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.

 

[rsingler]

IMO, the Mk19EVO is preferable to the Mk25 for ease of maintenance and consistency of performance during the service interval. You will have crisper valve lockup with the diaphragm compared with the piston, because the gas flow in the piston makes a full U-turn at high speed. This makes the piston knife edge susceptible to scuffing from tank wall particulates that make valve closure often mushy in the second year. As a sealed reg, the Mk19EVO only requires a quick rinse, which can be helpful on a trip with nothing but a motel bathroom for maintenance. In comparison, the Mk25 needs religious rinsing after every trip if you want a 35-year regulator lifetime. Of course, what's "out of sight is out of mind". Mk25 may be the most popular high performance reg in the world, but only techs see its Achilles' heel.

The S270 is the plastic version of the S620Ti and is an extraordinary value. It's performance is startlingly close to its expensive cousin, and shares many parts.

The D420 has come way down in price and is an excellent performer, with two caveats:
1) its design is unfamiliar to 90% of current (young) shop technicians, and your service and tuning results may vary widely (plus, its service kit is quite expensive);
2) its excellent performance is only in the standard diving position. Looking up, it becomes quite stiff, and when stationary, its bubble dispersion is poor, due to the absence of wings on the exhaust tee.

For your primary first stage, especially if you will be traveling, it would be better to have a high performance reg that any technician can service. In that regard, if your budget permits, an S620Ti has better performance and stability than the S600, with a design that is familiar to any technician. While that is true of the A700 as well, its adjustment knob corrodes very easily and becomes stiff, and it is a bit "mouth heavy" in the water, especially compared to the S620Ti or S270. Its polished chrome quickly gets pretty dinged and scratched, so it shows wear much more quickly than the S620Ti.

If you're choosing Scubapro, then it's
Mk19EVO, S620Ti, S270

Personally, I'd happily substitute a G260 for the S620Ti. The lockable purge button allows you to maintain a tune for much longer, by taking the pressure off the seat in between dive trips. Its case is indestructible.