Dropped $350 on a used Kirby Morgan hat and it paid for itself in a week

Picked up a beat up KM 37 off craigslist for $350, cleaned it up myself. First job with it was a 4 day bridge inspection in murky water and not having to fight a leaky neck dam saved me so much time. Anyone else found good deals on used hats?

2 comments

2 Comments

noaht153d ago

That neck dam thing is the real hidden cost nobody talks about when they're buying new. People see the price tag and think they're saving money but a leaky dam will have you go through three pairs of thermals and a whole can of otter butter in a single shift. You basically found a hat that was already broke in for free. The other angle though is that used hats usually come with the old style ear pucks and that foam is probably shot, so check if you're getting any water in your ears on the next dive. That's a fifty dollar fix but still way cheaper than a new hat.

the_jessica3d ago

Oh man, I gotta say the ear pucks thing isn't usually the biggest worry on a used KM 37. The foam in those old style pucks is actually pretty solid unless they've been sitting in direct sun for years. More often it's the oral nasal seal and the exhaust valve that'll be crusty. I'd actually check the bite tab first, that rubber gets brittle and cracks before the ear pucks go bad. A new oral nasal seal is like twenty bucks and takes five minutes to swap out, super easy fix.