Cost of Servicing Scubapro Regulators

[kelemvor]

I like the approach some scubaboarders are taking. Get a hog reg, and replace it every year - selling the original at a discount. I think if you could sell a used hog set at 50% of the price you paid each year you could save money vs getting any reg serviced. Especially if it's a brand you can't trust to honor their parts warranty like scubapro.

 

[eelnoraa]

Part of the problem for the reg companies and the dive shops is that regulators are made too well, simply because of the liability of manufacturing and selling equipment that could fail if not impecably designed and built.

This is so true. On top of that, regulators are actually very simple. 2nd stages are no brainer to do service on your own. You don't even need any special tools, but if you have a lot of regs, tools will make it faster. Since start owning HOG, I have been doing 2nd stages myself, including SP 250V and Atomics. I was afraind of touching the 1st stage due to higher pressure concern and lack of the proper tools. Then one day, I picked some scuba wreches on ebay, and I was like WTH, let me take apart an Atomic (which is due for service), worst case, I will take it to the dive shop. And found 1st stage is not much worse than 2nd stage. Having that said, they do take some time to do, because of the cleaning and soaking, and adjustment after re-assemble. To me, it is not too unfair to charge $60-$75 for labors for all 3 stages. My main issue with taking to a shop is rather the turn around time. the two trip to drop off and pickup the set from a shop is enough for me to do it myself.

As for part cost, I think it is ridiculous. It is about $25/stages for a couple of o-ring and a seat. What is the better way to get these replacement part for lower cost?

 

[buddhasummer]

$45 for an HP hose is rather spendy.

 

[eelnoraa]

$45 for an HP hose is rather spendy.

I guess it depends on the length? I see many divers with super long HP hose on their console. It seems even longer than octo length. A 3x" - 40" HP hose can get expansive

 

[rhwestfall]

expensive too....

 

[buddhasummer]

Didn't think about that, I use 24-26" and pay around $25 from DGX.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

This is so true. On top of that, regulators are actually very simple. 2nd stages are no brainer to do service on your own. You don't even need any special tools, but if you have a lot of regs, tools will make it faster. Since start owning HOG, I have been doing 2nd stages myself, including SP 250V and Atomics. I was afraind of touching the 1st stage due to higher pressure concern and lack of the proper tools. Then one day, I picked some scuba wreches on ebay, and I was like WTH, let me take apart an Atomic (which is due for service), worst case, I will take it to the dive shop. And found 1st stage is not much worse than 2nd stage. Having that said, they do take some time to do, because of the cleaning and soaking, and adjustment after re-assemble. To me, it is not too unfair to charge $60-$75 for labors for all 3 stages. My main issue with taking to a shop is rather the turn around time. the two trip to drop off and pickup the set from a shop is enough for me to do it myself.

As for part cost, I think it is ridiculous. It is about $25/stages for a couple of o-ring and a seat. What is the better way to get these replacement part for lower cost?

Once curious and capable people decide to crack open a reg and see how it works and then do a service, they generally have two reactions. The first, like you said, is one of WTF!, and of enlightenment that the ultra complicated piece of space age life support equipment is about 200 times simpler than they ever imagined. And the second is one of a little disgust and maybe a little anger that they fell for the whole service scam/scare tactic/BS/ call it what you want, but the fact remains, most dive shops would rather people didn't discover how their own regs work because a lot of mis information will he discovered and a cash cow will be deflated, demystified, and disclosed. Let's face it, dive shops don't like people like us.
The best the industry could do would be to cash in on people like us and just sell us the damned parts and make it easy on everyone. We're going to get parts anyway one way or another so why not make something on it instead of nothing. Something is better than nothing. I'd rather give my shop the $48 for a MK20 service kit instead of someone on ebay.

 

[Tbar]

...Something is better than nothing. I'd rather give my shop the $48 for a MK20 service kit instead of someone on ebay.

I think the cost of the kits is ridicules, $48 for some O-rings and a couple of specialist parts!

... What is the better way to get these replacement part for lower cost?

I buy my o-rings in bulk, from a local but specialist provider. I found a source for MK25 seats and managed to get a few hundred at a couple of dollars each. The S600 (and equivalent) 2nds take a mushroom poppet, and Trident have an equivalent that can be purchased on eBay. I also have a Mares MK12, and the poppet is a generic Trident item again available on eBay. My "kits" cost well under $10.

 

[halocline]

The retail cost of the kits is absurd. I believe they are intentionally inflated way beyond any reasonable price to artificially raise the "value" of the free parts for life programs. If kits were priced appropriately, which would be maybe $5 for simple downstream 2nd stage kit, $10 for a balanced 1st stage kit, and available to purchase at any dive shop, then the free-parts-in-return-for-annual-service bit would have less apparent value.

And those prices ($5-10) still have a healthy profit margin in them, considering they're nothing but a few standard o-rings and a seat, maybe a bushing or two.

I wonder if many local dive shops at this point would end up doing much better to abandon the whole nonsense of the "free" parts for life bit, embrace the DIYers, and be able to sell their regs at a competitive cost, instead of trying to adhere to the outdated sales model the manufacturers are forcing on them. I'm pretty sure the shops around here would rather sell more regulators and parts, get more divers in the shop, and give up some of the service labor. Think about it; they're not making much on service labor anyway, and it's a pain in the ass when someone brings a reg back that's been serviced and had a problem. It makes the shop look bad, and costs more in time spent.

 

[eelnoraa]

hmm, i kind of think labor on service is one of the major income source for a dive shop. For reg service, it is $25/stage. A competent tech with proper equipment spend on a stage? 20 minutes?? I really want to know. It took me much longer, but I don't do it every day nor I have the proper equipment. If it is 20min, so it is $75/hour rate. Not too bad