all purpose regulator?

[Gamby]

I'm fairly new to diving and I'm looking for just an all around good reg for recreational diving on a single tank (air and nitrox) in all types of conditions, cold/warm, salt/fresh ect. I've been looking at the SP mk17/G250V and the AL legend ACD supreme. I'm looking for a reg that will work in colder water so i can dive all year round and I'm assuming that a cold reg will work fine in warm water as well so that if/when i travel to warmer climates i wont have to have a separate reg. Price range is $450~ as well.


Edit: i forgot to mention that I would be getting a second stage along with the first.

 

[tfsails]

Either of them will probably work ok, although I've not dived either one. I've rebuilt one or two of each and each is a balanced diaphragm with environmental seal. I own a Zeagle 50D that's a sealed balanced diaphragm and I love it. I'd recommend that reg to anyone. Remember--if you stick with a brand-name reg you cannot buy a bad regulator. They're all good.

 

[JBRES1]

My vote goes to the Scubapro MK17/G250V set up.
I really like how mine can go anywhere and do anything I ask of it.
I also don't think you could go wrong with either of the 2 regs you are looking at.
Have you tried either reg set up ?

Jim Breslin

 

[Gamby]

I've only been diving for about 6 months so i haven't been able to dive many regs. I've only dove an AL Titan and an Aeris A1. Both worked fine, but for my personal reg, im looking for something that is of higher quality and will last a long time(with proper care of course).

 

[RonFrank]

I dive the Zeagle 50D ZX, and I have a couple firsts, and several seconds. It is a very solid reg, and very reliable. I picked up my last 50D first stage for something like $75 on the cheap on Ebay, and it is a very solid performer at maybe 10 years old.

I would HIGHLY recommend any Zeagle reg new or used, but I dive with a LOT of folks that use many types of regs. They all perform very well, or at least all of my buddies seem very happy with their regs.

I saw some great prices on 09 flatheads and 50D's of late as they are closing out the model year. I'm sure the same holds true from other manufactures as well. But don't assume a reg that costs $700 will outperform a $350 reg as the flow tests show that most regs breath so well that it takes sensitive gauges to measure the difference, and the difference is... not much. Some breath better upside down, and some vent air in different ways (wider/narrower).

$450 is more than enough for a new setup, well assuming you are not including a console. USA made regs (Atomic maybe the ONLY one left) tend to be expensive. I have a friend with an Atomic, and he loves it, but man it's pricey. I paid about as much as he paid for one setup for two or more Zeagles, and my first setup was new. However I believe MY regs were made in the USA as Zeagle was one of the last to offshore, and they continue to make some things in FL, and can service anything there even if that would be an unlikely event.

 

[Scott L]

I highly, highly recomend either Aqua-lung/Apex or Atomic in that they are designed to only need servicing every two years. Huge factor. I have multiple SP reg's that are expensive as heck to service especially when you miss one service interval to do something crazy like raise children, start a business, etc. At that point you must pay for parts into perpetuity....

 

[keyshunter]

Actually. Ron, Zeagle has done somewhat of a reversal with the manufacturing of their regs. The older Zeagles (pre 2000) were rebadged Apeks regs made in England. After 2000, when Aqua Lung's parent co. purchased Apeks, Zeagle began manufacturing their regs in Florida. The current regs are very heavily based on the Apeks designs. AFAIK the regs are still made in the US, although now many of their bc's are made in China.

 

[tgsmith]

I highly, highly recomend either Aqua-lung/Apex or Atomic in that they are designed to only need servicing every two years. Huge factor. I have multiple SP reg's that are expensive as heck to service especially when you miss one service interval to do something crazy like raise children, start a business, etc. At that point you must pay for parts into perpetuity....

My LDS told me that my Apeks need to come in annually to keep the parts warranty......I think Atomics is the only one with a 2 year service period.

 

[SDAnderson]

My LDS told me that my Apeks need to come in annually to keep the parts warranty......I think Atomics is the only one with a 2 year service period.

Atomic has a two year service interval (or 300 dives, whichever comes first) on most of their regulators (Z1 is annual) but they are also supposed to come in to the dealer for an annual inspection.

 

[SDAnderson]

I'm fairly new to diving and I'm looking for just an all around good reg for recreational diving on a single tank (air and nitrox) in all types of conditions, cold/warm, salt/fresh ect. I've been looking at the SP mk17 and the AL legend ACD supreme. I'm looking for a reg that will work in colder water so i can dive all year round and I'm assuming that a cold reg will work fine in warm water as well so that if/when i travel to warmer climates i wont have to have a separate reg. Price range is $450~ as well.

Both the MK17 and the Legend ACD will meet your needs. So will most diaphragm regulators with environmental seals on them, including Zeagle and Dive Rite. Take a look at the HOG D1 Cold Water regulator - for those of you who are Zeagle 50D and Dive Rite 3000 fans, it will look very familiar...