How to choose a good regulator?

[DevonDiver]

8 Factors to consider:

1. Cost.
2. Reliability.
3. Performance.
4. Design.
5. After-Sales Customer Service
6. Ease of Service/Maintenance.
7. Weight.
8. Future-Proofing.

Read more in my article: 8 Factors To Consider When Purchasing A Scuba Diving Regulator

 

[dumpsterDiver]

Because when that new plastic POS give up, this one one will still be reporting for duty.

That is what I have been using for the last 12-15 yrs - before that I was using a G-250 for several years. Same guts as far as I know.

Replace the hose with a soft, flexible, woven hose and an extended bite mouth piece and you have a very comfortable regulator. The extra weight of the brass second stage (compared to plastic) is not an issue for me at all.

 

[DevonDiver]

Replace the hose with a soft, flexible, woven hose...

Kinda like putting $10 rims on a Ferrari.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

Kinda like putting $10 rims on a Ferrari.

Which is the Ferrari? I am kinda bummed to read about bad stuff with those hoses, but so far I like mine.

 

[seeker242]

(namely, how much better my respiration would be as dive shops usually don't offer "the best" regulators for hire; my buddy said the difference would be "night and day").

I think it would depend on the shop. One of my LDS rent Atomic Z2 as their standard rental gear. Even though it's the least expensive one in the Atomic line, it apparently has near the same breathing characteristics of the top end ones.

That said, I wanted to hear about your opinions if that is true and correct, and, if having my own regulator is indeed something I might be interested in investing

I'm a new diver also and I'm currently looking for a nice regulator also. I definitely want to have my own! No doubt! It feels to me like being a diver and not owning your own regulator is almost like being a golfer and not owning your own golf clubs! That's virtually unheard of. What I'm looking at mostly is breathing characteristics. Most importantly, I want one that will breathe just as easy at depth as it does on the surface. Not having additional stress regarding breathing, when you go deeper, to me is the most important thing. The less stress down there, the better.

 

[Tbar]

...It feels to me like being a diver and not owning your own regulator is almost like being a golfer and not owning your own golf clubs!

I don't think it is anything like owning golf clubs. The reg would be more like the golf ball, if you are good at golf the ball may make a bit of a difference if you are not so good the ball may make a bit of a difference. If you are an experienced diver you may notice the deference in a particular reg...

Most importantly, I want one that will breathe just as easy at depth as it does on the surface. Not having additional stress regarding breathing, when you go deeper, to me is the most important thing. The less stress down there, the better.

Given you are new to diving I don't expect you will be at a depth, or in conditions, that will differentiate the regs. If serviced and tuned they will all breath well. The main time you will have difficulty with breathing is when your tank is empty :blinking:.

Assuming you have the basic gear (mask fins wetsuit), I would aim at a computer first, wrist mounted. Then reg and BC. The BC may well be more important that the reg, being familiar with the BC will let you get buoyancy and trim controlled.

 

[markmud]

8 Factors to consider:

1. Cost.
2. Reliability.
3. Performance.
4. Design.
5. After-Sales Customer Service
6. Ease of Service/Maintenance.
7. Weight.
8. Future-Proofing.

Read more in my article: 8 Factors To Consider When Purchasing A Scuba Diving Regulator

Hi Devon,

I read your article linked above. That is a good article and I think you "hit the nail on the head"!

I own two regulators that I use regularly. They are still manufactured. The GT3/CDX5 and the Alpha 8/SP5 (the latter for my pony bottle).

They are not high-end regulators. Matter of fact the Alpha 8/SP5 is a low end set-up (however, it meets U.S. Navy mil spec requirements).

For recreational diving, I would never buy anything more expensive or technically superior to what I now own.

They breath easy at recreational depths (GT3 is adjustable and I do use the knob), the CDX5 is environmentally sealed, and parts/service is a breeze. They are both 10 years old.

I don't know why a glorified vacation diver, such as myself, would buy a regulator that is more complex or expensive than what I own. You listed the reasons for spending more money or having more complex regs in your article, and they are valid reasons for others, but not for me.

I hope the OP reads your article.

To each his own!

markm

 

[Aqua-Andy]

I will let you in on a little secret the majority of dive shops do not want you to know. As far as major manufacturers go, no one makes a bad or dangerous regulator the liability would be just to great. Scubapro for one loves to promote the airflow of there top of the line piston regulator. The Mk25 is rated at something like 300 scfm, this sounds impressive in sales literature but is worthless in real world application. What they don't tell you is that the standard SCUBA tank valve most of us will be using is rated at 50 scfm @ 3000psi. Attaching a Mk25 first stage to a tank is the equivalent of attaching a 3" fire hose to the sillcock on your house, It may look impressive but will not flow anymore than the 1/2" pipe that supplies it. When you hear one person say that one reg breaths great and another is like breathing through a straw it is the reg tuning that is the difference not the build of the reg. Fact is they all breath good and can flow more air than the valves they are attached to. If I were to do it all over again I would have all simple bullet proof unbalanced piston first stages similar to the ScubaPro Mk2 and all balanced second stages like the G250, G260, in DIN and purchase the yoke attachment for when I needed it.

 

[halocline]

Here's the best way to choose:

Eenie meenie minie mo.....

Any decent regulator by one of the major manufacturers works fine. They all basically do the same thing, which is step the high pressure air in the tank down to ambient pressure so you can breathe it. Some are a little better than others, but all are safe and enjoyable to dive with. More important than the brand or price range of the regulator is it's condition and tuning, which means you need to find a technician who's competent. That, unfortunately, is not as easy.

 

[USdiver1]

How to choose a good regulator? Easy, just go to your Local Dive Shop, and ask the attending salesperson which regulator is a good one; buy it and be done. Glib and smug, you bet. But the underlying truth is that in today's world, any EU or US make equipment will be more than sufficient for normal recreational diving needs. No need to get a top-of-the-line regulator, the mid-range will perform adequately. First stage having a DIN with a yoke adaptor is the most versatile for the world traveler, environmentally sealed first stage for the cold/contaminated water diver, metal second stages are the most durable, but I have a plastic second with more than 1000 dives over nearly 30 years that is still working perfectly. If you plan to travel extensively internationally, I'd give ScubaPro, Aqualung and Mares serious consideration as they can be fixed by a worldwide dealership network. I do agree, if you dive, it is best to purchase some basic equipment, and a regulator is "numero uno" on that list, IMO.