+1 on the sherwood brute. It is the AK47 of regulators. Use it, abuse it, drag it thru the mud, you just can't kill it.
Best regulator for a small dive club?
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+1 on the Sherwood. They tend to be solid, and while they may not be the best performers out there, they can go quite a few dives without problems. My wife's reg is a sherwood and the owner of the shop I bring it to tends to tell me it doesn't really need any service after he takes a look at it each year ( I still get it serviced ever year as we need documentation for University dive activities.)
A new possibility that came out a short time ago are HOG regulators. I'm not aware of any non-US retailers, but I suspect some of the online places would ship overseas. They are attempting a new service model where Tech-certified divers are allowed to service there own gear. I'm not sure if that would work for a club, however. The HOGs seem to be a high performance for their reasonable price. I've only tried one on a short dive and it worked very well. There are several good reviews here on scubaboard.
A new possibility that came out a short time ago are HOG regulators. I'm not aware of any non-US retailers, but I suspect some of the online places would ship overseas. They are attempting a new service model where Tech-certified divers are allowed to service there own gear. I'm not sure if that would work for a club, however. The HOGs seem to be a high performance for their reasonable price. I've only tried one on a short dive and it worked very well. There are several good reviews here on scubaboard.
IMHO,
With 25 years experience,(NAUI/PADI instr retired) I agree with the scubapro mk2, & disagree with the Sherwood. I've serviced both!
Hands down for warm/shallow dives the mk2 will serve you well.
The Sherwood 1st stage relies on belleville washer for balance, not fun to replace.
MIke D
With 25 years experience,(NAUI/PADI instr retired) I agree with the scubapro mk2, & disagree with the Sherwood. I've serviced both!
Hands down for warm/shallow dives the mk2 will serve you well.
The Sherwood 1st stage relies on belleville washer for balance, not fun to replace.
MIke D
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Thank you all for the great suggestions! 
Texfrazer
Guest
I certainly don't disagree with the idea that the mk2 is easier to work on.
However, if it is for pool use, I've found (albeit in only 17 years of experience) that the chlorine dries out the o-rings in most piston designs requiring a much more frequent maintenance schedule. That's why I would go with the Sherwood since they won't require nearly as much maintenance over time, though they will require a bit more time when doing maintenance.
Packhorse
Contributor
If that is the case then wouldn't the chlorine dry out the rubber diaphragms just as fast? And be more expensive to replace? After all O rings are less than $1 per reg while diaphragms cost a ship load more.
Id look at getting some second hand MK2's and G250's. Buy the seats in bulk from a dealer and O rings from an O ring supplier. Services could cost you less than $10 per stage every 100 dives.
Charge $2 reg rentals. Add to that a great breathing set up and your sorted!
Id look at getting some second hand MK2's and G250's. Buy the seats in bulk from a dealer and O rings from an O ring supplier. Services could cost you less than $10 per stage every 100 dives.
Charge $2 reg rentals. Add to that a great breathing set up and your sorted!
Sherwoods are some of the easiest regs in the world to work on - the Bruts being the simplest. Replacing the bevel washers is simple and also not on the brut but on the magnum and above. The Mk2 is a great reg but parts are difficult to get for them where the Sherwood parts are easy to get and inexpensive.
Texfrazer
Guest
Sherwoods don't use diaphragms. They use an air pocket (for lack of the technical term) inside the reg. You can always spot an appropriately tuned Sherwood because it looks like it is leaking from the 1st stage. There's a small rubber "plug" that allows a small stream of bubbles out of the reg while pressurized.
Granted, that plug will be attacked by the chlorine, but you don't have to open the first stage up to replace the plug.
Florida Scuba Divers
Contributor
Just wanted to add my 2 cents worth.... for a reg to be used in rental, I would stay away from a piston reg. Pool use is hard on a piston reg as is salt. If not rinsed properly after every use you will have problems. I would go with a diaphragm reg. We have used the Aqualung Titan in our heavy use rental dept for 7 years and have yet to have a problem with one. We service them once a year and that is it. I talk to lots of dive shop owners and the 2 brands that I keep hearing to stay away from is Mares and Sherwood. I am not trying to sell anyone on the Titan.... just wanted to tell you my experience.
I guess my experience differs. The shop I work with uses piston regs in both saltwater and in very silty quarry and harbor conditions and there have not been issues with salt deposits etc. A quick rinse is all that is really needed.
The Mk 2 is bullet proof and while it does need rinsed after a salt water dive and the luxury of an occasional soak it in warm water never hurts to prevent salt deposits, the reg will go years between services. Also, the 80s era Mk 3 and Mk 200 had small holes in the ambient chamber for the SPEC system and that made rinsing difficult. But the current Mk 2 PLus has very large holes and is very easy to rinse, so salt and silt deposits are a non problem.
The Mk 2 is also incredibly easy to service and has only two dynamic o-rings, both in the intermediate pressure section of the reg and has no high pressure gas downstream of the orifice. The seat is generic and the o-rings are standard off the shelf 70 duro o-rings.
As for chlorine drying them out, that may be true with nitrile o-rings over the course of maybe a decade, but with EPDM o-rings and service more often than once per decade, it is just not an issue.
The R190, 290, 295 , 380, 390 and 395 second stages all use the same internal parts, standard o-rings and a generic seat so parts availability is not an issue.
The same cannot be said for a diaphragm reg as many diaphragms vary in either diameter, thickness or both and pretty much by default they are much more difficult to service. Most will incorporate a small o-ring and backing ring in the balanced seat carrier and in most cases will have a proprietary seat. More parts, more parts, more parts to replace at each service, more parts to potentially lose and more parts that are proprietary.
Get several MK 2 R295s and you will not be dissappointed.
The Mk 2 is bullet proof and while it does need rinsed after a salt water dive and the luxury of an occasional soak it in warm water never hurts to prevent salt deposits, the reg will go years between services. Also, the 80s era Mk 3 and Mk 200 had small holes in the ambient chamber for the SPEC system and that made rinsing difficult. But the current Mk 2 PLus has very large holes and is very easy to rinse, so salt and silt deposits are a non problem.
The Mk 2 is also incredibly easy to service and has only two dynamic o-rings, both in the intermediate pressure section of the reg and has no high pressure gas downstream of the orifice. The seat is generic and the o-rings are standard off the shelf 70 duro o-rings.
As for chlorine drying them out, that may be true with nitrile o-rings over the course of maybe a decade, but with EPDM o-rings and service more often than once per decade, it is just not an issue.
The R190, 290, 295 , 380, 390 and 395 second stages all use the same internal parts, standard o-rings and a generic seat so parts availability is not an issue.
The same cannot be said for a diaphragm reg as many diaphragms vary in either diameter, thickness or both and pretty much by default they are much more difficult to service. Most will incorporate a small o-ring and backing ring in the balanced seat carrier and in most cases will have a proprietary seat. More parts, more parts, more parts to replace at each service, more parts to potentially lose and more parts that are proprietary.
Get several MK 2 R295s and you will not be dissappointed.
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