Choosing a Reg - Tusa vs HOG

[milbournosphere]

I've been saving for a new regulator setup this year and I received some Christmas money that put me over the top. I'm a recreational diver in SoCal looking to get his Deep water certification in the next few months. I usually aim to get 2 dives in a week or so, depending on my schedule. That number will probably go up once I get completely settled with gear.

I've been looking for a decent yet not overly priced balanced regulator setup and I've narrowed it down to a few that are in my price range. On the one hand, I'm looking at a Tusa package comprised of an RS-460 first stage with and S-60 second stage, and on the other, a HOG package that includes an Edge Epic first stage paired with an HOG Classic second stage. They're both similarly priced, and they have a similar feature set as far as I can tell.

From what info I've turned up, the Tusa is basically a re-badged Scubapro Mk16. Both setups are balanced diaphragm systems and both appear to be cold water insulated. Given a negligible price difference (closeout on the Tusa, and a good deal on the Edge/HOG), which would you choose? My main concerns are reliability and ease of service (My LDS isn't authorized to do warranty service on either, so I'd have to go elsewhere for in-warranty servicing). Thanks for any tips or advice.

 

[elan]

Why not go with what your shop can service ? Do they service Aqualung ? If so Titan LX can be a great option and they are not expensive. Aqualung AFAIK has a parts for life program so you will not have to pay for the part. This does not work when you have lots of regs but if you only have one or two and dive on a regular basis I find it pays back. Atomic is also a good option and seems to be popular in SoCal.

 

[milbournosphere]

Thanks for the reply! The local shop I go to is great with talent and info, but they're a Scubapro-only shop with regards to sales of major recreational gear (they also sell Halcyon tech gear; one of their BP/Wings is on my wishlist ). My budget would put me towards the entry level price tier of Scubapro's equipment. I was hoping to buy new so as to be able to take advantage of a parts program and to avoid the upfront cost of a servicing involved with buying a used reg. If I wanted them to, the shop would gladly service either of the two systems I'm looking at, but I'd have to pay for parts out of pocket. With the HOG, it could be a non-issue; Tusa offers a parts-for-life program, but I'm not sure that HOG/Edge offers the same luxury.

 

[diversteve]

SubGear is the lower end ScubaPro line. Maybe they have something available in your price range. SUBGEAR
LeisurePro sells all three models: Subgear from LeisurePro.com

Apparently they're re-badged ScubaPro models with some differences - post #21: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/regulators/430678-subgear-sg-1000-same-scubapro-mk17-s600.html

Atomic is in Huntington Beach - they do factory servicing also - IDK about the cost. Delivery would be overnight so there's no reason to do it locally. And it's a 2-year interval so that helps some. A Z2 is $400 anywhere - with the 2nd stage swivel it's a Z2x at $500. My Atomics cost me $60 locally for service but one's a T2 so I may get free parts with it.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

HOG /Edge does not have a parts for life. The service interval is every two years and you don't have to stick to a rigid schedule. Miss it by a month, two months, no big deal. I can't speak for other dealers but a full service of a 1st stage and both seconds with SPG attention would run around 110.00 including parts and return shipping in the US provided the reg has not been neglected and required extra time.

That works out to just over 50 bucks a year. And if you have the recommended annual inspection done add another $40 - $45 to that total. Bringing your annual service cost to $75 a year on average or so.

And looking on LP's site the Cayman would be the closest to the HOG in terms of features. But with HOG you could get a full reg set - 1st stage, 2 matched seconds, hoses, and SPG with hose for about the same price as a single 1st and 2nd with a hose.

Going to the other end the SubGear Aruba on LP is 254.00 for a balanced piston with a non adjustable second.

An Edge EXP would run you about 20.00 less for a balanced diaphragm with adjustable second and edgeflex hose. Add a balanced octo for 90 bucks or so and a compact SPG for another 85 and you have a complete reg set suitable for dang near anything in California for around 400. My GF has used this reg in water down to 50 degrees with no issues. And there is now a cold version suitable for under 40 degree temps for a few bucks more.

And if your shop would do the service, you can buy the kits to take to them to do so if you don't want to send it somewhere. Get a HOG and a the required tech diving cert and tools and you can learn to service it yourself.

 

[milbournosphere]

So after playing with some numbers, I'm pretty sure that if I buy new, I'll go with the Edge/HOG rig. I was able to get in contact with a (relatively) close dealer that will be able to provide decently priced service.

I say 'if' because a local offered me a used ScubaPro that he recently picked up. It's a mk17/s555 setup. He's offering it to me for $100, and I might be able to talk him down a bit. I've heard good things about the mk17, but I've usually seen it paired with an S600. Does anyone have any more info about this Scubapro system?

 

[elan]

MK17/S555 setup for $100????? I would not even think twice and jumped on the offer right away. S555 IIRC is an S600 w/o adjustment knob. MK17 is one of the best diaphragm regs.

Unless something is wrong with the reg it is a steal.

So after playing with some numbers, I'm pretty sure that if I buy new, I'll go with the Edge/HOG rig. I was able to get in contact with a (relatively) close dealer that will be able to provide decently priced service.

I say 'if' because a local offered me a used ScubaPro that he recently picked up. It's a mk17/s555 setup. He's offering it to me for $100, and I might be able to talk him down a bit. I've heard good things about the mk17, but I've usually seen it paired with an S600. Does anyone have any more info about this Scubapro system?

 

[halocline]

Unless there's something really wrong with the MK17, it's a great deal. Since it's a sealed 1st stage, it's very unlikely that there's corrosion in the ambient chamber. If the reg can be hooked up to a tank and it works, I'd buy it sight unseen. If you're concerned, you could try bringing it to the local SP dealer and let them inspect it. If they're honest and competent, they'll welcome you bringing a regulator that they can service and as such get a new customer. If, however, they're not, they'll feed you a line of BS about how used regs are evil and they'll try to sell you something off their shelf. It's a crapshoot.

The common ploy is to argue against buying used regs because you have to figure in the cost of a service. So what, you have to service all regs anyway, one extra service over the life of the reg (could be decades) is nothing.

The S555 is not my favorite SP 2nd stage, but it's more-or-less a S600 without the adjustment feature. It'll work absolutely fine, and if you get inspired you can find a used G250 or D400 to use as a primary, and move the S555 to alternate. They're all good.

 

[milbournosphere]

Glad to hear it's a good deal. My LDS is primarily a Scubapro shop, so I doubt there will be an issue with getting it inspected and overhauled if needed. I'm going to try to meet up with him today or tomorrow to hook it up to a tank to see how it breathes. If it's all in good shape, I'm not opposed to buying used, especially if it's a good deal. We'll see...

 

[elan]

How it breathes will not show much, you need to do some inspection, there is a checklist provided in a sticky thread in this forum. If it breathes at all just take it to the shop for inspection and service and see what they say. If you ask them to service they might not even charge you for the inspection. If the reg does not breath or free flows that indicates an issues which might be easy or difficult to fix. So do not be discouraged if the reg breathes hard. Getting a good performance though might require some tuning.

Speaking of used:

I have finally assembled my winter double set which consists of MK17 firsts and 156, and 109 seconds. The seconds are way from being new as you realize

They breath as well as my stage G250V s