Jonnythan,
I would be careful about recommending a reg that does not have a strong dealer network to beginners. We never know where our diving exploits will take us, and a dealer at home does little good when we need service 1500 miles away.
I do not generally recommend a brand, but if pressed recommend Aqua Lung, Scuba Pro, or Sherwood for divers who expect to stay at least in the US or Carribean. Sure there are others which are just as good (or better), but service is EXTREMELY important. I have a friend who bought a Beuchat reg about 15 years ago. This was a good reg--when it worked--but she had a terrible time getting competent service for it, and this was in the keys. She soon replaced it with a US Divers.
Another example: On a trip to Little Cayman this past spring we had a man on our boat who had the latest and greatest from head to toe. On the second day of the trip he had problems with his ATX 200 (a great reg), which the shop there could not repair, and spent the rest of the trip diving a rental Sherwood Brut. Now I happen to like Sherwood, but the Brut is not a very good breathing reg.
I talked to him just before we left, so obviously the experience was not fatal and he had had a great time, but certainly would have preferred his own reg. If he had one of the more common brands, he might have had a chance for repair.
