1st regulator to buy

[scubadada]

I rented some gear a couple of weeks ago in Monterey. The Reg was an Alpha 9, I made sure I checked so that I DON'T but one. I really did not like it.
Just my 2 cents

Experience with rental gear definitely needs to be taken with a grain of salt, so to speak

 

[BoltSnap]

I assume you had a very bad experience with them.

We had several of them in our rental fleet, two different models. They go out of tune frequently, they don't hold well with moderate use, don't breath well, Cressi doesn't support their products properly, dealers don't carry spare parts for them (and when we find one that does, it is very expensive). The cheap purge second stage front cover falls apart frequently. Other than that, they are great regs

Our students reach to the Cressi regs. last when no SP, Atomic reg. is left. Never again!!

 

[BoltSnap]

@runsongas if I was going to spend this much more, I'd get the MK11 or MK17. But the thing is I'm putting a budget cap because I'll be doing around 20 dives a year.

@meesier42 Cressi has a local service centre.

The MK17/c370 is an awesome combination with very reduced price in Europe. Far superior to Cressi (not even a comparison).

 

[runsongas]

if you are going to buy a SP, get a piston, that is what they are known for

otherwise, you would be going to a sushi bar and trying to order a steak

 

[BoltSnap]

otherwise, you would be going to a sushi bar and trying to order a steak

It can be a Japanese steak, no problem

The MK21 first stage is an undervalued first stage. It is a great first stage.

 

[SOFDiver]

Buy the best reg you can possibly afford first, so you will not have to buy another later as your diving career matures. The Oceanic CDX5 is a good solid reg. I have one and a FDX 10 as well. My choice woul be an AquaLung Core, best req on the market in the price range with best warranties and dealer availability. JMO.

 

[stuartv]

I rented some gear a couple of weeks ago in Monterey. The Reg was an Alpha 9, I made sure I checked so that I DON'T but one. I really did not like it.
Just my 2 cents

I agree with @scubadada. You don't know how that reg was maintained or tuned. It's like renting a car that has no odometer, driving it, and deciding you don't like it. It might have 150,000 miles on it and never had any maintenance except maybe an occasional oil change. You just don't know how one that was setup and maintained properly would compare. Even a brand new ScubaPro Mk 25 + G260 could be tuned to breathe like a dog.

And, even a rental reg that has actually been serviced and tuned might still be tuned to breathe a little harder than if it were a person's personal reg. Tuning a rental reg to be a little stiffer would possibly cut down on customers coming back and reporting freeflows.

 

[Dave.H]

Alpha 9 is a decent reg and we have 3. 1 second stage and 2 octos. That said, I'd not buy it again. Using the purge causes the front plastic to eventually fail at the places circled in red on the attached photo. It's not hard to fix, but isn't free either. Since our Alphas are only used a couple times a year when traveling by my wife and daughter, I'm not too worried about it, but given the choice, I'd buy the 10 or another Delta

Go see what your local dive shop has and recommends. They have experience in maintaining them and will be who maintains yours.

 

[WafsterNz]

Hello,

Thanks for the advice everyone.

I ended up buy the below gear:

Oceanic Alpha 9/CDX 5 INT Silver Blue
Alpha 9 Octopus
Tusa Pressure Gauge
Oceanic Alpha 9 Cover Kit Orange
Oceanic Graphic Oceanic Regulator Bar

Can't wait for it to arrive.

 

[buddhasummer]

It can be a Japanese steak, no problem

The MK21 first stage is an undervalued first stage. It is a great first stage.

Unless it's from Hokkaido it's not worth eating.