Differences in regulators

[rstofer]

There is no answer to your question. Look at all the posts above, everyone is saying the same thing: all top-of-the-line regulators will work fine. Nobody wants to talk about bottom-of-the-line because they wouldn't buy them in the first place.

You can read magazine articles until you are cross-eyed but, as each brand is also an advertiser, the reviews are certainly questionable.

It is unlikely you will outfit a lab, buy several regs and then test them in some meaningful way. So, testing your way to quality won't work.

You are down to accepting recommendations of other divers. Divers here on SB or those you dive with. And it's still just an opinion. Oh, and the LDS will have an opinion as well. As long as it is a model they sell. Service is always a consideration.

It gets more complex if you need special features like the ability to dive in cold water. There are good cold water regulators. DA Aquamaster will recommend the Mk17/G250V (I think). The Coast Guard and Navy will probably recommend the Oceanic Delta 4/FDX10. I would recommend the Dive Rite Hurricane but don't take my recommendation seriously. Well, except for the part where Dive Rite makes the service manual and the parts available to end users. Have a couple of parts kits in your dive bag and you should be able to get the regulator serviced anywhere.

In the end, you will have to pick one of the better regs and dive it. You won't go wrong with ScubaPro, AquaLung or Oceanic. I don't know anything about the other high end regulators like the Zeagles. They are probably excellent. But even within these lines it is difficult to select a particular model.

I'm not overly picky in terms of regulators. I am still diving the Oceanic Omega II I bought back in '88. In fact, I am slowly cornering the world market in Omega II's as they come up on eBay. I like the regulator; we go back a long way. But I wouldn't recommend it to a diver that wanted a modern regulator. Personally, I have bought two of the Dive Rite Hurricanes (one for my wife and one for my son-in-law). One is still on back-order but the one we have works very well. I was/am close to buying the Delta 4/FDX 10 as long as I can get it without the swivel and the DVT. This older model is still available.

Richard

 

[Thalassamania]

... I'm not overly picky in terms of regulators. I am still diving the Oceanic Omega II I bought back in '88. In fact, I am slowly cornering the world market in Omega II's as they come up on eBay. I like the regulator; we go back a long way.

I think of myself as rather picky when it comes to regulators ... and I love the OMEGA II, what you don't buy I think I do. Pretty soon we'll just be selling them to each other. At least until the OMEGA III comes out.

 

[Hank658]

Hey formernuke,

Hoyden makes some great points. As a reg tech I would agree, the 'name brand' regs do seem to perform better in terms of Q.C. The main couple of brands I work on, when tuning them, just seem to stay at the factory spec set points very reliably.

A couple of considerations to think about: where you will be diving and do you like adjustments. As to the 'where'- if you are going to be diving in cold water (which around here is just about everywhere) then a sealed 1st stage will probably perform better for you. They are designed to keep the water out making them less prone to free flows.
As to the adjustments, some second stages are set by the factory and you as the user generally do not adjust anything yourself. An adjustable reg, on the other hand, allows you to set the inhalation resistance where you want it. Some like it real easy, some with a bit of work dialed in. The adjustment controls and the associated internal mechanisms can add to the cost of the reg. Do you need it? That's personal preference. For years I dove only non-adjustable regs. Over the years I have added adjustable regs to my kit. I find that when diving I rarely use the adjustments. They're set where I like them and off I go.

Basically, any reg from the main manufacturers will be adequate for most of what a recreational diver will want. You will find on this board that most folks use the lower end regs for things like pony bottles etc. Mid level on up is usually what is selected for primary regs. (of course there will be those who disagree)

One other point that has been made is service. If your local shops can service your regs easily then that is a great advantage. Being able to test out a reg after service and ask the tech to adjust something right then is a huge plus, in my book.

Many of us at my shop dive regs from the same manufacturer so it's not too uncommon to switch components back and forth (Hey, I forgot I needed an extra 2nd- can I borrow one of yours..)

 

[rstofer]

I think of myself as rather picky when it comes to regulators ... and I love the OMEGA II, what you don't buy I think I do. Pretty soon we'll just be selling them to each other. At least until the OMEGA III comes out.

I'm glad to see a very experienced diver likes that regulator. I don't know why they caught my fancy but they have served my needs quite well. When I bought the first one, I really wanted the Tekna equivalent. The shop was out of stock so I bought the Omega II. Well, we can see how that worked out!

I am patiently waiting for the Omega III. Oceanic seems to be dragging their feet. Perhaps the predictions of a slowing market for dive gear is causing them to hold off.

Richard

 

[rstofer]

You might use the search feature to find references to books about regulators. There are some.

These books, even if they are service oriented, will describe how the various regulators work and will probably give a sense of why one design might be superior to another.

Try this: How to buy a Scuba Regulator - Scuba Diving News

Google for 'scuba regulator design'.

At least you will be able to eliminate a large portion of the regulators just based on design.

Richard

 

[Nemrod]

I'm glad to see a very experienced diver likes that regulator. I don't know why they caught my fancy but they have served my needs quite well. When I bought the first one, I really wanted the Tekna equivalent. The shop was out of stock so I bought the Omega II. Well, we can see how that worked out!

I am patiently waiting for the Omega III. Oceanic seems to be dragging their feet. Perhaps the predictions of a slowing market for dive gear is causing them to hold off.

Richard

I have the Omegas and the Teknas, I prefer the Tekna, the Omegas tend to breath wet but are a bit smoother at shallow depths than the brutish Tekna.

N

 

[Hank658]

I have the Omegas and the Teknas, I prefer the Tekna, the Omegas tend to breath wet but are a bit smoother at shallow depths than the brutish Tekna.

N

N.,

I would have thought those Omegas were too newfangled for you!

 

[Nemrod]

N.,

I would have thought those Omegas were too newfangled for you!

I bought my wife an Omega in the early 80s while in Ft Lauderdale. Later we got an Omega II. As I said, I prefer the Tekna. The Tekna T2100 I think came out in 1979 because in any case I bought one in 1979. My wife did not like the Tekna regulators because they were jumpy up shallow and the air came out with such force it would sting her tongue. She quit using the Omegas about 96 mainly because I got tired of hearing her b------- about breathing salt water all the time. She went to one of my sets of Voit Mr12IIs or a conshelf set I have and now she has a Legend LX. I was using the Omegas on stages and pony bottles but now I have retired them along with the Teknas deep to the bottom of the dive bag.

If you look closely you will see one of the Omegas on my pony bottle and a Tekna T2100B as an octo from the PRAM:

You may think I make stuff up, I mostly don't.

N

 

[Hank658]

N.,

I think you misunderstand me. I do not think you make any of this up; I have learned a great deal about vintage equipment from you and always find something interesting in your posts. For a good while I also had omega II's and enjoyed their breathing characteristics. Due to various circumstances they have found new homes.

Actually I am more interested in your PRAM. Haven't tried any of the double hose regs beyond the Mistral, and I'm not sure if that really counts.

 

[formernuke]

NO ARGUMENT, almost 350 people read this and no my reg is better than your reg!!!!!

The good side is that it seems like it is hard to go wrong with name brand reg, the bad news is that this discussion has not helped to determine if any brand is higher quality then another (also good I guess). I had been wondering this looking through prior discussions everyone said good things about the regs they where currently using but nothing about prior use making it hard to compare quality between them. I was actually kinda hoping that some one who had experience with several brands would be able to make an honest non-baised comparision of the quality, since no one has been able to say that brand X mid-high end is better than brand Y I quess it is really a matter what feels better to that person.

Thanks again for the responses so far that are honest and not my reg is better than yours.