DGX Gears vs HOG regulators, which would you choose? why?

[bradlw]

right now I'm leaning towards either the
DGX D6
OR
HOG D2 din with classic 2nd's

To those of you that have knowledge and experience of both, which would you choose and why?
and if you'd go a different direction I'm open to hearing about it!

I'm not sure I want to go all the way down to unbalanced regs...especially for the 1st stage, but I'm not closed to the idea for the type of diving I foresee. I had unbalanced regs on my pony bottles before getting into technical diving and the harder breathing with low filled tanks never bothered me... I used to run my seconds "detuned" a little bit for a harder cracking pressure to avoid wasted gas from free-flowing.....never understood folks fascination with "easy breathing" regulators that crack open when I think about drawing a breath but before I actually do breath! (and all the resulting appeal of adjustable venturi vanes, adjustable 2nd seats, etc...)
that said, of course I don't want a total crap reg that's really a hard breather either!

I plan on getting into a shop soon for a hands-on look....but that would only be for the HOG of course unless I make the 4-5 hour drive to DGX
so I'm wondering....is one of these 2nds lighter than the other?
Any other things I might notice if I could get hands-on with both?

port configuration issues maybe, in one or the other? (I'll probably dive a long hose set-up mostly because I used to and still see some good in that idea)​

I've never dove an environmentally sealed reg but even though I have no plans to dive where that's really needed, it still seems like it would be a good idea to reduce internal corrosion. (I've had cheap regs for pony use that have died early deaths from the salt water on the ambient side of the reg internals)

I'm working on getting back into diving after a very long time off. Also getting my wife and three teens certified.

My mission: I do not foresee ever getting back into technical or deep dives beyond 130ft or so. Florida diving.

Just wanting a low-cost solution for easy dives. I was trained in regulator maintenance way back when I was doing my technical stuff, and so getting parts and manuals with DGX is appealing even though I'd probably just have a shop service them most of the time just in the interest of time and laziness.

is local shop service even a thing for the DGX? will anyone service them?​

​

Now I'm just considering getting a set for me so that I can dive my own equipment, but if any of my family get into it I might be buying more sets... so low cost is primary.

 

[lexvil]

Another consideration

Thread 'Scubagaskets getting into the Reg business'

Apr 22, 2024

European o-ring and service part and tool provider Scubagaskets has just launched a new stainless steel balanced piston reg with turret.

Scuba Gaskets Stainless Steel Piston Regulator Set SGS2T2 - Scuba Gaskets

A high-performance and fast-response balanced piston regulator made from special grade 316 stainless steel. Spare parts availability is guaranteed.

scubagaskets.com

It comes with a pair of adjustable second stages and an SPG. Price through the end of April is a very reasonable € 399. € 489 starting in May.

There's also an O2 Stage version with a single second stage and green trimmings for € 299. Finally they show an environmentally sealed diaphragm version "coming soon"...

• lowwall
• Replies: 233
• Forum: Regulators

• 
• 

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Is Deep 6 off the table?
If you're going after that style of reg I'd go with Deep 6 over the others.
The only DGX model I would consider is the Xtra balanced piston set up, but I'm a piston fan so that's just me.

 

[bradlw]

If you're going after that style of reg I'd go with Deep 6 over the others.

why?

 

[bradlw]

Another consideration

Thread 'Scubagaskets getting into the Reg business'

Apr 22, 2024

European o-ring and service part and tool provider Scubagaskets has just launched a new stainless steel balanced piston reg with turret.

Scuba Gaskets Stainless Steel Piston Regulator Set SGS2T2 - Scuba Gaskets

A high-performance and fast-response balanced piston regulator made from special grade 316 stainless steel. Spare parts availability is guaranteed.

scubagaskets.com

It comes with a pair of adjustable second stages and an SPG. Price through the end of April is a very reasonable € 399. € 489 starting in May.

There's also an O2 Stage version with a single second stage and green trimmings for € 299. Finally they show an environmentally sealed diaphragm version "coming soon"...

