Head spinning after research

[ckjacques53198]

Hi,

I'm newly certified and in the market for a regulator. As with everything else I buy I tend to research and research until I take the fun right out of the purchase. I thought I knew what reg I wanted when I was taking my OW course. I was certified on an Aqua Lung Calypso but thought the Legend or Titan would be a good choice. I thought this way because that is what my LDS carried.

I've been looking at scubadiving.com, this forum, scuba toys and any magazine article trying to narrow the choice down. Being one the most important peices of gear I don't want to rash in my decision. What I have found is glowing reports about most of the regulators reviewed or discussed. I've heard praises about a $150 Aeris A1 reg about the same about an Oceanic Delta 3 costing alot more.

Does it come down to personal preference? I don't need the best but I don't want a piece of crap either. I don't plan on putting my gear to extremes. I'm new - I did my checkout dives in 50 deg. water and don't expect to ever go that cold if I can help it. Most of my diving will be less than 100' and warm if I can swing it.

 

[FFMDiver]

If your diving in Mass you can probably narrow your choices to freeze-proof (relative term) or "less-prone to free-flow" regs. Which should make your head spin much less.

 

[Ed Palma]

Remember: the first thing to look for in a reg is ease of breathing. Having said that, note that other factors come into play, such as servicability in your area - or availability of parts if you want to service it yourself. Your budget definitely factors in too!
At any rate, most of today's regulators perform similarly within the parameters you sepcified (warm and less than 100' deep), so things like piston vs diaphragm, or balanced vs unbalanced won't probably be too big an issue for you.
try out as many different set-ups as you can and go with what suits you best.