Warning: Those cheap Kirby Morgan parts from Amazon nearly cost me a dive last week

I needed a new exhaust valve for my KM-37 in a hurry before a job in Galveston. Found one on Amazon for $18 versus $45 from the usual supplier. Figured it's just rubber, how different could it be? Put it in, went down to 60 feet on a bridge inspection, and within 15 minutes my air flow felt off. Surfaced and the damn thing had already warped and was leaking. Had to cancel the rest of the shift and drive 2 hours to get a real one. Anyone else get burned buying knockoff parts online?

2 comments

2 Comments

oscarh1628d ago

Bought a non-standard o-ring kit off eBay once for my KM-77. Lasted one dive before it started crumbling. The material they use in those cheap parts is just not the same compound as the real stuff. Stick with Kirby Morgan or someone like Dive Lab for anything that touches your air supply. Saved me a few bucks but cost me a day of work and maybe worse.

lindaw1227d ago

Maybe it's just me but I've had okay luck with some of those cheaper parts if you're careful about where you source them. That o-ring kit thing sounds rough but for things like exhaust valves or non-critical stuff idk, they can be fine for light use or as backups in a pinch. Always test them shallow first though just to be safe. Probably depends a lot on the seller and whether they're actually selling dive-rated stuff or just random rubber bits.