another newbie reg question

[rhbmrcool]

I know this has been asked a million times and because I am newly certified I wanted to buy my own reg set up, I was looking at aqualung then I see recalls then sherwood oh no whats happening there I just would like to find a good quality seviceable dependable set up for a few warm dives a year I know for all you seasoned divers this may seem like a redundant question but a few suggestions would be great and thanks for your time.

 

[Jimmer]

This would be very high on my list. I own two of these setups as octo's on my Oceanic GT3's, and they breathe quite nicely. Another good option for a simple reliable warm water reg, would be something like the Scubapro Mk2, or Zeagle Rezort or Envoy.
Oceanic Alpha 8 CDX5 regulator reviews and discounts, Oceanic

 

[gedmondson]

I would suggest the first thing you do is establish your price point. How much are you willing to spend? Keep in mind that the regulator may be the most important piece of equipment you buy. Then do your research. Browse the regulator forum here, lots of great advice. Also, check the equipment reviews at Scubadiving.com. I ended up going with the Zeagle Envoy. Didn't break the bank, and had great reviews. For an infrequently used reg, I would give the guys at scubatoys a call and see if you can't get something good that is lightly used.

Gary

 

[rhbmrcool]

thanks for input Ive been looking and learning but there is a lot of info out there and I leave soon for vacation I was hoping to get a reg before i go (rental yuck)

 

[Jimmer]

For an infrequently used reg, I would give the guys at scubatoys a call and see if you can't get something good that is lightly used.

Gary

That's a good piece of advice. Check out the reg section at Scubatoys, they generally list their used stuff right online.

 

[jeffchandler1]

Frankly, I would rent first.

Three years ago, I was convinced that I would be diving forever. So, I spend over $2000.00 on new equipment. Because I live in Colorado, I'm too far away from anywhere to dive without spending a lot of money.

Unless you live near the ocean, don't buy equipment. Just rent it when you get there. Then, you won't have to lug it around. You won't have to clean and maintain it. You would lose it. You will be much happier.

Okay, if you must buy something, buy your mask/snorkel/fins. That way, you can snorkel anywhere you want to go for free.

 

[Dive Rite]

Because I am newly certified I wanted to buy my own reg set up. I just would like to find a good quality seviceable dependable set up for a few warm dives a year

Hi Rhbmrcool,

Check out the independent reviews of various regulators on our site:
ScubaLab 2007
ScubaLab 2008

Keep in mind the RG3000 regulator as it a tough, ease to breathe and very dependable reg.

Best,
Ag

 

[robint]

Buy the best regulator you can afford, it is your life support system. Make sure the gear you buy can be serviced annually in your area, too. I am a big fan of Aqualung, Scubapro, and Atomic regs.

I disagree with jeffchandler1, don't rent regulators on vacation unless you can't avoid it. I have seen everything from top of the line to ancient never serviced gear in rental stocks around the world. Most dive shops rental gear is not taken care of properly but the shop and the patrons. Most people who rent drag the gear around, throw it in their trunk with stuff on top of it, never wash it out even after puking in it (trust me, I have seen this), and the many dive shops just throw it back into rental stock when returned without checking. They don't service gear regularly until it fails and you don't want to be the one using it when it fails! We have seen BCs inflators stick at 60' deep too on a rental and the person didn't get hurt but they could have died from that. All that comes from not taking care of gear and not servicing gear often enough. We have also seen people using rentals who aren't familiar with the gear have problems finding dumps, etc. If you own the gear, you are familiar with it.

Just my rant about rental gear.

robin

 

[mksmith713]

Check out the ScubaPro MkII with the R295 2nd and octo.
Less than $400. suggested retail.
You might even be able to get it less than that since that's the SUGGESTED retail.
If you're only diving a few times a year in warm water, this is a nice option.
Akso check out ScubaToys.
They can probably piece a set together for you for about the same $$$$.

As far as renting....don't do it dude.
My daughter went that route when she started and she got BOMBs for regs everytime she rented...Not just old regs....NEW STUFF that didn't work worth a crap.
The most recent was an Atomic B-1 setup she rented from a LDS to take to Roatan to do her AOW.
When she got there it freeflowed.
The shop there checked it out and told her what she had were REALLY EXPENSIVE PAPERWEIGHTS.
She ended up using my backup set (which is what I wanted her to do to begin with).

Check out the Scuba Pro stuff first....you can always find parts for them.
I'm still using 30 year old ScubaPro regs and parts are still available.

 

[firemedic8082]

You can get a great deal on the Zeagle Flathead VI from scubatoys....and it can handle pretty much anything you can throw at it.