First time buying gear / newbie question / Thank you in advance

[1island]

I am looking at purchasing dive gear for both myself and my fiancé in the near future.

I was looking at a Scubapro regulator set up. The proprietor of the dive shop stated that the regulator would NEED to be serviced every year. Does that sound correct? Is this the same for every brand of Regulator?

Side question… would you go with the Scubapro MK25/S600 or an AquaLung Legend LX Regulator?

 

[bolantej]

once a year seems to be the norm. it's more for your own safety, really. It may void the warranty f you put it off for too long, though. I think both regs you list are of decent quality and thoe who own them like them.

 

[Jake]

The general, generic rule for *all* equipment is that it be serviced (inspected) at least once every year. For some gear, like tanks, that might just be a visual. For other gear, it might be cleaning and replacement. Some gear, because of heavy use or use in extreme environments, may require service more frequently. However, for the general all around diver, annual gear service/inspection is highly recommended. You should be able to check the gear's documentation on the web for the vendor's specific recommendations, however.

 

[evil_xander]

Most brands require annual service at authorized shops in order to keep the lifetime or similar warranty. Few are exceptions (Mares Abyss for instance, every two years, AFAIK).

This is a topic novels can be written about, novels of epic proportions.

Scubapro indeed does ask for annual or every 100 dives (if the number of dives is met before one year period) check/service of the system by an authorized tehnician to keep the warranty.

MK25/S600 is a great regulator, excellent hose routing and performance. I use MK25/X650, which is more or less the same performance, regardless of their marketing department.

Can't say anything about Aqualung though, never tried one.

 

[loosebits]

It's not really a safety issue if you take care of your regs (e.g. keep the salt water out of them), it's more of a get-the-person-in-the-dive-shop-every-year kind of thing.

There are people doing hundreds of dives a year on their regs on don't get them serviced until it doesn't breathe quite right.

 

[halocline]

Scroll back to this forum's list of threads, then look down about an inch. You'll see a long thread about the necessity/value of annual service. Aside from Atomic, which requires 2 year service, reg manufacturers typically require annual service to maintain the warranty. Scubapro and Aqualung do. Ask your dive shop how much the annual service is, and listen to the guy go on and on about the value of "free parts for life." Really it's not so great a deal, as parts are cheap and regulators rarely fail due to design or manufacturing defect, so the warranty is not worth much IMO. But, especially if you're a new diver, it's probably worth the peace of mind to get the reg serviced every year, assuming (and this is the critical part) the tech guy at your shop does quality work. Check out the thread and you'll get an idea of some of the strong opinions about this.

 

[1island]

Thank you for the quick responses, what does the average shop charge for an "annual" service. Preferably broken down by parts and labor....

Another question… let’s say I buy the Scubapro Regulator set up, and then move to another state, thus I will be frequenting another Dive shop, will the new dive shop honor the “free parts” or warranty on the Scubapro gear? Has anyone run into issues when they move and change dive shops?

Thanks for all the help!! Have an excellent day

 

[Jason Ooi]

I do service before the trip or one a year.....

I was looking at a Scubapro regulator set up. The proprietor of the dive shop stated that the regulator would NEED to be serviced every year.

recommended but not essential

Does that sound correct? Is this the same for every brand of Regulator?

 

[Jason Ooi]

I used Scubapro Mk25/S600, MK/S600, Apeks ATX200 very reliable good performance regs in any depth....Legend LX consider one of the best regs

Side question… would you go with the Scubapro MK25/S600 or an AquaLung Legend LX Regulator?

 

[1island]

Has anyone purchased their gear, Regulators, Computers etc… online, and then tried to have it service at a local live shop? Did anyone really have any issues with warranties (Scubapro) being voided due to being purchased online?

Thank you!