Good Shallow Water Regs?

[GOAT]

I’ve done quite a bit of reading on the board and I know about all the Dacor bashing and the reasons for doing so. I also know about the Zeagle love fest.

Anyways, I dive freshwater lakes in Arkansas. The lakes are deep but I stay shallow (I have yet to go below 40 feet). I’ve made 40+ dives in the past year and have dove on borrowed equipment that consisted of Sherwood Magnums and various Dacor and Mares Regs. They all worked fine for me.

But it’s time to buy my own reg. I can’t spend a ton of money, I’m still a college student. I really like the Dacor Viper Package at ScubaToys http://www.scubatoys.com/store/Scuba_Package_Reg.asp .

I’m not worried about buying a NEW Dacor reg, but something about the viper just doesn’t give me complete comfort thinking about it (I haven’t dove one though).

I don’t dive cold water, I don’t dive deep, I don’t dive saltwater. So…. I figure I can get a cheaper reg that will do me just as well as an expensive one the serious divers use.

What should I get? I really need reg, octo, and gauges to stay below 500 (400 preferably).

 

[Parrothead_Diver]

I’ve done quite a bit of reading on the board and I know about all the Dacor bashing and the reasons for doing so. I also know about the Zeagle love fest.

Anyways, I dive freshwater lakes in Arkansas. The lakes are deep but I stay shallow (I have yet to go below 40 feet). I’ve made 40+ dives in the past year and have dove on borrowed equipment that consisted of Sherwood Magnums and various Dacor and Mares Regs. They all worked fine for me.

But it’s time to buy my own reg. I can’t spend a ton of money, I’m still a college student. I really like the Dacor Viper Package at ScubaToys http://www.scubatoys.com/store/Scuba_Package_Reg.asp .

I’m not worried about buying a NEW Dacor reg, but something about the viper just doesn’t give me complete comfort thinking about it (I haven’t dove one though).

I don’t dive cold water, I don’t dive deep, I don’t dive saltwater. So…. I figure I can get a cheaper reg that will do me just as well as an expensive one the serious divers use.

What should I get? I really need reg, octo, and gauges to stay below 500 (400 preferably).

The best advice that I can offer you is to call Larry at scubatoys and get his advice. Believe me when I tell you that even though he is in the business of selling scuba equiment, he will honestly let you know if there is something wrong with a peice of equipment you are considering. He truely seems to want his customers to make a purchase descision based on all the available information. In fact he has talked me out of higher priced equiment because of service issues. Plus, the prices shown on his web page are not always set in stone. All you have to do is ask...

 

[SouthernGypsy]

I've been facing the same problem, I'm new to it but have a friend with a DACOR that breathes easier than about any reg out including friends much more expensive ones, but his is an older model 950XL and not the Viper though he seems to like the Viper America model. I know he says above all else stick with a balanced regulator so I've been researching only the models that are balanced.

Nice to see someone else from Arkansas also.

I’ve done quite a bit of reading on the board and I know about all the Dacor bashing and the reasons for doing so. I also know about the Zeagle love fest.

Anyways, I dive freshwater lakes in Arkansas. The lakes are deep but I stay shallow (I have yet to go below 40 feet). I’ve made 40+ dives in the past year and have dove on borrowed equipment that consisted of Sherwood Magnums and various Dacor and Mares Regs. They all worked fine for me.

I’m not worried about buying a NEW Dacor reg, but something about the viper just doesn’t give me complete comfort thinking about it (I haven’t dove one though).

I don’t dive cold water, I don’t dive deep, I don’t dive saltwater. So…. I figure I can get a cheaper reg that will do me just as well as an expensive one the serious divers use.

 

[emtdan]

I would acctually say that I think sherwood regs are the best for this situation. They are extremely reliable, last a lifetime and a half, and are very cheap. Most dive shops and resorts i have seen use sherwood gear, and I personally have a BC of theirs.
I think for the kind of diving you talk about, I would say get the Oasis or the Brut.
http://www.sherwoodscuba.com/ regulators.html

 

[Tamas]

I’ve done quite a bit of reading on the board and I know about all the Dacor bashing and the reasons for doing so. I also know about the Zeagle love fest.

