First regulator

[halocline]

Unless you are comparing them on a tank above water or in 10 feet u/w stationary doing nothing, what you said is nonsense.

And, yes the regulator is part, an important part of the life support system underwater.

What a gross over simplification BS what you said. So gross.

Well, ignorant responses like this are often littered with insults.

 

[outofofficebrb]

I'm just getting into scuba, getting certified now. I want to start buying my equipment and a reg is first on my list. My LDS carries and services SP and atomic. So I've narrowed it down to either the SP mk25 evo s600 or the a700. And the atomic z3 and b2. I'm leaning more towards the atomics after a lot of research. I know they are both top of the line manufacturers and can't go wrong with either of them, but just want to know the differences and hear some reviews from real people that are using these products. Most of my diving with be travel diving to warm water locations. I do not plan on any cold water diving.

One significant thing that jumps out at me with Atomic is that the service intervals are 2-3 years or 200 dives. That might save you something in the long run. I think Scubapro is in the 2 year or 100 dive mark. Do you only vacation dive? Something to think about is where you would service it around you and also while abroad -- Is it easy to find someone to service and support it? Parts?

I'm in the Aqua Lung / ScubaPro / Atomic mix of things myself...still going back and forth. Good luck!

 

[BoltSnap]

One significant thing that jumps out at me with Atomic is that the service intervals are 2-3 years or 200 dives. That might save you something in the long run. I think Scubapro is in the 2 year or 100 dive mark. Do you only vacation dive? Something to think about is where you would service it around you and also while abroad -- Is it easy to find someone to service and support it? Parts?

I'm in the Aqua Lung / ScubaPro / Atomic mix of things myself...still going back and forth. Good luck!

With the Atomic sealed first stage regulators, I go 3 - 4 years between servicing in general without any issues. Manufacturer warranty isn't effected by delaying service. I have had SP regulators go 3 - 5 years without service and no issue either. I live in part of the world where no professional scuba equipment service centers exist so I depend on sending my regulators overseas for service which isn't cheap and very complicated to do on more frequent basis.

 

[outofofficebrb]

With the Atomic sealed first stage regulators, I go 3 - 4 years between servicing in general without any issues. Manufacturer warranty isn't effected by delaying service. I have had SP regulators go 3 - 5 years without service and no issue either. I live in part of the world where no professional scuba equipment service centers exist so I depend on sending my regulators overseas for service which isn't cheap and very complicated to do on more frequent basis.

This is the great thing about Atomic regulators - you're not kicked out if you don't do the maintenance annually. Sounds like the least expensive option for servicing while also maintaining warranty.

I thought I'd share Atomic/Scubapro/Aqua Lung's policies with everyone. Hopefully this helps the OP and other folks searching for their first regs. Keep in mind Atomic has all piston 1st stages, Scubapro and Aqua Lung has both diaphragm and piston.

This taken from the Atomic website about limited lifetime warranties:

"This warranty is not contingent upon obtaining annual service, and will maintain in effect for the lifetime of the original owner. It is recommended however that maintenance include an annual safety inspection to be performed by an authorized Atomic Aquatics dealer or by the factory. Factory or authorized dealer servicing is required at intervals of 300 dive hours or 2 years, whichever occurs first. This service will include disassembly, cleaning, replacement and lubrication of all o-rings and seals, and safety check."



Here is the information from Scubapro:

"Only regulators and some fins are covered by a life-time worldwide warranty to the original owner, provided they have been purchased through an Authorized Dealer. Regarding regulators, they must be serviced every twenty-four months or one hundred dives (whichever comes first) by an Authorized Dealer, using original SCUBAPRO spare parts, in order to maintain the life-time warranty."

24 months or 100 dives is pretty good, even for someone who is vacation diving or not diving on a regular basis. At least it's not annual like Aqua Lung's. I like Scubapro and Atomic for this reason.

Here is Aqua Lung's, probably the worst of the three. It states on their website:

"Regulators:
Limited Lifetime Warranty
This warranty will cover the original owner of the regulator against defects in parts or workmanship for the lifetime of the regulator if the regulator is:

1. Purchased from an Authorized Aqua Lung America Dealer
2. Inspected or serviced annually by an Authorized Aqua Lung America Dealer as outlined in the "Free Parts for Life" Program."

This one sure sounds like they can deny you of the limited lifetime warranty if you don't keep up maintenance on an annual basis...Sounds like the most expensive option service-wise and also to keep your warranty active.

 

[runsongas]

depends on if the LDS is charging for a service every year on AL regs or if they do the inspection on off years. If the shop does the inspection on off years for a nominal fee, the AL reg might actually be the cheapest out of the 3. You get free parts with Aqualung as the original owner, which is much harder to qualify for with SP these days (because they require you to buy a bc and computer too).

Assuming a 30 dollar inspection on off years for the AL, 90 dollar overhaul fee for all regs, and 60 dollars in kits for SP/Atomic, the AL reg would cost 120 every 2 years vs 150 for the SP/Atomics. The AL reg would cost more if the shop is charging for an overhaul every year.

of course, regs rarely need to get serviced that often and warranty issues would crop up fairly early in the life of the reg, so the most cost effective option is to just wait on service till you actually need it. the highest value proposition is to buy used regs at a low price and service as needed. or buy hog regs, dive till they need service, then buy a new pair and sell the old ones on ebay.