Assembling My Own Regulator

[pescador775]

Not so fast, Jimi. You will need hose protectors and those things can be a hassle as substantial force can be required. Use some soap suds to slide them on, big end next to the reg. After lightly tightening a hose connector to the reg, slide the protector over the joint. If something is not going right, STOP, take it to a pro shop.

Crescent wrench of the small variety is fine. Very little torque is required while tightening, as has been mentioned.

 

[jamiei]

Maybe I can go to any other pool among the thousands around here and save myself a couple hundred bucks. Sounds like a good tradeoff to me. Dealer's price equipment so high because a lot of people don't have a clue about LP or DiveInn and those are the ones they really stick it to. They feel like they have a monopoly on the local market. The market isn't just local any longer. Me on the other hand, if I lose someone's business because I charged them twice as much as someone else then I change my ways or I find another business because a business doesn't last long insulting potential customers' intelligence.

 

[SMKChef]

MikeFerrara once bubbled...


Your right we are unable to figure it out. We price things high on purpose so you will buy elsewhere. Guess again!

It's "You're," first of all.

Then tell me why you do then? Because ScubaPro and Aqualung require you to sell their products at certain prices? Who runs your shop? You or the Manufacturers?

And I paid my money to use the pool. Part of the deal with getting open water training at this LDS is that once you are an alumni you can come in any time the shop is open and use the pool for free. So, I was taking no advantage of the shop.

About the pricing; it's your store, you decide how you are going to make money. No one opens a business to lose money, they may not become millionaires owning a dive shop, but shop owners are certainly not starving unless they are poor businessmen. As for pricing structure, the only way that will change will be when shop owners band together and refuse to support those companies that require set prices in the USA.

Sam Walton didn't become a billionaire by listening to manufacturers. He built his company on prices that the public would pay, and made money on volume. I am sure Leisure Pro and DiveInn do a pretty high volume business. This is a global marketplace now.

 

[SMKChef]

willo once bubbled...
An Example...
I recently picked up a uwatec bottom timer from the local shop.
He had special ordered it, and it was never picked up.
Leisurepro's price is about $95.
His cost was something like $98.
It's not always the LDS.

Did the shop owner show you HIS invoice? Or did he tell you that was his cost? LP is NOT selling stuff below their cost. They are smarter than that.

 

[SMKChef]

Bob3 once bubbled...

The local shops aren't the main culprits, the manufacturers have these little pricing agreements that the shop has to abide by.
If a person wants to sell (or buy) "brand z" reg, you have to play the game, (or buy from overseas where price fixing is illegal).
:mean:

Or form a Dive Retailer's Association, collectively walk into ScubaPro's corporate HQ and tell them, "You are killing our business, either change things or we will not sell your equipment." Building customers works the same for SP as it does for LDSs. One unhappy customer will lose you ten new customers, just like one unhappy dive shop will lose SP ten new accounts. I said it above. You own the dive shop, YOU make the decisions. No one is forcing you to sell any particular brand. What do you think would happen if a number of dive shops cancelled their SP accounts and cited pricing structure as the reason? SP would quickly reevaluate the situation.

 

[ScubaDon]

Imagine going into Wal-mart and only being able to buy Levis brand jeans?

 

[o2scuba]

jimisurf once bubbled...
Thank You all for the replies!!

Looks like this is a simple task. The reason I will probably do the work (rather than my LDS), is that I plan to by the rest of my set-up used or through internet dealers. My LDS is quite proprietary when it comes to my buisess. I support them every way I can, but their mark-up on some equipment is just too much for me to ingore.

Thanks again for the good avice!!

James

Jimmisurf,

BE VERY CAREFUL HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Simply watching someone assemble a regulator, does not qualify you to do it yourself (we are talking about life support equipment here)

Watching a surgeon perform open heart surgery doesn't qualify someone to try it on their own.

There's no room for trial & error here!

When a reg is new, it comes dissassembled in components (as you know). However none of the internal parts have been cleaned or greased. There are often small metal shavings (from machining) still present. The entire first stage needs to be disassembled. Cleaned and dried properly. Each o ring needs to be removed, greased and replaced ( there are about 6-10 inside the first stage) each pressure seat checked, and all teflon washers inspected.

Each hose should have the o ring removed, greased and replaced. Threads too. That includes the internal ones at the regulator end.

The same of the o rings on the spool assembly (between high pressure hose and pressure guage).

