First regs for sidemount

[flots am]

Hi guys, I am diving an Xdeep Stealth 2.0 and would now like to purchase my regs.

my instructor said after i sent him this link, https://www.divegearexpress.com/sidemount/regs.shtml:

Apeks is expensive but I own mine since 10 years...so they are definitly worth it
our hog rentals are already breaking and dive rite has some issues with second stages. not sure on hollis but generaly dont like them
. . .

Any thoughts about the first and second stages, hose lengths, etc are appreciated!

No popular reg should be "breaking" significantly more than any other. I'm guessing poor/improper or no maintenance. If the shop's rental regs are failing a lot, ask them why they're not doing more and better maintenance.

I'd recommend getting something that has good parts availability and a good long history. If I was starting over, I'd probably be trolling eBay for older, metal SCUBAPro regs, or used Atomic M1s because I like them and can get very good local service.

If you're not planning on servicing your own, I'd find out what your local SCUBA shops sell/service a lot of and buy that.

I would recommend DIN valves/regs. Aside from the other reasons, mostly because a yoke knob feels too much like a valve knob if you find your self in a low-viz stressful situation, and you don't need to be creating your own problems when the brown stuff is already hitting the fan.

Hose lengths depend on routeing and how big you are and what kind of diving you plan on doing.

flots.

 

[beanojones]

Hi guys, I am diving an Xdeep Stealth 2.0 and would now like to purchase my regs.

my instructor said after i sent him this link, https://www.divegearexpress.com/sidemount/regs.shtml:
..
Do you guys also recommend DST and XTX50 as the best?

Link's busted:
https://www.divegearexpress.com/sidemount/regs.shtml

Apeks are great regs. Used ones are not worth it unless they already have the 5th port, because the part is pretty dang 'spensive'.

 

[elan]

I would stick to Apeks. Proven reg.
My friend did have a dive rite 2 stage break. The outlet holding the mouthpiece broke off. The plastic was paper thin. One can of cause contribute it to poor handling but DR is the first reg I have seen that broke.

 

[rongoodman]

As the OP knows, I've been happy with my Hogs. I'm going to have them serviced in July when I'm down at Dive Gear Express, so we'll see how they look on the inside. For now, I can't believe the Apeks regs are worth the price premium. I prefer the 9" hoses on the SPGs because I have older eyes.

 

[Dam0]

I love my Hollis set. Don't really see them get mentioned a lot here.

http://www.hollisgear.com/prodview.asp?id=149

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Did you ask your instructor why they take such poor care of their rental gear or allow others to?

 

[ams511]

I thought for sidemount you need second stages that you can change the side of the hose? So he would need something like a Hog Switchback, DR XT2, AL Titan, SP G260 or an XTX.

I doubt the LDS has Hog switchbacks in its rental fleet. Also how old are they? I get the impression that Hog improved the design over time.

NESS seems to have DS4/XTX 50s for $370 a set. If you can use a DS4 over a DST.

 

[rongoodman]

I thought for sidemount you need second stages that you can change the side of the hose? So he would need something like a Hog Switchback, DR XT2, AL Titan, SP G260 or an XTX.

It depends on how you route them. With a short hose on the left and long hose on the right, routed hog style behind your neck, they can both feed from the right. With two short hoses, having one left and one right works better. Being able to choose makes life easier.

 

[Dive-aholic]

The main issue will be where you get your regs serviced. Do you have a local Apeks dealer? If not, then you need to take into account having to ship your regs out and paying for shipping both ways. And finding a shop that will deal with that in a timely manner. Most regs are made in one of the same factories and are not much different from each other. My preferred regs are Aqualung Legends but I bought them at keyman several years ago and I have sources for service kits so I can service them myself. If I were to lose my sources I would have to sell them because I'm not about to let anyone else service my regs. (Well, there are a couple people I might let service them.)

HOGs are good regs. I have a few sets I've been diving for about 5 years now and haven't had any issues with them. And they see some abuse. Probably not as much as a rental fleet. I'm interested in knowing how they are "breaking". I also have some Dive Rite regs I've been using for several years. Again, no issues with them. And Dive Rite is quick to offer great customer service if they sell gear with defects.

It's all a matter of personal choice. And there are a lot of factors to consider.

 

[scuba127]

I'm switching to HOG from Atomic and Hollis so I can work on them myself. I've got one HOG right now and it seems to breath just as good as my other regs. Its seems rugged enough to me. Based on my expirience with the HOG so far, I don't really buy the idea that multiple HOG regs routinely break even in a rental fleet. I'd need alot more proof than a statement on the internet to buy into this..... with all due respect.