How old is Your Regulator & Oldest lasting Regulator ??

[kitbuga]

it's now a backup but this kit's been with me since 89

USD Conshelf se2 1st stage bought used in 1989
Octo and gauge at least 5 yrs old
hoses still orig.

replaced 2d stage to micra; octo to sherwood; spg suunto

annual LDS checkup; already had seat valve changed once; take it to the tech anytime anything feels different

now using a jetstream.

k
manila, philippines

 

[newton]

1) Brand:
ScubaPro

2) Model:
Mk1

3) Year Bought:
1998, but it was bought from a cousin, who bought it used in his BOW course in 1986 and only dove it 5 times. He bought it from his instructor, who had just serviced it and added a new 3-port swivel (the MK1 had 1 LP and 2HP ports). I serviced it earlier this year and added a 4-port Mk5 chamber on it since I didn't like the swivel that I got from the shop that does all of the ScubaPro maintenance for the entire state. (This was the shop that verified the model based on my description of the regulator).

4) Religious Maintenance Chores:
To be honest, the regulator was absolutely fine after sitting for ~20 years, (I dove it for 2 years until I got my Apeks regulators). However, it 'squeaked' when you breathed it (this was common with the HP seat on the older SP 1st stages), so I bought a Mk5 rebuild kit and replaced everything. Interestingly enough, I really could have dove it for quite a few more years without any service.

The regulator is now mostly used for pool dives towards the end, so it was squeaky clean inside.

I *really* like my Apeks regulators, but I have to admit the SP is *way* more bulletproof and easy to work on. It's not quite as easy to breathe, and the Apeks has the environmental seal which is nice for ice diving, but I wouldn't hesitate to dive with the setup today.


Nate

 

[joens]

among my regulators are 4 conshelf 14 regs. They range from 8-12 years old .I rebuild them whenever there is a hint of a problem or sometimes if Iam bored at night.
joens

 

[OkieDiver]

Sherwood Oasis w/Shadow Octo & Sigmatech/Skinny Dipper/Marathon computer console
New in 1989
Serviced yearly until 1998, not been serviced since
Still works great

 

[subdude]

Bought it from my brother when i cerified in '92. I made hundreds of dives with it.

Still have it as a backup and use it when cleaning my pool now and then. It was freshly serviced when I bought it and I have overhauled it once since then.

I also have a Conshelf XIV that works great and an old SP Air 1 that is o2 clean.

subdude

 

[oxyhacker]

I still a lot of my diving with a mix of old Scubapros, MkV and X firsts with 109, BA or 250 seconds. But then most of my favorite regs come from the pawn shop or the backroom of some diveshop. Hard to say age - the MkV was made from 1966 to the mid '80's when the MkX came out, and the classic chrome adjustable 2nd, the 109, was made from 1969 and still in the catalog in its balanced version, the BA, as late as 1997.

I don't really think one brand of reg is more durable than the next, given similar care - they are all made of similar materials. The reason the old SPs seem to last so long is they were extremely high performing when they were new, so that even today, while the better newer regs may outperform them, the are still "good enough" for just about any kind of diving. And their straighforwardness, lack of any vices, and ease of servicing are, for many divers, more than enough to offset the not-quite-up-to-date performance. And then some of us just like chrome 2nds.

The other reason is that SPs are so long lived is that SP traditionally had great support, so you never heard "Gee I don't think there are any parts for that anymore" from the dealer like you did with other brands. You can take a 30 year old flea market MkV/109 and update it with a new multiport swivel, heavy duty yoke, spec kit, and balance the 2nd (which uses the same valve parts as the G200/250) and have an almost current regulator.

Alas this is changing. SP today is not the same company it was 10 years ago, and I don't think the new SP is very interested in supporting 30 year old regs, no matter how much life is left in them.

 

[Bob3]

... interested in supporting 30 year old regs ...

I was using my double hose up into the '70s, when I got a few Cyklons. (got a LOT of crap for using a double hose that long)
My main consideration was the anti-freeze capabilities of any of the single hose regs were non-existant 'till Poseidon started marketing the Cyklon in the US.
I have 3 Cyklon 300s that are in that age group, the 2nd stages use the same parts as the brand new 5000s.

 

[ElectricZombie]

I've got a ScubaPro Mk10/G250 that is from around 85'. This reg breathes amazing. I can't tell any difference between this and my Mk25/S600. Looks brand new too. Has the old style yoke screw that is like a "T" and all metal. Great reg.

I don't do anything special in terms of service/care. I just soak it for a while after diving and that's it. It was serviced last March or so, and will not be serviced again for at least another 2 years.

 

[dmdalton]

I've got my first reg, a Voit Polaris 50, stingle stage 2 hose that I purchased new for $50 in 1962. I just got new hoses and duckbill for it this year and am going to give it a go next year. It still functions even with the old hoses and has NEVER been rebuilt. I last dove it in '70 when I bought my 1st single hose.

Of regs that I still dive, I've got a couple of scubapro Mk V's with 105 seconds that I use for deco bottles.

I've got 4 Oceanic BP w/ Delta 2 seconds that I bought in '96 dove regularly unitl last year when I replaced them with Apex DS4 TX50's. I now use the Oceanic for my deco bottles and have retired the SP MK 5's (The oceanic BP is a very good knock off of the MK 5). The Oceanic's have never been serviced, soak, rinse well, dry and dive.

Dave

 

[pescador775]

I agree with oxyhacker. Moreover, my feeling is that the original question is not going to lead anywhere except to an interesting string of anecdotes. Comparing the service record of older regulators, which were simply constructed and all metal, to the newer, complex, high performance models will take you nowhere. Better to look at customer support. It is disturbing to think that SP might be evolving toward planned obsolescence but if one can't get replacement parts for old regs that's what it amounts to. That being said, I still believe this company makes durable regs, as do Aqualung and Apeks. Although the popular high end models are complex and require training to service, these regs will last a long time.

My oldest regs are USD two hose, Conshelf 12 and SP MK 10/109. The brass parts in these regs last almost forever if rinsed and stored properly. The piston first stg seems to require a bit more frequent periodic maintenance but is easiest to service when needed.