The second stages also need to be fully disassembled, parts cleaned and greased. Oraface parts need to be greased as well.

Although the first stage has been "factory set" it still needs to be "dialed in" with an in line pressure testerm as does the second stage.

There's way too much to go into here.

I strongly suggest that you take this to an AUTHORIZED service dealer to be properly assembled.

Andrew

 

[MikeFerrara]

SMKChef once bubbled...


It's "You're," first of all.

Then tell me why you do then? Because ScubaPro and Aqualung require you to sell their products at certain prices? Who runs your shop? You or the Manufacturers?

And I paid my money to use the pool. Part of the deal with getting open water training at this LDS is that once you are an alumni you can come in any time the shop is open and use the pool for free. So, I was taking no advantage of the shop.

About the pricing; it's your store, you decide how you are going to make money. No one opens a business to lose money, they may not become millionaires owning a dive shop, but shop owners are certainly not starving unless they are poor businessmen. As for pricing structure, the only way that will change will be when shop owners band together and refuse to support those companies that require set prices in the USA.

Sam Walton didn't become a billionaire by listening to manufacturers. He built his company on prices that the public would pay, and made money on volume. I am sure Leisure Pro and DiveInn do a pretty high volume business. This is a global marketplace now.

Actually I don't do business with Aqualung or SP because they came right out and said they wanted to run my store especially SP. The manufacturers tell me what I will pay and they don't let me sell online. I am locked into a small market with low volume and high overhead. They also dictate the overhead. For instance I must have a compressor and teach classes. I will never sell enough air fills to pay for the compressor it is a cost I must pay to sell equipment.

There are some here who say I can sell online that I don't need to be an authorized dealer but that leaves me and therefore the customer without the support of the manufacturer.

And don't kid yourself some of this stuff is being sold online for just about what I pay for it.

Come on folks use your head you know what the stuff sells for online and so do I. Why would I just intentionally send business to LP.

In the past I have tried to explain how things are tied together. A simplified version...We are required to be a full service shop to get a dealership. Since we must teach we need certain insurance. The insurance company insists that we follow the rules of the agencies we teach through and the manufacturers who make the products we sell.

The difference here is that LP and places like them are not dive shops. They don't have the burdens of a dive shop and they don't have the restrictions.

So to answer your question...The manufacturer does run our shop.

Low volume = high prices but low prices do not mean high volume for us because we are limited to a walk-in market. Do the math if we lowered the price by 25% how much additional volume would we need to make the same. The fact is we just wouldn't pay the rent. If the 25% reduction was from suggested retail a 25% reduction in price would mean we would need to almost tripple sales to make the same amout. The market (walk-in) just isn't there.

And I may be a poor business person (ask genesis) but while the shop pays it's own rent we get ZERO income from it. My day job feeds us. If I could get back my original investment it would be a break even proposition. Well except all the hours we work for free. If I didn't have other income we would indeed starve.

Don't get me wrong I could make more. I could shorten classes as others have. I could teach in a different mannor so as to sell more of certain products that I now discourage divers from using. In short if my objective was to sell rather than to teach I would make alot more.

 

[MikeFerrara]

SMKChef once bubbled...


Or form a Dive Retailer's Association, collectively walk into ScubaPro's corporate HQ and tell them, "You are killing our business, either change things or we will not sell your equipment." Building customers works the same for SP as it does for LDSs. One unhappy customer will lose you ten new customers, just like one unhappy dive shop will lose SP ten new accounts. I said it above. You own the dive shop, YOU make the decisions. No one is forcing you to sell any particular brand. What do you think would happen if a number of dive shops cancelled their SP accounts and cited pricing structure as the reason? SP would quickly reevaluate the situation.

Are you related to Genesis?
We are boycotting all the big names that might make us a few bucks. You know what? They don't seem to care.

An unhappy shop will not cost SP other accounts It just gives them a little bigger market.

 

[SMKChef]

MikeFerrara once bubbled...


Are you related to Genesis?
We are boycotting all the big names that might make us a few bucks. You know what? They don't seem to care.

An unhappy shop will not cost SP other accounts It just gives them a little bigger market.

LOL, no, I am not related to Genesis, but I guess I should read some of his past posts.

Thank you for the explanation, it filled in some holes in my dive shop philosophy.

I am going to have a longer answer but we have "Holiday Plans" and I am required by my wife to do other things than what I want to do at this moment. And you think SP is demanding!!