Differences in regulators

[formernuke]

I hope this question doesn't create the argument I know it will but it's worth a shot.

For new people trying to figure out which regulator to choose can be overwhelming. So heres the question. What are the actual differences between the different manufactors? in other words if you are looking at a 500 dollar reg whats actual difference between agualung, scuba pro, zeagle, atomic, etc. same for the "entry level" from each brand.

I'm not trying to get into the my reg is best debate, instead I'm trying to get actual comparisions in hopes of making it easir for new people to choose a reg assuming that ability to get it serviced is not an issue.

Thank you for any insights that might be usefull

 

[Couv]

Hello Formernuke,

A good place to start is with the excellent thread started by Scubaroo. The title is First Stage Chart and is a sticky thread:
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/regulators/86200-first-stage-chart.html

couv

 

[Rhone Man]

I hope this question doesn't create the argument

Good one!

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

I hope this question doesn't create the argument I know it will but it's worth a shot.

...What are the actual differences between the different manufactors? in other words if you are looking at a 500 dollar reg whats actual difference between agualung, scuba pro, zeagle, atomic, etc. same for the "entry level" from each brand.

I'm not trying to get into the my reg is best debate, instead I'm trying to get actual comparisions in hopes of making it easir for new people to choose a reg assuming that ability to get it serviced is not an issue.

Thank you for any insights that might be usefull

There are basic design differences (piston vs diaphragm), adjustable 2nd vs non-adjustable.

My opinion, for what it is worth, is that entry, mid-range, and high-end regulators from all of the major players are essentially equal in performance and reliability.... what differs is the price. You will tend to pay more (not always, but often) for Aqualung or Scubapro than for a comparable performing regulator from some of the other companies. Some people will make the point that it is easier to get worldwide service for Aqualung & Scubapro (generally true).

It is really hard to go too far wrong with ANY name brand regulator on the market today. I actually think it is more important to find a good DEALER who you are happy with and buy what he/she sells and supports rather than the particular brand of regulator.

Sorry, I know this really did not answer you question, but other than the stock answer of "I use this regulator and really like it a lot", there is no right answer other than to pick the regulator that excites YOU.

Good luck, and have fun finding your new regulator.

 

[drdaddy]

The best reg is the one that your LDS sells and services. All good regulators breath well.

That said, I like my old trusty Sherwood Oasis and my PADI Instructor son likes his old trusty AquaLung Conshelf. Plus, we travel internationally and these are two regulators that can be serviced anywhere in the World (including my LDS ). Service availability is something, in our case and probably most cases, that needs to be considered more than the latest, prettiest, most expensive, etc.

When you know that you are going to be really getting into some specialties like Tech, ice, cave, etc., you will be looking at some equipment that will be certified for such use. But when you get to that point, you will have instructors and buddies that will tell you what you need.

drdaddy

 

[Thalassamania]

If you buy from the middle of a manufacturer's line on up it hard to go wrong. If you buy at the top of the line, you'll love the regulator almost regardless of brand. So what you're really looking for is what's the best regulator (let's assume the top of the line) for the money, which in this area will typically run from a bit more than $500 to about $2,000. For my money the Oceanic EOS needs, at least, to be on the list of regulators that you think hard about, that's the one that I'd buy, but you need to do the comparisons yourself.

 

[Doc Intrepid]

There actually is a quantifiable difference.

One primary measurement is called "Work Of Breathing" or WOB. (yeah, yeah...)

As the name states, it measures the actual magnitude of inhalation required to open the second stage valve....or put differently, how "easily" the regulator breathes.

DA Aquamaster is among the various Regulator Yoda's on the board, and I encourage you to PM him if you have specific questions regarding instrumentation, calibration, manufacturer's dirty secrets, etc.

Suffice to say that *generally speaking* an easier breathing regulator is desirable at extreme depths. This pronouncement, however, has enough holes to drive a truck through, because most intelligent divers at extreme depths will be breathing helium mixes - and helium being a much lighter gas, it encourages regulators to perform much better just by being in the breathing mix.

Still, the point is that with regs you do get what you pay for: as Thal mentioned above, a top of the line regulator from any of the half dozen highest selling manufacturers will be indistinguishable from the others (to human senses) in terms of WOB - all else being equal.

There actually are other considerations - which matter to some folks and do not matter to others. They include parameters such as whether the regulator is sealed and filled with a fluid, or open to seawater; how many LP ports the regulator has (ports actually can fail - ergo, some divers feel that fewer ports are better for high-performance environments); weird alloys (avoid titanium regs despite what anyone tells you); and other issues such as levers, dials, and swivels (some love swivels, others avoid them as failure points).

Selection becomes highly subjective, and more than a little random. One ancillary consideration is where you will have your regs serviced - regs do perform better with annual service, and unless you do it yourself it can become inconvenient over the years. Owning a product that can be serviced right in your own backyard is a wise way to go...

Bottom line is that the diver needs to determine what sort of diving they intend to be doing, and where, ...e.g. under what environmental conditions, and go about selecting the highest performing product they can afford that will offer optimal performance in the environment they expect to use it in.

IMHO. YMMV.

Doc

 

[Nemrod]

WOB, if you look on the AL website, if it is still there, between the cheaper Titan LX (often well under 200, LP and others) and Legend (well over 400 or more), there were the WOB charts. They were virtually identical.

The retail dive stores and manufactures are making a killing selling people "top end" regs they don't need and offer marginal performance increases if any at sport diving depths and well beyond.

The best price, the low price.

N

 

[Fishpie]

It really isn't that surprising that the WOB for the LX and Legends is the same....they all have the same 2nd stage.
It's not just AquaLung that have a range of regulators that have very similar raw performance figures. All Zeagle and Apeks 2nd stages are the same and will have a very similar WOB graph.

 

[Hoyden]

In general terms, one of the big differences that I saw in regulators (as a reg tech) seemed to be quality control. Looking at the lower end regs (especially the more generic ones), I saw a lot more variation in performance. Higher end regs were more uniform in performance. What I mean by this is that if I pulled 10 lower end brand x regs out and benched them (even after retuning), I'd have two or three that were great, three or four that were okay, and two or three that were dogs. If I pulled out 10 high end brand Y regs and did the same, I'd have 5ish great regs and 5ish good regs - no dogs.

The other big difference is in build quality - if everything possible in the reg is made out of plastic, it is just not going to last like a reg with metal parts. I have a bunch of regs that are decades old that still perform every time - even though they were expensive when purchased new, they have outlasted less expensive regs.

Past these things, look for vendor support history and lds support. Regulator design has been covered very well by DA Aquamaster (and others) in other posts.