• lowwall
• Replies: 233
• Forum: Regulators

• 
• 

I had come accross mention of that brand in another post and I had previously looked it up....yes, if I was in Europe that looks like it might be a contender...but I didn't look closely at it as it is the price converted to USD makes it a bit higher price and I didn't get into the weeds of shipping and handling

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

why?

Because they do a really good job of quality control, they are responsive to customer inquiries (they have a presence here), they are value priced, and they sell parts to the end user.

 

[bradlw]

Because they do a really good job of quality control, they are responsive to customer inquiries (they have a presence here), they are value priced, and they sell parts to the end user.

Thanks!
Seems to be an online seller. Do dive shops service them, or is it strictly DIY? I generally like and prefer DIY....but the option of getting service is mildly interesting.

I'm guessing the DGX would be DIY only, but HOG is sold by dealers.... and I understand some class is required for HOG DIY parts.

Deep six looks to be a little more expensive, and without digging deep yet seems to be comparable to the others that I was looking at....Their lower-end series looks to be about $60 more than the HOG using diver's Supply current sale price anyway....(not counting hoses or SPG)
and about $30 less than the DGX package.... but that DGX package includes all the hoses for long hose set-up, an SPG, and even a neckless for the back-up!

My prelim thought is that it might be between DGX and deep six, with HOG as my back-up choice. Hoping some folks with hands-on experience diving and servicing these regs will chime in.....

Which one has been around a while and seems to have a long future ahead for parts and service availability?

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Thanks!
Seems to be an online seller. Do dive shops service them, or is it strictly DIY? I generally like and prefer DIY....but the option of getting service is mildly interesting.

I'm guessing the DGX would be DIY only, but HOG is sold by dealers.... and I understand some class is required for HOG DIY parts.

Deep six looks to be a little more expensive, and without digging deep yet seems to be comparable to the others that I was looking at....Their lower-end series looks to be about $60 more than the HOG using diver's Supply current sale price anyway....(not counting hoses or SPG)
and about $30 less than the DGX package.... but that DGX package includes all the hoses for long hose set-up, an SPG, and even a neckless for the back-up!

My prelim thought is that it might be between DGX and deep six, with HOG as my back-up choice. Hoping some folks with hands-on experience diving and servicing these regs will chime in.....

Which one has been around a while and seems to have a long future ahead for parts and service availability?

@LandonL

 

[LandonL]

Thanks!
Seems to be an online seller.

We have a hybrid business model - we sell via resellers and direct.

Do dive shops service them, or is it strictly DIY?

Any technician competent on balanced diaphragm regulators can service ours. Most reasonable shops generally aren't in the habit of turning away business, especially when they can get parts.

For us DIY is just one of the numerous options, other options include LDS service and factory direct service. I would say we are probably the EASIEST brand to get serviced. We also offer an exceptional course on regulator service, which is incredibly detailed and really helps to give you a foundation. My business partner pioneered end user self service in our industry.

Deep six looks to be a little more expensive

I would say we offer great value for the products/services we offer. It was never our business model to be the cheapest, that just isn't a winning game, as you inevitably have to sacrifice quality when price point is the primary concern. We approach product development different than others. We decide what we want to make first, set the standard, then see about pricing structure. Not the other way around.

but that package includes all the hoses for long hose set-up, an SPG, and even a neckless for the back-up!

Our hoses are a little more expensive than many of the others out there, but there is a reason for it. Our primary supplier is a bit more expensive than other options we have available, but the reliability is far better than other (cheaper) sources we have tested. Put simply, I would rather sell a great product at a slightly higher price, than a cheaper one with a higher failure rate.

Hoping some folks with hands-on experience diving and servicing these regs will chime in.....

Can tag a few customers here who I have seen provide feedback before. Better to hear from them than me
@tbone1004 @RyanT @TylerG. @NothingClever

Which one has been around a while and seems to have a long future ahead for parts and service availability?

