Advise on regulator

[Diver1966]

I understand this is a loaded question, and I am not looking to start a fight.

I am in the market for a reg setup. I have been out of the sport for 12 or so years getting back in with my son who got his cert last summer. The shop where he got it from is a Scubapro dealer, so Scubapro is the best and all others should be thrown away according to the shop. I understand his point of view I would expect the same from a car dealer, theirs is the best.

I also understand that Scubapro is good, just not convinced that the price is justifiable in my situation. We live in West Texas so most if not all of our diving will be in lakes not deeper than 60 foot or so. With that being said I was wondering if some of you could enlighten me as to some of the other brands on the market such as Mares, Zeagle, Oceanic, Aries, ect. I can and have read the web site blurb on these but looking for real world experience.

The cost is not really an issue, but also I am not looking to spend allot of money on brand name or gadgets. Looking for a good solid 1St & 2nd stage regulator that is easy to breath and is worth the money spent on it.

Thank you for your time.
Barry

 

[Couv]

I understand this is a loaded question, and I am not looking to start a fight.

I am in the market for a reg setup. I have been out of the sport for 12 or so years getting back in with my son who got his cert last summer. The shop where he got it from is a Scubapro dealer, so Scubapro is the best and all others should be thrown away according to the shop. I understand his point of view I would expect the same from a car dealer, theirs is the best.

I also understand that Scubapro is good, just not convinced that the price is justifiable in my situation. We live in West Texas so most if not all of our diving will be in lakes not deeper than 60 foot or so. With that being said I was wondering if some of you could enlighten me as to some of the other brands on the market such as Mares, Zeagle, Oceanic, Aries, ect. I can and have read the web site blurb on these but looking for real world experience.

The cost is not really an issue, but also I am not looking to spend allot of money on brand name or gadgets. Looking for a good solid 1St & 2nd stage regulator that is easy to breath and is worth the money spent on it.

Thank you for your time.
Barry

Hello Barry,

Edit: Howdy neighbor and Welcome to Scuba Board!

For the short version, just skip to the bottom.

Shortly, you will be swamped with advise about buying a regulator, mostly by people who own a brand and are very fond of it. One thing to keep in mind about regulators is that most are great at what they do. So how do you separate the wheat from the chaff? That won't be easy, but it will be fun and entertaining. Soon you will find out there are quite a few gurus on this board in each section. It's helpful to pick out a few of them and read lots of their post and you will be off to a very good start. In the regulator section I can highly recommend the post of (in no particular order) Awap, DA Aquamaster, Captain, Pescador775 and Luis H ©Õhere are lots of others but that will keep you busy for a while.

At any rate, you want a regulator brand that has a good track record for keeping parts available for each model. Of course unless you intend to DIY, you also want a regulator that can be serviced by your local dive shop and lots of locations in the world. The two best companies in both regards are Aqualung and Scubapro.
My recommendation for the average recreational diver, i.e. not freezing water, 150 feet or less, is a simple non balanced piston 1st stage such as the Scuba Pro 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 is also easy to DIY because it requires only a few o-rings and a seat. Yes, the unbalanced design will increase the breathing effort at low tank pressure, but I view this as a good thing especially for new or inexperienced divers. See this thread: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/regulators/87374-scuba-pro-r190-2.html

Additionally, if/when one wants to start more advanced diving where high concentrations of oxygen will be used this type regulator can be moved to that application.

For a second stage I like an adjustable and balanced unit. This provides the ability to have the regulator tuned to minimum inhalation resistance with the option of the diver increasing the resistance it if he/she finds the need to. Having said that, a straight forward classic downstream design with a simple to replace set of o-rings and button soft seat can be highly recommended as it is a tried and true design, parts are usually available and almost anyone can service them.

It is a good idea to have the same manufactures 1st and 2nd stage to make getting service less complicated.

For more demanding diving and high end/higher performance (higher price) regulators see the following link for DA's excellent advice.
<http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/regulators/181745-advice-regulators.html>

Now, if you have read through my entire boring post or have done the sensible thing and just skipped down to this part, the best advice would be to contact (send a PM) someone who rebuilds regulators like DA Aquamaster and see if he has a rebuilt ready to sell.

