Deco Reg Choice

[WeekendDiver]

I agree with NWGratefulDiver. Why be cheap? it's your life!. If you can't afford the right equipment hold off until you can...

 

[loosebits]

Well, there's cheap and then there's inexpensive and reliable. While I love my DS4's on my back, I'm not going to invest that kind of money for DST's on my deco bottles. I think unbalanced DR's or Salvo's breath good enough and are just as reliable as a DST.

In other words, what you want in a deco reg is reliability, you can sacrifice some breathing performance for cost. On your backgas, you need both reliability and performance.

 

[Jimmer]

Just for some food for thought, LeisurePro has the OMS reg listed at $180. They also have the Oceanic GT3-CDX5 on sale for $200 because the non DVT version is discontinued. This is exactly how I ended up with Oceanic OmegaII-CDX5's for my deco bottles. The OMS is unbalanced piston, with a non adjustable second, compared to the Oceanic's Environmentally sealed balanced diaphragm, fully adjustable second stage. I know guys who use this reg as their primary backgas reg on deep trimix dives. Now it'll cost a bit more to get the DIN kits for them, but it's a superior reg to the OMS.

 

[eandiver]

Inexpensive and reliable......my Oceanic Alpha 7.

Of course to fill out the tech side of the setup the SPG is an OMS.

 

[ams511]

What about a used Sherwood Maximus? The are relatively inexpensive on ebay, reliable when serviced properly and have a swivel on the second stage with a 40 inch hose. They are not the best breathers but not the worst either.

 

[JMcD]

I don't understand the logic behind wanting a cheap reg on your deco bottle ... seems that when you have a deco obligation, the last thing you need is a reg problem.
...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

A great point - and why I read Scubaboard... This commen sense thinking from someone with more experience just Crystallizes key choices and options. Thanks NWGratefulDiver