25m, although we have advanced certs and dive to a max of 35-40m. We don't really dive in any extreme conditions.

Any advice you have would be much appreciated!

[Largo]

I have a mid- 1980s Sherwood Magnum that works great.

In my opinion, as long as you have the annual service done, I don't see any problem.

P.S. It's surprisingly light-weight compared to its size.

[Crimediver]

They are excellent regs and will work fine. I dive regulators that work very well that are over 40 years old if that makes you feel better.

[Sansho]

As long as they are serviced, you should be fine. I might put new air hoses on, for additional peace of mind.

[Largo]

Originally Posted by Sansho

As long as they are serviced, you should be fine. I might put new air hoses on, for additional peace of mind.

Good catch! I didn't even think about that.

[Tassie Diver]

If you have the regs serviced/inspected by a knowledge technician, you should have no problems. It's not the age of the equipment, but the condition that is important.

Cheers

TD.

[mchain]

heh, the reg I use I found in a box from a car I had bought a couple years back. As near as I can tell the reg set is older than I am but I love it. Very vintage, all chrome aqualung. I don't think I would replace anytime soon. Works great.

[JCAT]

Hi stinasparkle, Welcome to the board.

You've been given some good advice. A regulator that is serviced correctly is the key.

One of my regs, an Aqualung double hose, is over 50 years old.

[captain]

My newest regulator is a ScubaPro MK V / R109 that is 28 years old and my oldest one is a Voit VR 2 that I started with in 1957 is 52 years old with several more in between.

[Flatliner]

I do think the advice to replace the hoses is good. Other than that, I agree that if it is serviced you are fine.