Recommendations 1st stage for pony

[halocline]

I am looking for a light weight simple bulletproof 1st stage for a pony I don't want to spend a lot so will probably buy second hand. Any recommendations?

MK2 is perfect for this, and you can probably find one for less than $50.

 

[ams511]

SP MK2 or an AL Aquarius.

 

[Fishpie]

Why not just use your Mares?
You should have the rebuild kits any day and if you are worried about using Nitrox the only HP o ring in the MK12 that is exposed is the little one in the balance chamber.

 

[whaylonsmithers]

In case you do decide to buy something I just PM'd you the name of an ebay seller in Adelaide who's sold me good 2nd-hand regs previously. He services and sells a broad range of older used regs (not vintage-old).

 

[timakempton]

The question was more about finding out if there is anything new out there that I didn't know about as all of my gear is older and I have only just picked up the pony second hand. Thanks everybody for the advice. I have decided to stick with the older MR12 I have as I use much newer MR12 DFC 1st's on my air dives anyway and as chrpai pointed out using the same reg means parts redundancy...

Thanks everybody for the advice.

Tim

 

[tplyons]

ScubaPro MK2 is all of those things.

There are other regulators that are of the same design too: Non balanced piston 1st stage such as the ScubaPro MK 2 (or Aqualung Calypso, Mares R2, Sherwood Brut, Oceanic SP4 and a few others.) This simple design is usually inexpensive, nearly bullet proof, easy to get parts for, and easy and inexpensive to service. It's also easy to DIY because it requires only a few o-rings and a seat. Additionally, there is plenty of help in the DIY section if you need it.

This.

as said above, the MK-2 from ScubaPro really shines. You can find some good deals on new ones (LP has a package that is less than buying the stage by itself), so don't just think used.

And this. Just a word of warning is the MK2/R295 setups from LeisurePro are New Old Stock. I bought two and one was a 2010 model with chrome finish and the other was a 2009 model with the bead blasted finish. Both were perfectly usable, just looked different, so I had them swap out the older model for a 2010 model.

I love the MK2 on a pony. With a DIN connection its nice and small, and no extra knobs to get in the way underwater should I choose to keep my air off. Nice and compact and breathes great for the money. Sure it's no MK25 or MK17, but for an emergency air source, it works great!

---------- Post added May 27th, 2013 at 11:48 AM ----------

The question was more about finding out if there is anything new out there that I didn't know about as all of my gear is older and I have only just picked up the pony second hand. Thanks everybody for the advice. I have decided to stick with the older MR12 I have as I use much newer MR12 DFC 1st's on my air dives anyway and as chrpai pointed out using the same reg means parts redundancy...

Thanks everybody for the advice.

Tim

Looks like I'm late to the ballgame but you got yourself a good setup there!