Good luck,

Couv

 

[RonFrank]

You have a great shop in your state, ScubaToys. You get price matching from one of the best shops in the world, Leisurepro. IOW's shop price at LP, and get ST to match if you want a manufacture warranty.

For regs, I like Zeagle. They are a US based (FL) manufacture, and their regs are easy to work on. Parts are readily available, and you even have a manufacture facility in the US should you need that type of service. I have three Zeagle first stages, and they breath great, and have been very reliable.

The price is also a bit less vs. some manufactures. The Flathead are expensive ($600+ via LP, likely still made in the USA), but their 50D ZX is an outstanding regulator, and sells for $344 at ScubaToys with full manufacture warranty. I've been diving the 50D ZX for over five years now, and highly recommend them.

Zeagle ZX 50D Regulator reviews and discounts, Zeagle

 

[newman_diver]

As said above everyone is going to have a recommendation based on what they use and may have less than favourable things to say about other brands. Almost like a salesperson for the said brand. Most is going to be useful information but I wouldn't solely rely on public opinion. Ask around where you dive and at local shops. Read reviews. See if someone in your area has some regs you could try out.

My best advice is to buy something that is simple, performs well, meets your needs and is easily serviced (inexpensive parts, local service). Having to send your regs away for service will put you out of commission, especially if you don't have an extra reg.

As far as simplicity, the less gimmicks and parts, the less there is to go wrong and the less there is to service. You also want a reg that breathes easy and will work for you in the conditions you plan on diving in (cold water, salt/fresh water, high particulate (silt).

I use Apeks regulators. DS4 1st stage and TX50 second stage. 1st stage is available in both DIN and yoke configurations. Dead simple, performs well under adverse conditions and robust. Service parts are slightly higher than some other brands but I find them to be reasonable. 2nd stage is adjustable.

1 potential downside is the DS4 only has 1 HP port. This may be an issue if you require more than 1 port. For this situation I would recommend the Apeks DST 1st stage which has 2 HP ports.

If you have any further questions feel free to drop me a PM.

 

[Teamcasa]

There are very few "bad" regulators.
Scubapro does make good stuff but so do many others, despite what your dive shop tell you. Read some more posts here and you will see that others feel their choice in regs is the right one as well, despite the brand.

Have fun, get your gear and go diving.

 

[RonFrank]

Despite what Newman, and Dave have to say, they are wrong, and Zeagle is the Best!

Seriously Zeagle was using an Apeks design, and basically selling Apeks regs under the zeagle name for years. Maybe 7 years ago, Zeagle began manufacturing their own regs, but they share more design similarities vs. differences.

My decision to purchase Zeagle was based on the local Tech community, as well as the SB diver base.

I agree that there are really not many bad regulators on the market today. Another interesting thing to note is that product lines don't change often. A good used regulator is certainly not a poor choice, but you will have to pay to get it serviced likely before you dive it.

 

[NorthWoodsDiver]

If you dont like the price of scubapro at your dive shop look into internet sources like leisure pro or better yet Scuba store. Online Scuba gear and Scuba equipment shop. (they have DIN in stock unlike LP)

I love scubapro and cant see any reason to buy anything else. T

 

[tfsails]

As long as you stick to a brand name, you can't go wrong regardless of what reg you buy. I have no opinion of off-brand regs because I know nothing about them. Just be sure you buy a reg you can get serviced easily, ESPECIALLY if you dive in salt water.

Remember the KISS principle if you're not going to dive a lot. Of course, if you have your own stuff it's a good excuse to dive a lot...

 

[Diver1966]

Thanks to all. I will do my homework, and going to rent from shops around the State and see what I like best.

Thanks again.

 

[Gamehunter]

I have to agree with everyone that there are very few bad regulators made now days. If I were in the market for a new regulator I would look at the service department of the shop that I was buying it from. Are they servicing their own regs? Do they stock parts for the regs that they service? What services do they offer. My LDS offers 10% back in air fills for any equipment bought there, they offer free loaners if you need equipment while it is being serviced. They also have parts for life program that they maintain on my regs which saves me about $35 a year on my regs. I can purchase my regs anywhere but my biggest concern is the service after the sale. Good luck and don't be afraid to ask shops to see their service dept, a lot can be said how it looks.