Best regulators scoring

[MyNoles]

I, too, am a big fan of the Scubapro. The 600 is great, but you also cannot beat the 250 from a historical perspective. The 550 is not in their league.

As for availability of parts, that is one of the main reasons I have always stayed with SP. Granted, I only dive Florida and the Caribbean, but I have never had any problem with finding SP shops anywhere I go.

 

[mmcdds]

Everyone has their own opinion as to which reg is the best, I prefer Apeks. They are reliable, easy breathing, hi performance regs with lifetime free parts if they are serviced annually. If possible you should try a number of regs in the water to see which you like best before making a decision on what to buy.

There are lots of good regs on the market, do a search on these boards for the brands you might be interested in, you'll find hours worth of reading.

Good luck

 

[turnerjd]

Firstly, I dive APEKS TX40s and wouldn't change them for anything.

Now, before you buy there are many things to look for, your list is good, it will help you narrow down the manufacturers, but will not help you choose the model.

Firstly - decide what type of diving you want to do. This has a big impact of regulator choice. If you are doing mainly <60fsw in the caribean the reg will be different from somebody doing 150fsw decompression diving in cold, or polluted water.

So, for the first kind - you don't need any of the environmentally sealed regs, or those made of special materials (eg Mares titanium) designed for operation in very cold water - you can be sure that any of the regs from a good manufacturer will be more than adequate for this type of diving.

Reg choice becomes more critical in the cold water situation, here, it is probably best to talk to the local divers and see what they use.

A lot of people "buy the best" for life support, however, determining what the best is, amongst all the marketing is difficult. (For example don't be tricked by things like Titanium bodies, Ruby HP seats.....). For the majority of divers, "the best" is simply the one that you are most comfortable using.

When trying out regs, you will find the differences at low tank pressures for un balanced regs, or, more generally, at greater depths.

Jon T

 

[SDAnderson]

I've been diving ScubaPro regulators for over 30 years and like them just fine. I currently own (and use) a couple MK20/G250s and would pass on the S550. I doubt you dive much really cold water, but SP regs can have a tendency to free-flow when the chill really sets in.

Over the past few years I've been slowly moving into Apeks regulators. My experience has been that the less fancy I get with them, the happier I am. I have a few DS4/TX50s and a couple ATX100s and would just as soon stick with the former.

I've played with the Sherwood Maximus and didn't like the swivel on the second stage - it seemed to flop around and I worry about unneccesary failure points in stuff like this. I also don't see the need for the downsized second stage. The mini-regs I've breathed in the past all seem to have issues with smooth breathing and bubbles in the face - that's a pretty big penalty for the reduced size.

Atomics makes good regulators, but the swivels and titanium and fancy stuff all seems like a lot of tomfoolery to me. I know folks that dive them and like them, but I don't have much personal experience with them.

I'd skip the Envoy first stages and go with the Flatheads in the Zeagle line. I have very limited experience with them since they stopped rebranding the Apeks line.

I don't have any experience with the Aqualung regulators on your list, can't help you there.

I've stopped automatically taking reguators in for annuals since most of the failures that I have experienced have happened shortly after servicing them. I do meticulously clean them and inspect them inside and out for trouble, if I see something untoward they're off to the shop. Otherwise, I save the money I'd spend on annuals for other stuff. ScubaPro will pay for your parts if you have the regs serviced annually, however if you don't, they won't. The cost of the parts is about 1/3 the cost of the labor, so it's not that big of a deal.

For normal recreational diving, I don't think there is a lot of cause for worry about any of the high-end regulators. Personally, I like to keep them simple: no swivels, sealed first stages, and classic, proven designs. Beware the cost of hype - in regulators, cutting edge is more often marketing swirl than true advancement. You obviously understand that money is not first on the list when it comes to life safety gear, but remember that there are some salesmen out there that will take advantage of that attitude to bamboozle you - more is often less. Listen less to salesmen and spend more time looking at what people are actually diving. Pay particular attention to the divers that you respect, especially if they don't work in a shop (where their choices are influenced by their paycheck and special pricing) and ask questions at the end of the dive. People's opinions have a way of being more honest after a dive than before.

Good luck.

Steven

 

[Scubamedicjoe]

well personally I dive the Apeks ATX 200 and love it, I have dove the zeagle, scubapro and atomic all have good quality regulators, remember this wear you live and get your regulator serviced, first just because they service regulators don't mean they do a good job, I find allot of shops plan and simple cheat you out of good service and just change part i.e.: o rings ect and don't due all the adjustments and service checks they should. Find a shop you know does good work and see what brands they sell and service since this will most likely be your primary shop and service department , this would help in long run as far as wear and tear and service problem in future .

 

[janneau]

Thank you all so far for your contribution to my dilemma.
I still haven't decided yet as to which regulator is most suitable for me.

Doing my research I found many great package offers for first/second stage and octopus, so this will be a factor.

I like the Apeks ATX200 or ATX100 with ATX50 or ATX40 combination because of their ratings and your comments. Plus I can get it for $400-450.

Is that a good price or somebody could recommend me another deal?

Is that true that Zeagle regulators are manufactured by Apeks?

Scubapro is my second choice and I seriously consider if I found a good deal.

Should I buy from Leisure Pro because they are cheaper or try something else? Please advice.

Thank you for your time
DZ

 

[MikeFerrara]

janneau once bubbled...


Is that true that Zeagle regulators are manufactured by Apeks?

Scubapro is my second choice and I seriously consider if I found a good deal.


DZ

Zeagle did at one time sell Apeks regs. When Aqualung took over Apeks Zeagle lost them. I love the regs but won't buy anything from Aqualung. Zeagle now manufactures their own regs. I have a bunch and like them but the second stage seat is on the soft side so those who like to get their regs serviced every five years wether they need it or not, won't be happy.

The Envoy is the same as all their other regs without the second stage adjustment or the environmental seal on the first stage. They still work just fine in cold water.

The next reg I'm going to try is the Abyss. I've heard good things about them and I like the way Abyss does business. For one, they'll sell service kits to any one. There isn't anything wrong with having some one else service your stuff if you choose but I won't be forced into it and I won't support the manufacturers or shops, for that matter, who try.

 

[MikeFerrara]

Another reg that we've tried recently is the Diverite. I wish it didn't have the swivel on the first stage but it's a nice reg and another one that you can get parts and manuals for.

 

[scubamax]

So apart from Diverite and Abyss, which other brands make it easy to get parts/service kits?

Scubamax

 

[ElectricZombie]

I've got a bunch of ScubaPro regs, and they all breath great. I use 2 Mk25s w/ an S600 and an R380 on my doubles. The 550 is good, but I'd rather have the adjustment knob.

Apeks is really just as good though. They are easier to work on which is a big plus if you service your own gear.