BCD or Reg First?

[beth_castroll]

My Husband and I are planning on buying some gear for mutual holiday presents. We don't have enough to fully invest and were wondering if we should buy a BC or Reg first? We have about 45 dives each, are in our early 40's and mostly dive in the Caribbean but would consider more local California diving if we had our own gear so we'd like things to be versatile.
For the record I've been thinking about SCUBAPRO MK25/S600 for the Reg.
Thoughts?

 

[knowone]

Do each of you have your own basic gear?
Will you deck out one of you, then the other?
M25/S600 is completely unnecessary unless you intend investing for a very long time.
SCUBAPRO unless second hand, is frittering into the wind.

 

[EevelMonkee]

Your reg is the most intimate piece of scuba gear you will own. BC/BCD is relatively insignificant. I'd say go for the reg first for sure. I can only personally recommend Apeks as that's what I use. XTX20 if you're a warm water (50*F or more) diver only, XTX50 for cold water or tec. Scubapro has a fine reputation though.

-Gabe

 

[diversteve]

I might go for a BC first. My rationale would be that most regs that you rent - assuming they're maintained properly - generally work similarly in most recreational dive conditions. Anytime I've noticed it seems like rentals used by others are often either Sherwood or ScubaPro. Sometimes hoses look a little rough but everyone seems to survive. I once read about someone who didn't like sharing a mouthpiece with previous renters. Their solution was to buy a couple standard sized mouthpieces and carry zipties to change them on location.

Your own BC otoh means that you can standardize where you clip off gauges, knife, accessories etc. So muscle memory - on night dives, in an emergency or on normal dives - is always the same. I like knowing that my knife and shears are in the same place. And gauges are clipped off on the lower d-ring. I can do those things w/o thinking about where they are this particular dive trip. I also keep certain things in each pocket - my SMB is always on the lower left in case I need to reach it fast in rougher surface conditions. A small piece of cave line and/or a couple locking clips and I can position most any rental gauges where I want them. And in an emergency (hasn't happened ever) I also know where to dump my weights. And so do my 2 regular buddies - one has the same BC.

Having it fit me perfectly is a nice option. I've also paid a lot more to service my regs than my BC over the same interval.

I'm on my 2nd BC and 3rd set of regs. But the only reason for the 3rd set was to buy a more exotic metals version of what I already had - both breathe identically according to the mfr - I own Atomics. The BC I had to change due to checked bag weight restrictions in the last decade.

 

[Deep Water Dan]

My wife and I each have the MK25/S600 combo. A world of difference between them and rental regs. Even when we practice buddy breathing on our octos I can't wait to get back on the S600. Probably about as close to effortless breathing as you're going to get on a regulator. We love 'em.

 

[ajduplessis]

The MK25/S600 combo is a very good gear choice. They breathe better the deeper you go and will last you a lifetime if looked after. I have dived in 50 degree far (12 Celsius) without any issues. They are however not cheap and if you are not planning in diving colder water it would be a great "investment". The SP kit can also be serviced anywhere in the world.

I also own Apeks that are just as good and can be used in colder waters. The Apeks also have adjustable exhaust tees that deflect bubbles away from your vision, which is great. SP used to make bubble deflectors but is no longer available. The exhaust tees is a great function on regs!

 

[Gilldiver]

Neither

If you are looking to dive locally, skip the BC and reg for now, get yourselves some quality and well fitting exposure protection. Your wet or dry suit will have a much more dramatic effect on your diving in your local areas then a reg or BC ever will. This is because if you are cold or in a badly fitted suit you just will not dive no matter how good your BC or regulator are.

 

[AndrewA]

I would go for a good reg first. As to the brand we all have our personal facourites, mine is Apeks . I would suggest that you buy a reg that can be serviced locally ( and at low cost).

 

[Katch]

I'd go with the reg first (if I had to make a choice). The regulator goes in your mouth. Who cares if someone wore a bcd before you. You should also look into a combo setup. You may find a combo that is cheaper than a regulator or bcd alone. (Leisure Pro has some great specials)

 

[diver 85]

BC would be 1st(man I screwd that one up big time),---but, you might look a little harder/longer & get used & be able to get both, @ same time?.....