Buying my first regulator

[Magnus Lundstedt]

the big name brand regs are overpriced when bought new, but if you absolutely want to go that route, the AL core and atomic z2 are less overpriced.

At least if you pay the prices US dealers list.

If you buy AL from Europe you can get them much better priced. I bought mine AL Titan LX Supreme from Germany, about 250€ 1st+2nd

 

[jblack]

Save your money go on ebay get yourself a scubapro mk25/S600 or an Apeks xtx50/dst or Ds4 both will last forever easy to service, take the money ya save and get ya something else ya need......... Remember chrome dont get ya home! Hi M!

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

You can’t go wrong with Aqualung.

Aqualung and Scubapro are the two biggest companies, parts are readily available, and service is available world wide more than any other brands. I’m not saying they’re the best (that is very subjective, many say they are the best), I’m saying they are the most popular therefore have the largest support networks. As far as quality, they are both very good regs and right up at the very top.

 

[JBreezy]

Thanks for the advice everybody. Sounds like I've got some more looking around to do. I've been sort of avoiding Scubapro and Apeks since my LDS does not deal with them, not that they're totally off the table, it'd just be a little more inconvenient.

I really had not considered ebay/other used options for regs. I think I'm going to stick with a brand new one for my first - the motivation to finally get my own gear came from wanting to get away from used (specifically rental, but still) gear. I'm a bit surprised to see so many people advocating for used scuba gear on this forum. Seems an odd thing to buy used to me, since safety so heavily depends on it.

Eric, that general thought process is why this is so difficult for me - if I'm sticking with the major companies and well-reviewed models, it seems like it would be hard to go wrong, but there's always something better (though I could be incorrect there - no one has defended the Sherwood SR2's).

Ah! Decisions...

 

[guruboy]

The AL would be a fine first reg.

If your LDS doesn't do SP, that's a good reason to avoid the brand.

A used reg that gets serviced would be just as functional as a new reg and you can get a lot more for less. For example (and shameless plug)- For Sale - Atomic Z2 1st, 2nd, and octo with Oceanic Veo 2.0 console (lot 216)

 

[joe10540]

Sherwood regs have been around forever. Ya know I never hear anything about them good bad or otherwise but I always see them in getting service at the LDS and some of them look like they have been around longer than I’ve been diving. Honestly any modern reg that has been properly serviced will perform well enough for recreational level dives that you probably wouldn’t be able to tell much of a difference. It all comes down to what you can get serviced. You can save a considerable amount of money buying used and having it serviced prior to use. Stay safe!

 

[buddhasummer]

Sherwood regs have been around forever. Ya know I never hear anything about them good bad or otherwise but I always see them in getting service at the LDS and some of them look like they have been around longer than I’ve been diving. Honestly any modern reg that has been properly serviced will perform well enough for recreational level dives that you probably wouldn’t be able to tell much of a difference. It all comes down to what you can get serviced. You can save a considerable amount of money buying used and having it serviced prior to use. Stay safe!

Except the SR1, which is to be avoided from all accounts.

 

[joe10540]

Except the SR1, which is to be avoided from all accounts.

What was the issue with the SR-1? Not a Sherwood guy any insight would be helpful. Sorry about the hijack

 

[JBreezy]

What was the issue with the SR-1? Not a Sherwood guy any insight would be helpful. Sorry about the hijack

I don't know any specifics, but I do know the owner of my LDS refused to do business with Sherwood mostly due to the reputation of the SR1. He didn't go into many specifics, just sounded very unreliable all around from the way he was talking about it. The SR2 apparently got him back on board.

 

[ams511]

What was the issue with the SR-1? Not a Sherwood guy any insight would be helpful. Sorry about the hijack

Old Sherwood regulators used a sealed piston first stage (except for the Brut which could be upgraded) and unbalanced second stages. The first stage used a one-way bleeder valve that kept water out of the first stage. The regulators had a reputation for being bulletproof but not the easiest of breathers. I dove a magnum for years and when properly tuned it breathed just as well as a Conshelf. Although it was a bit wetter if I was in a weird position.

To improve their reputation Sherwood came out with the SR-1 that had a balanced first and second stage. It was the darling of the dive media and supposedly one of the best regulators in the world. However, once people began to use them they experienced problems with freeflows and some problems with the first stage.I am not sure what caused the issues if it was poor design, materials, or quality control. Latter SR-1s and SR-2s no longer suffer from those problems.

Two years ago Sherwood upgraded their line by making the second stages balanced. I am not sure of what changes, if any, were made to the first stage.

Looking at eBay, Sherwoods do not hold their value as well as other brands such as Scubapro, Atomic, and Aqualung. If buying used, stay away from the older models that have the filter in piston. Unless things have changed, Sherwood no longer makes this part and if clogged the first stage is a paper weight. New first stages moved the filter to body and made it replaceable, so they are fine.