Any recommendations for a lower price good beginner reg?

[scrane]

Wow! do you still have this available? I'd definitely take it and with luck I can outfit it with second/primary second on a long hose setup!

I will be happy to send you the Mk10, but ... the reg will need a rebuild/cleaning. This will not be cheap or straightforward. I would echo the words of ams511 above. As I mentioned previously, I think you'd be best off with DiveGearExpress, or even Deep6.

 

[Nemrod]

I do not think beginners should grab used gear from eBay. But a serviceable Mark 10 is never a bad thing to have in inventory. It is, like, what, two O-rings and flip the seat to get it going again assuming it is in otherwise decent shape. Particularly one of the later Mark 10s. The G200 and G250 are current inventory service parts.

The problem in part with new divers buying used gear is there is used gear and then their is used gear. Some old Tabata regulator or something from a hear today and gone tomorrow house brand is not a good deal. On the other hand, just about anything that says Scubapro/Aqua Lung (Conshelf)/Mares (MR)/Apeks can be returned to service unless it is throughly trashed. Just got to know when to hold your money and when to lay it down. And a new diver is not likely to be able to pick the gold nuggets from the swarf.

 

[MarkPorter]

I will be happy to send you the Mk10, but ... the reg will need a rebuild/cleaning. This will not be cheap or straightforward. I would echo the words of ams511 above. As I mentioned previously, I think you'd be best off with DiveGearExpress, or even Deep6.

Ah, that’s a bummer. If I brought it to my LDS would they be able to service it for a decent rate or would it just be better to get a new stage?

 

[Bassh8me]

Pretty much the title. I'm new to diving and want to get some of my own gear but it's all very expensive, especially for a new diver who is also a teenager on minimum wage.

I started diving a few years ago. I was on a very tight budget and got the Cressi XS2 set for dirt cheap. Its a piston deal but pistons have been used for over 50 years. I have over 100 dives with this set in depths over 100' and temps down to 53 degrees. Unless you're planning on diving in really deep or really cold water piston regs work just fine. Here is a link to the video that convinced me to buy the Cressi.


You can buy the reg and second stage with ocotopuss on amazon for $300

Cressi XS2/AC2 Regulator and XS Octopus Package​

 

[andrewmcc]

Ah, that’s a bummer. If I brought it to my LDS would they be able to service it for a decent rate or would it just be better to get a new stage?

Call you LDS and get a quote to service it if this is the route you want to take. They should be able to tell you what the best case scenario would be for the service cost. That way you have as much information as possible to make a decision.

 

[scrane]

Wow! do you still have this available? I'd definitely take it and with luck I can outfit it with second/primary second on a long hose setup!

DM sent. Check your inbox.

 

[ams511]

I do not think beginners should grab used gear from eBay. But a serviceable Mark 10 is never a bad thing to have in inventory. It is, like, what, two O-rings and flip the seat to get it going again assuming it is in otherwise decent shape. Particularly one of the later Mark 10s. The G200 and G250 are current inventory service parts.

The problem in part with new divers buying used gear is there is used gear and then their is used gear. Some old Tabata regulator or something from a hear today and gone tomorrow house brand is not a good deal. On the other hand, just about anything that says Scubapro/Aqua Lung (Conshelf)/Mares (MR)/Apeks can be returned to service unless it is throughly trashed. Just got to know when to hold your money and when to lay it down. And a new diver is not likely to be able to pick the gold nuggets from the swarf.

It has been a while since I rebuild a MK-10 but I remember the seats being concave only on 1 side. Are you thinking of a MK-2? or I am thinking of something else?

Some Tabata (TUSA) regulators are just rebranded Scubapro, but you are right a person needs to know the difference.

I would also like to add another brand and that is Sherwood. They are fairly straight forward to rebuild and parts are cheap. They may not be the most loved regulator but when tuned well they breath fine. It is rumored that Scuba.com's mystery regulator package contains Sherwood regulators.

 

[Nemrod]

It has been a while since I rebuild a MK-10 but I remember the seats being concave only on 1 side. Are you thinking of a MK-2? or I am thinking of something else?

Some Tabata (TUSA) regulators are just rebranded Scubapro, but you are right a person needs to know the difference.

I would also like to add another brand and that is Sherwood. They are fairly straight forward to rebuild and parts are cheap. They may not be the most loved regulator but when tuned well they breath fine. It is rumored that Scuba.com's mystery regulator package contains Sherwood regulators.

I think you are right. Not sure exactly when the cave seat came in, having a brain cloud on it. And then along came the "rounded" knife edge. I think the early Mark 10s did have a flat seat, that came with the Mark 10 Plus? You would be correct, if it has a cave seat then it cannot be flipped. Seats are readily available regardless.

I will have to dig back through bulletins, I see some Mark 10 PLs with the cave seat part number prior to the Plus and the new composition seats and rounded knife edge.

 

[Barryattle]

I am going to be the controversial one here and suggest the cheapest reg on Amazon...

Palantic AS101 DIN Diving Dive Regulator and Octopus Combo, Black,Silver, 537 Grams
Buy one of those and an IP gauge for an additonal $20 and use it until it wears out. Then you can either buy something nicer, order a repair kit, or ship it to Australia for servicing. I have one of those and it just works. Never have had a problem with it. I am a big believer that the working gear you have is far superior to the gear you wait for.

Ok, maybe slightly tangential to the OP, but I've been thinking maybe I should buy another octo as I realized my Cressi XS octopus is 5 yrs. old and never been serviced (also virtually never used underwater except a couple of test breaths years ago). I got it on sale for $70 new and figured it might end up being treated as disposable. My LDS doesn't service Cressi. I bumped into the Palantic AS206 for $65 new, so likely cheaper than sending the Cressi for service, but I'd never heard of Palantic. So have you used it and would you feel comfortable with one as an octo reg.? (And then there's the question of does the Cressi really need replacing yet since it just sits in salt water under pressure, then gets soaked in fresh water?) I dive with a pony, so my octo really is just an extra backup, except on vacation dives.

 

[ams511]

I think you are right. Not sure exactly when the cave seat came in, having a brain cloud on it. And then along came the "rounded" knife edge. I think the early Mark 10s did have a flat seat, that came with the Mark 10 Plus? You would be correct, if it has a cave seat then it cannot be flipped. Seats are readily available regardless.

Thanks I thought I was having a brain cloud myself.