PSA: That used Kirby Morgan helmet on eBay? Don't. Lost $1,100 in Biloxi.

Bought a MK-5 off some guy down in Biloxi. Said it passed a rebuild. Got it on a barge, did a pre-dive check. Cracked neck dam, seized exhaust valve. Took it to a shop in Mobile. They said it needed $700 in parts. Almost paid it. Then they pulled the crown and found the whole thing was painted over a stress fracture. Scrap metal. Lesson: never buy life support without a current dry test cert or a video call straight to a certified repair guy. Anyone else get burned buying used gear online?

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1 Comment

sageburns18d ago

Honestly, half of this sounds like you skipped the basics and paid for it. A cracked neck dam and seized exhaust valve are pretty obvious if you give the thing more than a five minute look before handing over eleven hundred bucks. And the paint over a stress fracture thing? That's rough, but it's also why you get a pressure test done before you buy, not after. I get that you're mad, but the PSA here is kinda just "know what you're looking at." Used gear can be a great deal if you treat it like a used car and not a mystery box. I'm not saying the seller wasn't shady, but I also wouldn't trust some random guy in Biloxi unless I had a receipt from a shop I called myself. That's on you, not the eBay listing.

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