Choices for regs in certain price range

[divad]

...and with the exception of Hollis, both Dive Rite and HOG are made by the same company in Taiwan. Ocean Divers Supply. Look them up. They also make the Diver's Supply house brand, Sea Elite, and all the Edge stuff too if I'm not mistaken.

My advice? Buy a reg from a company with a little more control and ownership over the manufacturing process. You can't go wrong with Atomic or ScubaPro. HOG has its fans, but I've heard a few horror stories. If Atomic or SP started selling parts to their customers, you'd never even hear of HOG.


See for yourself - ODS

Nothing wrong with buying used either.

Oh my goodness......you make them sound like brake pads or something. How long, in your advice, before all these deathtrap/"horror stories" become yesterdays news (whistling down the turnpike with a couple of old cigarette butts)? Does DiveRite know about this? Perhaps you should contact them.
We've got to get the word out. Time's-a-wastin'.

 

[buddhasummer]

I am trying to find out if I could find a service center for hog but no luck. Divegearexpress is about an hour away but they don't show they do service. I don't recall if I bump my head lol.

Is that a good price for the legend LX?

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They do indeed service HOG regs.

Regulator Service and Parts - Dive Gear Express

---------- Post added May 11th, 2012 at 06:49 AM ----------

...and with the exception of Hollis, both Dive Rite and HOG are made by the same company in Taiwan. Ocean Divers Supply. Look them up. They also make the Diver's Supply house brand, Sea Elite, and all the Edge stuff too if I'm not mistaken.

My advice? Buy a reg from a company with a little more control and ownership over the manufacturing process. You can't go wrong with Atomic or ScubaPro. HOG has its fans, but I've heard a few horror stories. If Atomic or SP started selling parts to their customers, you'd never even hear of HOG.


See for yourself - ODS

Nothing wrong with buying used either.

I like a good horror story, care to share?

 

[SkimFisher]

I have a buddy that purchased a set brand new with parts missing in the 2nd-stage. That's enough of a reason for me to avoid them. The other reason is that I've owned a few of the other ODS re-brands, and while they did the job, I wasn't impressed enough to keep them in the water. I'm not saying you're going to die, as the obvious fanboy is trying to imply, but you get what you pay for. The Dive Rite's are a heavy reg. Not very comfortable in my opinion. Most people that hold low-end regs in such high regard do so without having ever tried something better. At the other end of the spectrum are the guys that bought one, so now they have to defend their purchase. I thought my DR's were great, until I tried an Atomic. Now I have two sets of Atomic M1's for my doubles, and my DR's sit in the locker for a rainy day.

Back in my OW days I also had a Sea Elite (still do somewhere), supposedly the dive industries "best kept secret". I thought they were great - until I tried something better that someone told me would be better. I have Oceanics too. Two sets of GT3/CDX5 - a good, but low end reg. Thought they were great, until I tried something better.

Dive whatever you want, I'm just saying that eventually you're probably going to make your way to something on the high-end, so why not just start there? Even if you're going to buy second-hand.

 

[divad]

I have a buddy that purchased a set brand new with parts missing in the 2nd-stage.

Which parts?

 

[ofl0926]

Yeah I get what most of you are saying. I am probably going to just save a little more and get the apeks xtx50 and at20 octo from LDS for 600. I need to see if they could include a free pressure gauge.
Let me know guys if that is a good deal?

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[SkimFisher]

Which parts?

I don't remember, and my stenographer was at lunch. All I remember is that he kept having issues with it, had it looked at, found out there were parts missing and returned it for a refund. Times, dates, receipts, blood types - I don't have them.

 

[elan]

Yeah I get what most of you are saying. I am probably going to just save a little more and get the apeks xtx50 and at20 octo from LDS for 600. I need to see if they could include a free pressure gauge.
Let me know guys if that is a good deal?

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You will not regret getting an Apeks.
Do not choose based on the initial cost only. Overtime you will likely spend more money on maintenance. So look at it from that point as well.
I bought an old FST that has a half inch port (so it is not recent)from one of the forum members recently. Still works great. If you have a good tech nearby that can check the reg do not hesitate getting a used reg from the higher end.

 

[divad]

I don't remember, and my stenographer was at lunch. All I remember is that he kept having issues with it, had it looked at, found out there were parts missing and returned it for a refund. Times, dates, receipts, blood types - I don't have them.

This is really interesting. I've got a similar barrel-poppet second (Beuchat) apart in front of me and am bewildered as to how it could function without some of its few parts. None of them seem extraneous enough for the regulator to operate without some of them. I'm genuinely interested.

 

[Fishpie]

Diving down here in S Florida there's no need to get a sealed Apeks.
The XTX20 and US4 will breathe exactly the same as the XTX50 DST.

 

[ofl0926]

Diving down here in S Florida there's no need to get a sealed Apeks.
The XTX20 and US4 will breathe exactly the same as the XTX50 DST.

While you are correct, I have spoken to several ppl and they still suggest a sealed reg. They say it still prevents certain stuff from getting in it and if I ever decide to go do cold water diving, I am ready

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