Buying my first regulator

[BoltSnap]

In the US, Fiat aka Jeep/Ram/Dodge/Chrysler/Alfa/Fiat (in descending sales numbers) have similar depreciation to Mercedes. Mercedes/BMW/Audi all have high depreciation here because they focus on the high end leasing market. I paid literally half the original sticker price on my BMW 328i. It was 3 years old, with only 7000 miles. If you want high resale value in the US, the top brands are Subaru and Toyota. That's why I bought my Sienna new.

This illustrates something important. Everyone's situation is different. If you are going to provide information that is accurate and useful, you have to be willing to understand your audience's context.

Fiat in this part of the world is a piece of crap and has no value at all. I am talking about cars that are the Fiat brand.

Mercedes has extremely high resale value even after years and years of use in this part of the world compared with Fiat.

We aren't talking about the US, the OP is in the Europe/Middle East area.

 

[Sagi]

So after consulting with a few people I'm more confused now.
We have in Israel service centers for:
1. Halcyon & SP.
2. Apex & Aqualung.
3. Tusa & Beuchat.
4. Mares.

Right now I'm thinking of the SP mk11 / c370 / r195.

Do you reccomend any other of these companies? And if so, which set would you reccomend?

 

[Sagi]

I second the Mk11/C370 as an excellent choice for the Mediterranean (i.e. not too cold, not too dirty) waters. Small/light and very good performing set with very reasonable price even for new.

Depend on where in the Med.
In Israel water you have lots and lots of particels in the water (sand coming from the Nile delta) and the temp changes from 13 deg C in the winter to 33/35 deg C in the summer. Not to mention that the Med is the saltiest it gets right in Israel water so that probably have an effect too.

 

[shurite7]

So after consulting with a few people I'm more confused now.

Right now I'm thinking of the SP mk11 / c370 / r195.

The more people you consult the more varied the responses will be.

I’ve dived in the Med (Alexandria - the water was quite turbid there, and Aqaba Bay - Dahab) and I would have no problem using the Mk11/C370/R195 set up. If the water has particles during the dive just simply give your regulator a very rinse with running water from your sink or a hose.

The Mk11 is a decent and dependable first stage. The C370 is Scubapro’s most underrated second stage. The R195 is a basic, but reliable, second stage adequate for use as an alternate.

Do you reccomend any other of these companies? And if so, which set would you reccomend?

This is a loaded question because if you put ten people in a room, each with their own reg, you will get one very high praise for each reg and several thumbs down for each reg.

Any of the Scubapro (with the exception of the R095) and Apeks regs are a good choice.

 

[stiebs]

Because it is a very low grade low performance octo. The R195 at least has a venturi adjustment that compensates for being unbalanced. In an emergency where somebody is OOA (out of air), the person who is OOA is going to be very excited and will need a good performing regulator not a low end.

Which is why it is a good idea to always offer an OOA diver your primary reg, and you start breathing off your secondary. Whenever I'm diving with someone I haven't dived with before, in our pre-dive briefing I will always tell them in an OOA situation, their emergency gas is in my mouth. My backup gas is around my neck. That rings true for my long-hosed doubles rig as well as my "rec setup" singles rig.

 

[Joris Vd]

-Forget Tusa and Beuchat, they also make great regs, but depending on the country you go, they have limited to no service possibilities at all.

-Forget Halcyon, you're buying an mk17 or mk25 with a g250 and a blue sticker for premium price, unless you wanna spend that kind of money and like the aesthetics of them, go for it.

- I feel like there's been enough mares discussion on this forum for two lifetimes, so just in short:

Mares reg = decent/good quality depending on who you talk to - horrible company - parts for life with mares means parts for + - 5-10 years. This also reflects on the prices. You can get the premium mares regulator (which used to be around 550 euros in the beginning) for 313 euros on scubastore. The reason is that mares is phasing it out. (the 82x dual adj).



If you're a man on a budget i'd suggest these:
I'll just give you scubastore prices as an estimate, ofcourse I would highly recommend to buy it from a dive retailer near you.

- Scubapro:
M11 + c370: not available on the Spanish Bazaar, but around 300 euros.
Mk17 + C370: not available on the Spanish Bazaar, but retails around 330 euros in Belgium
-aqualung:
core set: 290 euros right now on scubastore
-Apeks:
Apeks atx40: 277 euros on the Spanish bazaar, Octopus included!
Apeks xl4: 330 euros + - in dive stores,
Apeks xtx50 + ds4: a bit more expensive but nothing crazy, think of 350 euros.
-Mares:
dual 15x: 277 euros on scubastore


If I had to buy one of these right now

i'd narrow down the choice to an mk17+c370 or mk11 + c370. They're just such good value for scubapro's. And you can buy them for those great prices in an LDS, which is a big plus imo.

 

[BoltSnap]

i'd narrow down the choice to an mk17+c370 or mk11 + c370. They're just such good value for scubapro's. And you can buy them for those great prices in an LDS, which is a big plus imo.

I agree with your entire post and choices above. For the very small price difference between the MK17 and MK11, I'd skip a meal, if money is an issue, and buy the MK17.

 

[Angelo Farina]

I know that it is much more expensive, but I would suggest two identical second stages, optimally 2xG260: this will come handy when you will switch to a twin set with independent posts, then you will just buy another identical first stage, and you will have two complete identical regs.
Regarding the first stage, I am using since 40 years unsealed or SPEC-sealed piston first stages from Scubapro, namely MK5. If maintained properly the unsealed version is fine in our Mediterranean seas.
If diving in more aggressive environment, then go for the MK17. It is currently cheaper than a MK25Evo.
If you search for used items, the great thing about Scubapro is that even 40-years old regulators can be serviced, and upgraded to the performances of the newest model, as their internal parts are fully compatible. In my old 109 second I am using internal parts of a G260...
So, if searching for used, a late MK10 or a MK20 + 2 x G250 would be a great choice, providing the very same performances and reliability as more modern regs.
See here for a couple of good bargains on Ebay:
SCUBAPRO mk20 con G250 secondo stadio | eBay
SCUBAPRO G250 2nd fase regolatore immersioni subacquee | eBay

Another good set for a reasonable price, even including the SPG:
SCUBAPRO + Mares Erogatori e Manometro - MK 18 UL G250 - R190 Octopus | eBay

 

[Sagi]

-aqualung:
core set: 290 euros right now on scubastore

-Apeks:
Apeks atx40: 277 euros on the Spanish bazaar, Octopus included!
Apeks xl4: 330 euros + - in dive stores,
Apeks xtx50 + ds4: a bit more expensive but nothing crazy, think of 350 euros.

-Mares:
dual 15x: 277 euros on scubastore

So those regs are pretty much in the same level as the mk17/C370 and mk11/C370?

 

[lowwall]

Are you still thinking of buying used? If so, you should decide your budget and see what's available. Unless you are buying directly from a shop that has serviced it, you should figure in the cost of a service when setting your budget.