Help in selecting a reg for me!

[violakat03]

I'm becoming ubiquitous on this board, with all my bizarre questions and scenarios! It seems half the board has read and replied to my thread about the LDS I bought my BC from. Now I'm coming in here to bug you all about regs!

Here's my situation:

I am learning how to dive. I'm doing checkouts next month. However, I can already tell I am ADDICTED and have several trips planned for the next few months. I'm very close to an excellent quarry dive site or two and hope to spend as much time there as possible to get in all the experience I can. I'm also hoping to train for search and rescue diving with a local SAR unit eventually (I'm also going to learn K9 SAR, but they're looking at starting a dive unit which I'm very interested in), but I know that my budget will not allow me to buy the "best of the best" equipment yet. I want to have my own stuff so that I know how everything works and don't have to worry about fiddling with this and fiddling with that to get it to all work together.

I have a SeaQuest Libra BC with Airsource 2 alternate air on the inflater - another reason I want my own reg, I don't have to worry about my BC integrating with a rental reg.

I have a budget of about $200 for a reg but the less I can spend, the better. I'm more than okay with used if I can get it for real cheap, especially as I will be replacing this after a few years anyway. If it's simple enough I can self-service (I'm fairly mechanically inclined, I do all my own work on my car and I should be able to figure out a simple reg with a little instruction) then more power to it! If not, the LDS's in town will service Oceanic, Seaquest, Aqua Lung, Apeks, Scuba Pro, Sherwood, Tusa, Aeris, and Zeagle equipment. I have a lot of options for in-town service but am not opposed to mail-out service if that will get me a reg for cheap.

I do not intend to do a lot of 'deep diving' so early on, so one that does fine at normal recreational depths is all I need. 100' will probably be my max - if not less.

Suggest away!

 

[halocline]

SP MK2/R190 used or at leisurepro. There, I just pissed off thousands of SBers by offering an opinion on three constantly debated topics 1)balanced vs unbalanced regs, 2)buying regs used vs new, and 3)buying at leisurepro vs your LDS.

If you want to keep this under $200, you're pretty limited as far as new regs, and the retail (LDS) price for the MK2 is higher than $200, but the LP price is probably under $200. Hence the LP advice. If you check out ebay, you can probably find a MK2/R190 in excellent shape for under $100, leaving more than enough to get a servicing which will last you well over 2 years (lets say 100 dives) IF it's done well and you rinse/store the reg well. There's a way you can store the R190 with the purge partially depressed to prolong the life of the soft seat.

Another good possibility, which will get you a better breathing reg, but require a little more savvy when buying, is a MK5 (must be a later model with 4 or 5 LP ports) and balanced adjustable 2nd stage, also commonly available on ebay for under $100. If you get one in good shape, you may never want to upgrade. But you'll need some guidance in picking a good one out, and even with that there's some risk. Once I bought one that looked PERFECT in the photo, then a different one arrived in the mail that was badly corroded. Turns out the guy (allegroauctions) routinely sells MK5s but only had a photo of one he used for his auctions. After a slightly threatening email from me after confirming that what he did is against ebay rules, he refunded my money, including shipping in both directions, but it was a PITA and a waste of time.

Mostly, though, my ebay reg-buying experiences have been good, other than the bitter rivalry that exists between myself and Couv for the really cherry old B/As.

 

[violakat03]

Thanks for the reply mattboy. I had actually been reading for awhile and saw several recommendations for the MK2/R190 and was thinking that might be the way I go, so it was nice that you confirmed what I had floating in the back of my head.

Selections are slim on eBay right now and I'm horrible at actually winning auctions. I'm not good at sniping it at the last second, that's for sure! I may poke around on LP, and the classified to see if I can find one used there, but LPs price sounds pretty good too. If I can pull off a win at the only eBay auction that's up right now, it includes a depth/air/compass gauge.

ScubaPro 1st Stage MK2 2nd R190 Regulator Oceanic Gauge - eBay (item 350029158106 end time Mar-03-08 18:04:07 PST)

Bidding's at $16 and shipping's $17, so I can't go wrong there, but the chances of me actually getting it for that price are low. We'll see where it goes for the next 7 days and what else I can find. I'd rather buy it directly from the person selling it rather than an "eBay store" (which is what that is), especially if I can find someone on here selling one.

 

[Nemrod]

If your going to poke around on LP then look for the Titan LX by Aqua Lung. Hard to beat for a simple no frills high performance regulator that is easy to service when it rarely needs it just about anywhere. N

 

[violakat03]

Opinions on this set up?

Sherwood Maximus Regulator Air/Nitrox With Octopus - eBay (item 110227661178 end time Feb-27-08 16:15:00 PST)

 

[crab lover]

Mares R2 Rebel Package (Deal Of The Year!), Packages: Regulator, Mares, Mares R2 Rebel Package (Deal Of The Year!)

Mares R2 Rebel Package, reg AND gauges for $269.00. I got it for my husband and he likes it. Great thing about ScubaToys... they ARE an authorized dealer so you the manufacturers warranty is included and valid.

 

[spyder]

Call Phil

Oceanic GT3 Regulator

 

[squidster]

Opinions on this set up?

Sherwood Maximus Regulator Air/Nitrox With Octopus - eBay (item 110227661178 end time Feb-27-08 16:15:00 PST)

Sherwoods are good regs,but a little Bulky
I have a Scuba Pro MK11/R395 .( Very compact)
Pretty Low Cost High Quality Diaphram Reg. 3-375.00
I did 12 Dives In keys in october and i dive in Mountain lakes,MK11 never let me down.
MK2, Titan lx , MK11 all three would be good choices