HOG Comparable Regs

[redacted]

Exactly the kind of moronic response I expect on SB..... (another rant).

Well than, as a college professor and an entrepreneur you should be able to understand that when the cost of service labor is two or more time the cost of service parts, then you may be able to save money by extending service periods even when parts are provided for "free" if you have to service your regulator far more often than is required based on performance and reliability.

 

[chrpai]

I'm convinced that there are plenty of smart and knowledgeable people around here who can comprehend a wide variety of viewpoints..... they just refuse to.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Part of the problem with FPFL from a company like SP is that for the person that only dives a few times a year and has no desire to do their own service the cost per dive can really get high.
Lets say a person does 20 to 50 dives per year. If you follow the FPFL protocol you have to bring your stuff in every year on or before the one year mark otherwise you you pay for parts. Well, with 20 to 50 dives on that service you are essentially throwing away darn near brand new parts from year to year. I think a better solution is to pick a brand that has cheaper parts and pick a design that doesn't require so much service. If a reg needs to be brought in every year regardless of use then they need to rethink their design and improve their regs. If the design is fine and the yearly service requirment is nothing more than a scam then they need to rethink their business model.
I own several Scubapro regs including vintage regs and I also own several diaphragm regs including some vintage ones and I can tell you that diaphragm regs hold up much better than piston regs for holding off services. I have a few old conshelfs that hadn't had a kit put in in probably 20 years and they still worked and were divable (not that I did, but I could have).
So with something like Hog brand I definitely see an advantage with parts costs, they are down to earth and not a total rip off like SP. Even if the OP has someone else put the stuff in I think it's still going to be cheaper than SP FPFL program, which BTW now you have to buy a reg, computer, and BC together as a package to get FPFL.
I own a Hog too, and I ordered it with 2 service kits so I won't have to worry about it for at least 6 years as I see it.

Exactly the kind of moronic response I expect on SB. I don't own any shop. I service my own regs. That includes HOG, Scubapro and Apeks. I certainly see the advantage of doing my own service, considering how many regs I have and how much use they get. But only a moron can't recognize that there are folks out there who dive a few times each year and don't have the time, tools, experience or knowledge to trust a DIY service. Like anything else, if you don't do something often enough, your skills drop. That's why state boards remove certain hospitals from being allowed to do complex operations like heart transplants if they don't do enough of them.

I also don't pontificate on the benefits of rebreather diving if someone posts a question about how to improve his SAC or what larger capactiy tank to buy. There are appropriate ways to answer a question directly without making yourself out to be a superstar and the questioner to be an idiot. I am a college professor. If I treated students questions the way you did, I would be out on my ass in a minute.

 

[chrpai]

Part of the problem with FPFL from a company like SP is that for the person that only dives a few times a year and has no desire to do their own service the cost per dive can really get high.

Sadly, most divers are that diver and that explains why the FPFL programs exist.

 

[cerich]

thanks

 

[robertarak]

You're welcome.

 

[stuart dive]

I am not sure as to who it was at the shop that this gentleman was speaking to and I am sure that the sales person had all the best of intentions but might have mis understood what one of the techs may have said about Edge/Hog. To clear the slate I would like to say that Edge/Hog and Tusa are all fine regulators and depending on the type of diving one might be doing each has its best use. However all are great all round regulators.



I was in my LDS the other day asking about the HOG regs in the counter. I was floored when the girl was trying to talk me in to a Tusa reg instead, claiming that HOG/Edge company has not be responsive lately to their requests for parts and support. She started raving about the Tusa. This shop is a hybrid tech/rec shop. They carry a lot of tech branded equipment (Dive Rite, Hog) in stock but also has rec brands. Most of the other shops in the area only have rec gear. I think this is the opinion of this specific employee that likes the Tusa and she was just shoving her preference down my throat. No other employees have been pushy about a specific brand and have always been helpful, but the lack of support must have "some" truth?[/QUOTE]