Deco regulators

[ginti]

Hi everyone!

I couldn't find any similar thread on the forum... but if there is actually something, feel free to share the link to previous discussion!

I need to buy regulators for deco. Currently I dive with doubles and I have 2 MK25EVO+G260. I dive often in cold water (6/7°C - 43/45°F) and in environment where some silt can come up from the bottom (lake and quarries at the moment, but also caves very soon).

My personal guess is that I need a performant set, since cold and particles might give me problems.
I think I would also benefit from a first stage with a "rotating tower" (do you call it like this?), like the one of MK25, because it would allow moving the regulator without bending too much the hose.
Lastly, I believe that having the same regulators I already have would be useful in case I need to repair something at the last minute. For instance, I may bring with me just one set of spare parts, or switch parts between regulators. In this case I should make my regulators oxygen-compatible (I believe they are compatible only with oxygen up to 40%).

I asked a shop here in France, and they suggested to buy a MK2+R195, which sounds a bit weird to me, since it is not exactly a very performant set. The shop replied that, at shallow depth, a very simple reg can be a better choice because, being more simple, it will have less problem related to cold temperature and particles suspended in the water. I am not convinced at all...

Furthermore, here in France one shouldn't use the DIN connection for oxygen-compatible devices, but a special connection. So, for instance, I cannot buy a set MK25EVO+G260 oxygen-compatible here... But I can buy it from a third country

Do you have any suggestion about that? I am going for the GUE route, and obviously I will listen to my future instructor advices, but I'd like to hear also something from other people, not necessarily from GUE.

Thanks in advance!

 

[doctormike]

There are obviously a lot of variables out there, and one thing about having all of your regulators identical is that you can swap them around and carry one repair kit.

But keep in mind that one of the features that you pay more for with high quality regulators is performance at depth, with dense gas, and that is not an issue with deco regs. If you are doing deco on 100% O2, your reg will never be used below 20 feet. Not sure you really need a rotating collar either, since you will be slinging that bottle.

 

[CptTightPants21]

Officially, a manufacturer will only list a regulator at 40% nitrox, however in this day and age the process and procedures used to manufacture the normal regulator are the same as the "O2 reg". Buy any new regulator today that doesn't have titanium components and you can put it on an O2 bottle.

Regarding, the idea of getting a high performance set for deco and using it as backup. Yes. The reg has the possibility of being a universal backup. No longer is it an issue of a back gas reg broke or a deco/stage reg broke. You can now swap out any reg with any other and not sacrifice on performance.

You don't need a "rotating tower" like the MK25, but many divers do like and prefer them. The English term would be "swivel" or "turret"

 

[cerich]

Officially, a manufacturer will only list a regulator at 40% nitrox, however in this day and age the process and procedures used to manufacture the normal regulator are the same as the "O2 reg". Buy any new regulator today that doesn't have titanium components and you can put it on an O2 bottle.

Regarding, the idea of getting a high performance set for deco and using it as backup. Yes. The reg has the possibility of being a universal backup. No longer is it an issue of a back gas reg broke or a deco/stage reg broke. You can now swap out any reg with any other and not sacrifice on performance.

You don't need a "rotating tower" like the MK25, but many divers do like and prefer them. The English term would be "swivel" or "turret"

the EU has very specific requirements around regs that are used with above 22%, unlike rest of the world.

All that said, my preference is all regs the same for ease of service, witching around etc. If following EU norms however, the DIN connector on a deco reg will by necessity be different.

 

[ginti]

f following EU norms however, the DIN connector on a deco reg will by necessity be different.

Interesting... so this is actually an european norm, not a french one, isn't it? Well, it's weird because I know plenty of people going with standard connectors for deco. Do you know if that policy is just a suggestion or a very strict rule that one must observe, or anything in between?

 

[cerich]

Interesting... so this is actually an european norm, not a french one, isn't it? Well, it's weird because I know plenty of people going with standard connectors for deco. Do you know if that policy is just a suggestion or a very strict rule that one must observe, or anything in between?

it's a EU CE regulation. Is it ignored by some divers there? Yes.

I suspect, like most regulations, that it takes something happening for anything to come of it. I am sure some shops follows, others don't.

 

[rjack321]

the MK2 + R195 has a couple of weak points and several strong attributes.

The weak: hose routing can be awkward, parts are limited to scubapro dealers (although you can get them on the grey market), can't be swapped with a broken regulator on your doubles very well at all.

The strong: Of all the regulators in the world its one of the least prone to failing, its the superman of reliability, at modest depths when you aren't working hard freezing up is extremely unlikely, can be flooded, not rinsed, abused in every which way and it will still work. Easy to O2 clean and breaths ok for 50% or 100% deco gasses (at 21m max). Light weight

I have had one for many years and its one of my favorite deco regs as the positives outweigh the weaknesses.

 

[rjack321]

Interesting... so this is actually an european norm, not a french one, isn't it? Well, it's weird because I know plenty of people going with standard connectors for deco. Do you know if that policy is just a suggestion or a very strict rule that one must observe, or anything in between?

Its an EU requirement to use the M26 sized DIN instead of the 5/8" BSP DIN for >40%. So you need a special reg and special deco gas valve
Seems to be enforced more by French shops nd fill stations than any other nation unfortunately. Discuss this with your instructor for sure.

 

[ginti]

But keep in mind that one of the features that you pay more for with high quality regulators is performance at depth, with dense gas, and that is not an issue with deco regs.

As far as I understood, I may start deco deeper. But 21m/70ft is not deep at all.

 

[cerich]

anyhow, it all in EN13949:2003