Deciding on what to get for a (very good) reg.

[elan]

If you dive a lot and not in surface freezing conditions, and have basic mechanical skills I would get a reg that can be easy to self service and get rubber parts for.

I like buying used scubapro MK20/25 with a metal second like 109-156. the orings are cheap and the main component that you have to get from kits (seats) last a while. They are also easy to tear down and reassemble if you accidently flood ir

Recreational/scientific, but many many times a week. So something high performance that doesn't get trashed fast with use. I.e. Atomic. An ST1 is about as much as is be willing to pay. I hear the T2/T3 don't really perform better and are just crazy expensive.

 

[Dive-aholic]

I don't have much experience with diving Atomic regs so can't answer specifically in regards to them. The key thing in choosing your regulator will be serviceability. If you ever plan on servicing your own regs then stay away from Atomic. You won't be able to get service kits unless you know someone. There are a few reg brands out there which you can get service kits. Atomic just isn't one of them. If you will be taking your regs in for servicing then stick with someone local that you trust to service your regs. Yes, you can ship your regs for servicing but it will cost you shipping both ways. Most regs should be able to fit into a medium flat rate box so that's less than $12 each way but it does add up. Some regs also come with free service kits for life. And some dealers will even offer the first service or two with the purchase of the reg set. That's a $60-90 savings on a recreational set! Lots of things to consider.

 

[Dr. Lecter]

If you ever plan on servicing your own regs then stay away from Atomic. You won't be able to get service kits unless you know someone.

Yeah, those service kits are totally impossible to find. Atomic Service Kits

As are the tools. http://www.scubatools.com/c-7-atomic.aspx

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

As Dr. Lecter pointed out a source for service kits, that place also sells Aqualung 900001 service kits for Conshelf/Titan.
You can pick those up on Ebay cheap. They are super easy to rebuild, there are probably millions of kits available world wide, the kit hasn't changed since the 60's, and there probably always will be kits available at least in my lifetime I'm sure.
They will provide 135-140 IP, what more do you need?
You can put any second on it you like.
Your performance is going to be in the second stage as long as the first stage IP is stable and can handle the flow you need.
I think there is a lot of overblown myths about the performance of first stages. The second stage isn't going to know or care what's in front of it feeding it air.

I would like to ask, what makes an Atomic or Scubapro piston reg better than a Hog or Aqualung Conshelf?

 

[rhwestfall]

Name… and financial implications. …

 

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

Atomics M1
or
Apeks XTX 50/100/200.

I love the Atomics because of the smoothness and ease of breathing. Plus they are a great company with the best customer service I have seen.I love the Apeks because of the reliability in cold / extreme conditions.

 

[ProudNPrejudiced]

Never used anything other than junky rentals (sherwoods and lower end scubapros). So I really have no basis for preferring anything, other than reading reviews. Needs to be a rec reg, I don't plan on putting EAN 40+ in my tank.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Sherwoods are actually good regs if they are maintained properly. I had a Brut I serviced myself that breathed like a dream at recreational depths of say less than 80 feet. It would pull a little harder a deeper depths but not overly so. Problem is some shops worry about them working. Just not working as well as they are capable of.
Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Teller]

Scubapro, Atomic and Apeks all make great regs.

 

[Dive-aholic]

Yeah, those service kits are totally impossible to find. Atomic Service Kits

As are the tools. Scuba Tools - Atomic®

I never said anything about tools. As for John selling the kits...I wonder how long that continues before Atomic puts a stop to it. Especially now that it was point out here. As far as I know, Atomic does not authorize the sale of their service kits to the end users.