Best regulator for a girl?

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bamaskubacat

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Daphne, AL
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I'm somewhat new to diving and need to get a regulator. The more research I do the more confused I get. I've been told that there are second stages that are smaller and lighter and that they're better suited for women. My closest dive shop sells and so obviously promotes Scubapro. However I live somewhat close to the gulf coast so there are shops all over and I'm sure some service other brands. I don't want to spend any more than I have to but I do understand that this is my life support.

What regulator do you like and why??

Thanks!
Tina
 
I think Oceanic makes some smaller 2nd stages.


ScubaPro is a good brand. You can't really go wrong with it. (except maybe higher price).


You have to realized that once it gets in water, depending on what its made of, it likely won't be as heavy and you'll be looking at stuff diving and won't focus on how much it weighs.
 
Don't believe the hype. There is no specific regulator design that is better for women. Still, that won't stop manufacturers from slapping some white and pink paint on the regulator and calling it "optimized for women." That's marketing BS...pure and simple.

For the most part, "smaller and lighter" refers to the topside characteristics of the reg. This is important to many people who travel to dive, considering that airlines are limiting the weight of carry-ons and charging for checked luggage.

Larger/heavier regs can also be neutrally buoyant in the water and theoretically just as "comfortable" underwater. This is managed by modulating the amount of air inside the second stage.

Some manufacturer marketing materials will lead consumers to believe that a smaller/lighter reg translates into less jaw fatigue. That's not necessarily the case. In my experience, I've found that one's choice of mouthpiece, hose length, and whether the reg is neutrally buoyant have more to do with eliciting jaw fatigue than the overall size of the reg. Many people consider the Sea-cure moldable mouthpiece and the Aqualung/Apeks Comfo-bite mouthpiece as two of the most comfortable mouthpieces on the market. FYI, you can mount these on any second stage regulator.

Something to keep in mind regarding regs is how the second stage routes exhaust bubbles. Some people prefer a wide exhaust tee for sending bubbles to the side of the face and out of the field of view. You really need to demo the reg underwater to evaluate this.

Regs will breathe differently due to design and how they are tuned. Some might feel more "mechanical" while others might feel more "natural." In the end, it should be about what you feel works best for you.

Most modern regs perform great when serviced properly and tuned correctly. Arguably, the most important factor which determines reg performance is the skill of the reg tech who last tuned it. Find a trustworthy, competent reg tech in your locale and make sure that you purchase a reg that he/she can work on. Scubapro makes great regs. Other manufacturers put out a quality product as well. You should also consider regs offered by Aqualung, Apeks, Zeagle, HOG, Mares, Atomic, Oceanic, and others. If you have a limited budget, shoot for something in the middle-of-the-line. Don't buy into the you-should-spend-as-much-as-you-can-on-a-reg-since-it's-life-support-equipment mentality. Also, understand that the regs that your instructor or DM is using might not be the best value for you. Dive pros get insider discounts that significantly skew the performance:value ratio. It is not unheard of for manufacturers to give dive pros as much as 60% off the MSRP on dive gear, since it's very effective advertising.

If you won't be diving in cold water (temps in 40s °F) and silty/contaminated water, then you probably won't need a sealed first stage. Once you narrow down your options, I'd recommend making another post to see whether SB participants like the various models you're considering. When possible, demo the reg underwater before purchasing it. There's no substitute for actually diving it. Hope this info helps...
 
My 10 year old daughter and 12 year old son dive with an Oceanic Alpha 8 with SP5 first stage. I did change out the mouthpiecs to Innovative Scuba Comfort mouthpieces. I just don't like the factory Oceanic MP. From what I can tell they are the same as the ones on the AquaLungs at the LDS.

Anyway the Alpha 8 is a reasonably priced, easy breathing recreational diving reg. Lots of positive reviews.

I use an Oceanic GT-3 with CDX-5 first stage It is actually a bit smaller than the Alpha 8 and has adjustable flow.

Carry an Alpha7/SP4 as a spare.
 
My daughter started at age ten with an AL Titan and uses it to this day almost ten years later....
 
Bubbletrubble's advice sounds right on to me.

I could potentially see you wanting to get a different (aftermarket) mouthpiece. I don't have a specific suggestion, but I know that for myself I have a specific one that I like (Comfo bite), and so I bought one, removed the mouthpiece that came on my reg, and added the Comfo bite to suit me.

I'm an adult and use a standard sized mouthpiece (I just like the upper "bar" on the Comfo bite), but a girl (I'm not sure how old you are) might have a smaller mouth and prefer a smaller-than-standard mouthpiece. I don't necessarily think this would steer you to a particular brand or type of regulator, as I think that an aftermarket small mouthpiece would be able to fit any/most regulators. I'm just saying this because I could see the mouthpiece as being the one thing that you might want to be a smaller/non-standard size.
 
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I use the ScubaPro MK25/S600. In fact I have 5 of them for various different uses. I have yet to overbreathe these regs in the worst of situations. I like the way they breathe effortlessly (I service my own regs). I've really never noticed a major weight difference in most second stages of different brands, as Bubble Trouble mentioned. The Aqualung Micra is a tiny regulator & I know a few women who like these because they have rather small mouths & the mouth piece is a bit smaller. I also agree with Blue Sparkle's mention of a different mouth piece. I use a Comfort Bite mouth piece. It has a soft bridge that rests against the roof of the mouth behind the teeth. These mouth pieces allow me to loosen & relax my jaw without loosing the mouth piece. Very nice on a long technical dive. There is also the Sea Cure mouth piece that can be boiled, molded & trimmed to fit your mouth (like a sports mouth guard). The only minus to the Sea Cure is, if you donate the primary regulator to an OOA diver, it may not be very comfortable to them,..... but then it is an emergency situation & the dive is pretty much over.
 
i love the scubapro mouthpiece... its smaller and more comfortable than most. I basically swap all mine out for them from day one.

other than that... get the 'best' regulator you can buy, it's easier these days because most regs are pretty solid. Get one that has fantastic breathing characteristics and delivery. AKA a balanced first and second stage. I am a big fan of user adjustable breathing resistance so you can dial it easier on the dive and less easy on surface (like the Scubapro G250hp, Halcyon etc...) in addition to the dive/surface venturi switch. This is your life support equipment. you are going into inner space. Do not cut corners.

Buy a good secondary (octopus) as well, the last thing you want to do to someone who's out of gas is give them a ****ty breathing regulator that may or may not be full of seaweed and sand.

also, although the snazzy regs that have different shapes can be very nice (I loved my x650) BUT, for practical reasons, getting a reg that breaths equally well (such as the G250hp or equivalent) and is recognizable to 'other' divers will reduce confusion if you do decide to donate primary and you pass it off and the poor out of air diver can't figure out which way to breath on the darn thing :)

(as an aside, this is part of the philosophy behind donating the regulator in your mouth. that and they usually go for the one in your mouth anyway :)

Basically the same advice i'd give a man.
 
Thanks everyone for great advice! The closest shop to me sells ScubaPro which a lot of people seem to like. There is also another shop that sells a number of different brands but primarily Atomic regs. To me they seem very comparable??? The Atomics go 2 years on service though - any thoughts? I really like and would trust the owners and service from either shop.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

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