Aqua Lung regulator price check?

[TheMimeKing]

Hi, I recently ran across this Aqua Lung regulator while cleaning out a friend's garage. He was going to dump it along with a bunch of other clutter so I asked if I could take it off his hands since it looked unusual, and he had no problem with it. After looking around it appears that Aqua Lung regulators seem to be pretty uncommon.

I figured I'd probably ebay it and get what I could for it since I don't dive, and since this seems to be the biggest scuba diving forum around I thought I should ask you folks what the approximate value is.

 

[Dan Watkins]

Take a look at this web page, it looks like an Aqualung Aqua Master reg from 1970-72

 

[CWMurf]

I don't know what it's worth really, although I bet it's not much. but it looks like a fun rebuild project. I'd make an offer but it wouldn't be very high.

 

[TheMimeKing]

I got an offer of 200 on ar15.com in the equipment exchange, would this be a fair price?

More than anything I was just checking to make sure I wasn't sitting on some 5000 dollar regulator owned by Elvis or something

Edit: BTW, what do you mean rebuild? The regulator was sitting in a moving box wrapped in a waxy kind of plastic for the past who knows how long, I don't think it was used very much. It appears to be in perfect condition, the marks that appeared in the picture are just a result of the bag it was stored in

 

[DA Aquamaster]

Condition is everything. The label and chrome appear to be in good shape. If the mouthpiece and hoses are hardened or cracked, they will need to be replaced and that can run over $100. The duckbill exhaust valve usually needs replaced and it is about $15.00. The mushroom valves are also usually dry and crispy and that will run you another $15.00-$25.00 to replace them. A new diaphragm is $40 and a service kit is $25 not counting labor (and there are not many people around who still service them). So putting it back in serviceable condition can run $200-$250 for the soft parts, assumng there are no corrosion issues with the hard parts inside the regulator.

A refurbished DA Aquamaster is normally in the $300-$350 range (prices have actually come down over the last few years as more vintage reproduction parts are available and many more double hosed regs have been returned to service for use by vintage divers. So starting at $350 and subtracting what it needs will give you a good indication what it is worth.

 

[Luis H]

The US Divers Aqua Master is the most common double hose regulator ever made. It is a highly desirable regulator because most parts are available. It is a great vintage regulator for diving; it is not a rare collectible item.

That one in particular is the round label model, which as mentioned above was made from 1970 to 1972. Since it still has the clips (versus body clamp) I would say it was a 1970 or 71.

Many people really like the late round label model, since it was the last ones made. Therefore, if it is truly in excellent/ like new condition the $200 price is fair, but in the high end of the range. That price is what a round label Royal Aqua Master (the higher end model) would actually go for. I would never pay that much, but I own several and got them all at much lower price.

Occasionally you will see some go on eBay for much higher price if they include the original box and the regulator has never been in the water (basically New Old Stock).
Heck just having the original box in good shape can raise the price of a regulator by as much as $50.

Again the Royal Aqua Master brings a lot more money than the Aqua Master, but in eBay a lot of people have got them confused or misrepresented.


And yes, before diving it needs to be rebuilt. As a minimum the exhaust duckbill is almost guarantied to have become sticky and totally decayed.

Oh and no, that regulator was not used by Elvis, or Lloyd Bridges, or even Jacques Cousteau.


If you want more information you should post it on
VintageDoubleHose.com
Or
VintageScubaSupply.com


Note: US Divers is now known as Aqua Lung.


Good Luck

 

[Nemrod]

That regulator could easily bring 250 -350 dollars and to the right person even more. The case appears in good condition including the hoses and mouthpiece which is the most important thing for determining value. This is a round label USD Aqua Master, highly desireable and great for diving and easily rebuilt to new condition as long as the case is in good shape. Some of us still dive those, built like a tank to last forever and they can and do. A good Aqua Master is one of the most reliable regulators ever made.

Never throw that kinda thing away--ever!

BTW, a not so nice Voit equivilent to the Aqua Master, the Two Stage Navy just brought over 850 dollars on ebay. Royal Aqua Masters and Voits routinely run close to 1,000 dollars (like new with box), unfortunately for me. Golden Aqua Masters have been in the 3,000 range.

N

 

[Luis H]

That regulator could easily bring 250 -350 dollars and to the right person even more.

N

Personally I haven’t seen one go for that high, even on eBay, unless it was a new in the box round label, but I haven’t really being watching for the last few months. That is not to say you may not the right sucker…I mean buyer to buy it for that much. Some of the prices do seem like have gone way too high.

Occasionally on eBay you see a feeding frenzy that jacks the price of some unit way out of proportion. Everyone knows that these regulators haven’t been made in more than 35 years; so occasionally a couple of bidders feel that this is their last opportunity to buy one. Then the week after another one show up and sells for a fraction of the one before.

I totally agree that this one is very desirable, because it is almost the last model (the very last ones had the band clamp and a big yoke screw) and it looks in very good shape with good hoses and mouthpiece. It is great looking unit.

My observation has also been that Voit will bring more money. They are not as common and are the regulator that was used on the TV series Sea Hunt.

And yes a new in the box Royal Aqua Master will bring a lot more, never mind a Gold plated 25 anniversary special edition (with the certificate sign personally by Cousteau). Those are bit rare.

My point is that there is a big variation in prices. Not all double hose regulators are the same. Hopefully you can get what Nemrod is suggesting, but I wouldn’t be necessarily expecting that much. I know I can still get them for a lot less than that. It may require a bit of patience, but the price fluctuates a lot.

Never throw that kinda thing away--ever!

N

And yes, I absolutely agree with that!

 

[DA Aquamaster]

My impression is that over the last several years the real world prices of relatively common double hose regs like the Aquamaster have actually fallen quite a bit in price and do not usually command the same prices they did 5 years ago. I suspect this is due to many more of them being returned to serviceable condition (meeting a previously unmet demand that existed) and it is I suspect also due to the much greater availability of reproduction replacement parts that exists now allowing more regs to be returned to serviceable condition and eliminating the need to potentially have to buy a reg for parts.

For a reg to legitamately bring much over $200-$250 it has to be in superb condition or be a comparatively rare model with a great deal of collector appeal.

 

[Nemrod]

I noticed the reg in question on ebay last night and it was up to about 250 dollars. Now I go back and don't see it, maybe I was mistaken but it sure seemed to be the same pics.

Everyone keeps telling us we should be able to buy this or that for only 125 dollars but so far every thing I bid on runs ot the sky, every time I bid on a Voit it goes to the moon.

N