Perhaps I missed that one, what is wrong with Dacor's?

 

[GOAT]

Oh... the whole mess about how mares bought out dacor and doesn't produce parts for older dacor regs. A lot of people here are very bitter about that, and rightfully so.

Anyways. I just placed an order for a Mares v16 Proton XL. From everything I read the 1st stage is great and last twice as long as most regs before servicing. I haven't yet any review or anyone talk bad about the proton reg or the v16 1st stage, so for less than $200 I think I'll be happy.

Will report when I try it out in the next two weeks.

 

[Danny Valerio]

GOAT,

Good luck with your new regs, I hope they work well for you. I do have a few questions for you.

I absolutely understand wanting to buy the best reg for the type of diving you do. You mentioned that you only dive in fresh water lakes (in Arkansas), no cold water, and that you don't go below 40 feet. Is that the Only type of diving that you are interested in doing? Ever? If so, why? If not, what type of diving are you interested in eventually doing? Most importantly, will your reg be able to support you diving in those conditions?

The reason I ask is because my first gear purchase did not allow me to grow, at all. In my case I was able to purchase "ok" used gear from a friend for a VERY good price. However now, I have completely different gear because I have grown as a diver, and subsequently my gear requirements have changed. I initially purchased a jacket style bc, and now I'm diving a backplate and wing, which provides me with far more versatility, and is much safer than my previous setup. The same with my regulator, I was diving with an old reg, a US Divers Pioneer, and now I have an ATX200.

Anyway, best of luck with your new regs. One more question, where do you like to dive and what is there to see/do there?

 

[ScubaFreak]

Ok so you don't dive saltwater, dont go below 40ft, don't dive cold. As mentioned above- give Larry a call, he won't steer you wrong. What might shed some light, is normally, if you're going to be diving shallow, your not gonna have much hassle with reg choice as all regs (to my knowledge) will do the job nicely. Normally the difference is if you're going to be going very cold etc, you'd need to make sure that you're reg is sealed, and if you wanna go deep, make sure it's suitable and wont free-flow like a mofo!

But even though you dive shallow, fresh and essentially warm, what's to say that mightn't change! There'd be nothing worse than paying for regs, then suddenly you wanna dive in colder deeper lakes, and the regs you bought may not be suitable...Do you really wanna have to change regs? So my advice, would be to buy a good all round regulator, that will suffice if you decide to dive different conditions. We don't deal too much with Dacor or Sherwood in Ireland so I cant offer my opinion. But look at ScubaPro and Apeks regs too, a good make with a decent range of choice.

just my €0.02
Good luck

SF

 

[Knight1989]

You dont want to skimp on quality just because you are only diving shallow. Depth really dosent play into a reg. A good reg is a good reg, at 13 ft or at 130 ft. You want something that will be reliable and still fit in your budget. Like some others have said dont limit yourself by buying something so specific you cant use it in the future. By something you can use for years, in many dive enviroments. I would lean towards a sherwood, probably a blizzard. Its going to cost a little more, but is still a very affordable reg. The best part is that its enviromentaly sealed so it can be used in colder waters. Other than that the Oasis is really good, I've used them both. I made the mistake when I started out by buying warm water gear only. I was diving in the Carabiean, what did I need gear that could handle cold water for? Well now I live up north and am having to buy all new gear that can handle the colder waters. If I had just bought a cold water reg in the firstplace, I could have saved a lot of money.

 

[Saudi-Diver]

This thread intrested me because I have just read an artical on entry level Regs in Dive mag. The ones they recommended were Oceanics Alpha 7 with CDX 5 octo and the Scubapro MK2/R290 with R290 octo. I have read a lot of bad press about Dacor Regs but having used Dacor Vipers in the past can only comment that I found them to breath well and I liked the side exhaust layout.