We are having our 10 year anniversary next year, so I would say we have a little history on us now

Combined Chris and I have something like 50 years in the industry. Our individual talents make us unique among our peers.

From my perspective I love what we do and I have no intention of changing that. You will hear a lot of opinions on the topic of "will they be here in X years" that mostly focus on going with the 'big' company over the 'small' one because of a perceived issue with longevity. I would argue we are far more stable than others out there, and current realities seem to support that.

Look at the largest company in our industry, hundreds of millions in debt, a broken supply chain, and dealers that haven't been able to buy parts for almost a year in many cases...... yet people are still saying to buy from them over a company like us because they perceive 'instability' in a company that has been providing parts non-stop for a decade. For what it's worth, I can assure you we will be here for long to come.

We hope you do end up deciding to go with us, but in the end we really just want you diving something you are happy with.

All the best and happy diving!

Cheers,
Landon Lasseter MD MBA
President - Deep6
Deep 6 Gear

 

[TylerG.]

We have a hybrid business model - we sell via resellers and direct.


Any technician competent on balanced diaphragm regulators can service ours. Most reasonable shops generally aren't in the habit of turning away business, especially when they can get parts.

For us DIY is just one of the numerous options, other options include LDS service and factory direct service. I would say we are probably the EASIEST brand to get serviced. We also offer an exceptional course on regulator service, which is incredibly detailed and really helps to give you a foundation. My business partner pioneered end user self service in our industry.


I would say we offer great value for the products/services we offer. It was never our business model to be the cheapest, that just isn't a winning game, as you inevitably have to sacrifice quality when price point is the primary concern. We approach product development different than others. We decide what we want to make first, set the standard, then see about pricing structure. Not the other way around.


Our hoses are a little more expensive than many of the others out there, but there is a reason for it. Our primary supplier is a bit more expensive than other options we have available, but the reliability is far better than other (cheaper) sources we have tested. Put simply, I would rather sell a great product at a slightly higher price, than a cheaper one with a higher failure rate.


Can tag a few customers here who I have seen provide feedback before. Better to hear from them than me
@tbone1004 @RyanT @TylerG. @NothingClever


We are having our 10 year anniversary next year, so I would say we have a little history on us now

Combined Chris and I have something like 50 years in the industry. Our individual talents make us unique among our peers.

From my perspective I love what we do and I have no intention of changing that. You will hear a lot of opinions on the topic of "will they be here in X years" that mostly focus on going with the 'big' company over the 'small' one because of a perceived issue with longevity. I would argue we are far more stable than others out there, and current realities seem to support that.

Look at the largest company in our industry, hundreds of millions in debt, a broken supply chain, and dealers that haven't been able to buy parts for almost a year in many cases...... yet people are still saying to buy from them over a company like us because they perceive 'instability' in a company that has been providing parts non-stop for a decade. For what it's worth, I can assure you we will be here for long to come.

We hope you do end up deciding to go with us, but in the end we really just want you diving something you are happy with.

All the best and happy diving!

Cheers,
Landon Lasseter MD MBA
President - Deep6
Deep 6 Gear

After diving the Deep6 lineup for the better part of 4-5 years, I can safely say no other reg I have used comes close in terms of performance, design, and ease of service.

The streamlining that these regs provide with the long body and swivel turret + 5th port is the best ive seen, both in backmount and sidemount. Other manufactures have caught on and adopted a similar design now but they usually wont have the 2 year service interval or the self service program, which Deep6 truly has, unlike some others where they'll just sell parts and post up a manual, deep6 offers a real class and certification through TDI.

In terms of breathing I dove these regs alongside atomics, dive rites, hogs, mares, sherwoods.... deep6 clears them by a mile, both in terms of ease/wob and the sort of "voluminous" feel, I felt that when I dove the smaller bodied atomics and sherwoods they definitely had a higher work of breathing but also seemed harder to get that initial start of the inhale. Which makes sense as i've serviced multiple brands and the deep6 can consistently get lower cracking effort on the 2nd stages when tuned appropriately.