HOG Regs?

[Puffer Fish]

All new regs on the market today are rated for 40% Nitrox...just an FYI.

I think a more accurate statement is that all regulators that state they are rated for 40% are. Posiedon makes one, for example, that is not. As I have found out over the years, things you "assume" are not always the case. One of my aqualung pressure gauges used buta orings.. and when I asked about it, was informed if they say it is rated for nitrox it is, if they don't it isn't. I assumed it was rated for nitrox.. it wasn't.

 

[Puffer Fish]

HOG 2nd stages cases are plastic......the ScubaMax looks very, very similar to the HOG with the exception of the purge cover and plastic adjustment knob.

....not surprising since all balanced adjustable 2nd stages are very similar. Take off the cover and most would have difficulty telling apart a Zeagle, Scubapro, Apeks, Atomic or HOG.

If you mean have a lever that is pushed down by diaphram, or that the air comes into the second stage in a tube, then yea, they look a lot alike. If you actually take the parts out and compare them, they are significantly different (don't actually know about the Atomic, as I don't have one of them).

I have Zeagle, scubapro, apeks and HOG and can very easily tell the design differences.

 

[Fishpie]

......they all have a "shuttle", spring and balance chamber.
Even the parts look similar.

 

[SDAnderson]

First, in the interest of full disclosure let me say that I work for Mike at Dive Right In Scuba as his repair geek and I'm a HOG Equipment Service instructor. I've been working on regulators for many years now at several shops and have been through the manufacturer technician training for Aqualung/Apeks, Atomic, Interspiro/OTS, Mares, Oceanic/Aeris/Hollis, ScubaPro, Sherwood/Genesis, TUSA, and Zeagle, just to name a few. Oh, yeah, and Edge/HOG. Mike keeps me busy - I service hundreds of regulators a year for him and I feel confident saying I'm qualified to have an opinion on the subject at hand...

Most people consider many factors when evaluating a regulator for purchase, in no particular order: ease of breathing; durability; reliability; availability of service; price; customer service, and; cool. Let's take a closer look at each of these...

• Ease of breathing. The HOG D1 is an outstanding performer and has the ANSTI test results to prove it. This little pig of a regulator breathes as well or better than the many of "the best" regulators out there. Really - you can check the results yourself.
• Durability. I suppose, since HOG is relatively new, that it has to be a little suspect but ODS (the Taiwanese OEM) has been around for a long time, makes stuff for a bunch of different regulator brands and makes good stuff. I've been playing with these things for over a year and they're holding up just fine, the ones coming in for service have been looking good. Abuse them and they will fail but take care of them and they will serve you for a long time. The only problem I've had with any of mine was when I accidentally turned a heat gun on one and partially melted the faceplate on a 2nd stage - but it survived, didn't catch fire and still works just fine.
• Reliability. I've handled hundreds of these things and talked to a boatload of owners and, after more than a year, there simply aren't stories of rampant reliability issues. The one "complaint" that I hear most often is from new owners who find it discomforting that the 2nd stage tends to dribble air when the cracking pressure adjustment knob is fully open. It's supposed to do this but some folks are concerned that their new regulator needs adjusting. Just turn the knob in a bit and the dribble goes away - it will also breathe just a tad harder, which is the whole idea.
• Availability of service. Maybe a problem if you don't live near a HOG dealer but there are two solutions readily available: you can learn to service them yourself (what a novel idea) or you can send them in to Dive Right In Scuba and I'll do it for you. Parts are easy to come by, too. If HOG goes down, ODS will still be there and parts should be available from them. If ODS goes down, most of the consumable parts (the stuff in the annual service kits) are standard and readily available from other sources. For what it's worth, my best guess is that ODS is in better financial shape than several of the mainstream brands.
• Price. All things considered, these things are inexpensive and give nearly unbelievable bang for the buck.
• Customer Service. Chris (and Mike) are insanely dedicated to customer service. Both guys are available, especially on this board, and will do most anything to keep you happy. Most of the time, Mike doesn't even expect dinner and a movie first.
• Cool. Cool is a user-defined term - if you want cute and perky, HOG ain't, though the 3V plating is bitchin'. There isn't a scrap of titanium in the things and there are no automatic door closers, blinking lights or beeping doodads, either. I'm OK with that - they breathe like a dream, are built like a tank, come O2 ready out of the box and cost a fraction of similar performing competitors. That's reasonably close to my definition of cool.

I bought one of these things (and paid cashee money for it so I could abuse it with impunity) last summer. Thus far I haven't had it much below 200 feet yet but it has a bunch of dives on it and the real-world performance compares favorably with the Apeks and ScubaPro regulators in my fleet. I'm just saying.