Tom Winters suggested I look into DR for their ease of being rebuilt. After a little research I found that DR regs were preferred amongst certain groups of tech divers. It did seem strange that if these regs were that reliable and used in tech diving, they were hardly ever mentioned or recommended on this site. I did a little more internet searching to see if I could find a diving forum that did hold them in high regard, but I never did find the elusive and haughty Dive-Rite group. I realize there are a whole slew of divers who don't use the internet, so my last guess is the only way people find out about the DR2500's is by word of mouth from tech divers? Say, at the mouth of an underwater cave, on a slate, in the dark illuminated only by a HID lamp - advice written by an old crusty diving barnacle just as their reg starts to fail? "Shoulda got yerself a Dive Rite reg, kid, too bad you gotta leave."
I did find that Dive-Rite seems to be a recognized name in England based on some press they got. Their own site, and distributors' sites, here in the states, don't seem to help when they don't list or picture their newest products. I can barely understand a supplier having a sub-standard site, but the distributors too? No one seems to be helping DR's cause here.
They perhaps don’t get recognition because they compare with regs that cost more. Some poorly organized reviews that claim to review “16 Regs priced over $400" by default leave out DR as competition. Deservedly so? I don’t know, I’m too new to be the judge of that… but if tech divers trust their lives to them… ?
Another thing about the ‘reviews’ – I think I found a discrepancy between how well DR regs are reviewed. After all, the better a reg gets reviewed in some press, the more people will be willing to buy ‘em, right? Well this is what I saw: For the RG2010 (
with what seems to be the same dive/predive switch as the 2500), “
The smallish dive/predive switch is clearly marked.” Fast-forward two years later to the RG2500, and it’s “Divers liked the flexible purge cover, but felt the
markings on the dive/pre-dive switch were hard to see.” I've not held a 2010 in my hand, but based on the pictures it seems to be the very same switch set-up. take a look:
http://www.scubadiving.com/gear/regulators/best_new_regs/4/
and
http://www.scubadiving.com/gear/regulators/2005's_best_new_breathers/5/
So one year it’s just fine, and the next it takes points off of their overall score. I’m not sure I'm on the boat with this “magazine divers trust,” but I digress.
I like my 2500. It never really seems to need adjusted for depth (I say this only having dove to 89' though). The first stage being DIN just makes sense (to me), and it being black is over the top style and coolness (the only real reason to buy gear, no?).
I've been leaving my octo DR reg switch on 'Pre-Dive,' and the DR 2500 on 'Dive' for my dives. I haven't yet found the need to move the switches past that first dive. (any cautions or tips you've got to tell me otherwise would be appreciated)
