The shop I was teaching for won't work on "Internet" regs. Their feeling is that they haven't been trained on them and their insurance would leave them twisting in the wind if there were ever a lawsuit involving said regs.
Of course, they could get trained on them, but they would rather just stick with being able to tell potential customers that if they buy "those", they won't be able to get them serviced "here". Obviously, they would rather people buy regs from them and then come back for service instead of buying online and bringing them there for service.
[I know the following is OT from the original post, but the thread seems to have wandered a bit to where this seems appropriate:]
Anyway.... if you're worried about it, another option is one that I just learned about and bought for myself. Atomic Z2. The least expensive regs that Atomic makes. $440 for a set.
I never paid much attention to Atomic regs before because I thought they were too expensive. I assumed their least expensive regs would be something I wouldn't want. And their most expensive regs were too rich for my blood. Recently, I was offered a chance to buy a set of Atomic gear at a very nice discount so I looked into them. I found out that all their regs are basically the same design.
The performance is claimed to be identical from cheapest to most expensive. The differences are mainly in the materials used, whether the 1st stage has a swivel turret, and whether the 2nd stage has their "comfort swivel". The most expensive is all titanium. It's the most corrosion-resistant and the lightest. The least expensive is the same basic materials as most other regs on the market. So, less corrosion-resistant, heavier, a bottom port but no swivel turret, and no comfort swivel. But, it still gives the same performance and has (generally) the same nice features that the most expensive Atomic reg set has (i.e. it still has the Seat Saver, the AFC, and adjustable work-of-breathing).
Also, I have found that the Dive/Pre-dive switch on my ScubaPro regs makes a noticeable difference in how the breathing on the 2nd stage feels. In my reading up on Atomic, I found that they have the same thing except you don't turn a knob for it. It's automatic and activated by increasing ambient pressure as you descend in the water. They call it Automatic Flow Control. I think it will be nice to not have to remember to turn that knob when I get in and out of the water, like I do with my SP regs.
And the Z2 is only $440. Or $480 for the sealed version. Very comparable in price to the top of the line "Internet" reg set.
I got a Z2 setup and just had my first go with it in the pool last weekend. It seems like a very nice setup, so far. I ordered the "wide exhaust tee" accessory for my 2nd stages and installed it on one of them. In the pool, the regular exhaust was like my other regs - occasionally some bubbles coming up in front of my face. I switched to the one with the wide exhaust tee and it seemed to me fairly noticeable how much less bubbles I had coming up in front of my face. Not a HUGE difference, for sure. But, noticeable, and I'm glad to have the wide tee. And I think it's cool that they have that option. The regular tee is more compact, so I guess that might be nice when packing to fly somewhere. it's super quick and easy to switch back and forth, if you want.
It also does give me a slight bit of comfort to know that I have regs that, if I get in a pinch (i.e. have a last-minute problem right before a trip) I can take them to my LDS to get them fixed.
Disclaimer: I just got my first set of Atomic regs, so I am clearly in a honeymoon phase. Take my thoughts with a grain of salt.
I'm glad to hear you got your Mares fixed. Really fixed. And are getting them serviced. Now you can plan your purchase with no pressure.
Once Mares fixed the problem with the high pressure seat the reg has been pretty stable. As an aside, it was Bruce at Carib Inn (bonaire) that id'd the problem and put in the redesigned seat. My old original lds would have been happy to continue to replace it with the same crappy design. Anyway, this reg breathes fine down below 100' so I can't really complain - toooo much.
