Dive Rite, which choice for octo use?

[tylerm]

I am in the market for a new reg setup, I am thinking of going with the Dive Rite 2500 setup with the ice kit. I live right on Lake Erie, and most of the dives I do will be cold water, 100' +/-. I also travel a couple times a year to Mexico or the Caribbean. My question is what would be a wise choice to use for an octo, Dive Rite has the RG1210 which is an unbalanced second stage w/ a breathing resistance knob. The RG1215 is unbalanced and has no adjustment knob. Prices I have seen show the 1210 at around $70, the 1215 at $180. The 2010 balanced 2nd stage is only around $196, which would be my primary.

So my choices would be to go with a 2010 for a primary and a backup, or I could go with the cheaper 1210 at only an additional $70 or so. What are the advantages and disadvantages of having an unbalanced 2nd stage w/o an adjustment knob?

Thanks for any input
Tyler

 

[terrasmak]

Well i havnt been in cold water yet , but my 1215 as my backup works great. Ive tried it out at around 135fsw and it breathed pretty dam well.

 

[skinerd]

I agree, I had my 1215, at 35' in 33deg F water and no issues.

 

[dbg40]

The best occto is the same reg you're using for you're your primary. In an emergency, wether an OOA, or a failure of the primary, why would you want to have an inferior breather for you, or your buddy in an already stressful situation. Think about it.