Advice needed for (first time) regulator purchase

[JoePue]

Hi all,

I am currently putting together my own dive gear for the first time. I just bought a Scubapro Litehawk BCD, and are now looking for a regulator. I am zooming in on those two set ups:

Set-up 1) Scubapro MK19 EVO / D420 / S270
Set-up 2) Scubapro MK25 EVO Black Tech DIN / A700 Carbon Black Tech / S270

I'm looking for a set in which I am well equipped for most situations (hot and cold water, a wide variety of diving environments, etc.) and in which I can "grow into it" as I gain more experience over the next few years. I'm happy to spend a little more money on it, but I also didn't want to make the mistake of buying a set that would be an "overkill" or overwhelms for me for years to come.

I live in Singapore and dive almost exclusively in Southeast Asia (and Africa), but I also have the ambition to dive in colder waters in Europe soon. I started diving in 2018, then took a very long break because of Covid and started again last year. I'm still at the beginning of my "diving career" with currently almost 50 dives, but I plan to go diving intensively in the next few years and have already booked several longer diving trips. I'm still learning about the topic of regulators and so I thought I'd ask you as experts

I currently tend to set-up 2, as my understanding is that this is cutting-edge high-end set-up which would cover me for years to come.

Would appreciate any feedback, thoughts, or comments.

Thanks a lot in advance,
Joe

 

[Polarorbit]

I prefer the mk19 because a diaphragm 1st stage is inherently environmentally sealed. However, I dive both diaphragm and piston 1st stages in cold (34F/1C) dirty water and have not had issues with either. Both options are quite good. Just pick what makes you happy and go diving.

 

[JoePue]

Thank you Polarorbit, very helpful and appreciated! I had a suspicion that the differences between those two sets are negligible for me.

 

[KenE]

I highly recommend getting identical second stages. Especially if you intend to grow in the type of diving you do. Either the Mk19 or Mk25 will do, but I would suggest either dual S600 or G250 as second stages both are very rugged and will last your whole diving career. The G250 are a bit less money but I really like my S600s. Both breath about the same, the S600 might be a bit better, but this is definitely an individuals preference just like the Mk19 vs Mk25. I personally use the Mk25, but that is just me. Dual second stages makes regulator service much simpler as you are ordering dual parts kits instead of two different kits. If you grow to service your own, than this becomes more valuable because you are only stocking a single spare parts kit.