Is Scubapro what it used to be?

[sandiego_frank]

I dove for 10+ years in the 70's and early 80's and used a Scubapro Mk 5. Due to family, work, etc. I stopped diving and am now getting back into it (I'm 62). Have started over with certification (too long out of it, too much has changed), and am looking to buy good equipment. LDS says that Scubapro isn't what it used to be quality wise and recommends Atomic. Is that comment true about Scubapro? How does a Scubapro M25/A700 match up against an Atomic B2? I will mostly be diving in Southern California.

 

[redacted]

I took a Mk5 /Balanced Adjustable /Adjustable over all other options and retired my Mk20/G500 in the process. Lots of brands provide high quality, High performing regulators. The biggest difference between any two is probably the price.

 

[diveprof]

The LDS has much competition with Scuba Pro products as they are now available online. Quality is still excellent. Atomic makes good regs too. Atomic is not sold on line so he likely has a larger profit margin.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Second what awap said. No regulator today is junk. They all work. ScubaPro is a very good reg. Overpriced for me, but a good reg nonetheless. Is it better than Atomic or vice versa? Depends on what you and your wallet think. For my money and budget there are better ones.

 

[Couv]

Go back to your local dive shop and say, "Thanks guys, I took your advice and bought a good old MK5 /109 and you're right! Breathes great and you saved me a ton of money." It is after all good advice.

 

[Fishpie]

I don't think the quality has exactly dropped, although like most manufacturers they do use cheaper plastic parts rather than the traditional brass in the majority of their 2nd stages.....although they are finding out that there are many divers willing to pay a premium for metal construction.
The A700 is as good as any regulator made, as is the Atomic.

I personally have recently gone the direction of "downgrading" my regs from MK25's and 20's back to MK10's and 5's.
I find them much simpler to service and parts are easy to source.
I am never going to need the added performance that the later models possibly offer.

I also had some very high end sets for use by my students (Zeagle's, Apeks, Atomic, AquaLung's and Scubapro's) and have gone back to US Divers Conshelfs and SEA's.
I mainly did this for ease of servicing but also found that 2nd stages with soft purge covers and some exhaust T's just don't hold up well with the kind of use and storage I abused them with.

.....bottom line is really not much has changed since you were diving (but a shop owner trying to sell you a new reg won't see it that way).

 

[nfarrar]

I have a

Scubapro M25/A700 and M25/G600. They are both great. I prefer the 700 to the 600. It seams to be almost impossible to make free flow but either are great. My only issue with Scubapro is that they really havent come out with anything revolutionary in a long time. Everything is just a worked over version of the last model. Scubapro 90% marketing and monopoly and 10% R&D if I had to guess. G250V? Also they just about did away with free Parts for life unless you by a Scubapro regulator, BCD and Computer(Scubapro or Subgear BCD and Computer) all at the same time. That used to be one of the big selling points of Scubapro, WARRANTY. ​

Scubapro regulators still have lifetime warranties but free parts for life aren't standard anymore. If you forget to have your reg serviced EVERY year on the dot your parts for life is over. No reinstatement. Rumor has it at a resent Platinum Dealer meeting(platinum dealer is Scubapro code for exclusively a Scubapro dealer) a lot of dealers complained about the warranty changes. I bet before long the PFL(Parts for Life) is back or warranty reinstatement is back. I get the idea that Johnson Outdoors the parent company is have a lot of trouble. They will have to do something. I also dont like how Scubapro just about refuses to deal is any manner with end users. The answer to ANY question is ask/check with a local Scubapro dealer. So, you want make sure you like your local dealer first. An advantage to Scubapro is the number of service shops/techs around. If my A700 breaks in the Cayman Islands I can get it fixed pretty easy. I know I can find parts for the MK25 and G600 on the island. not to sure about the A700. There are Scubapro shops everywhere.

There another great brand out Hog. 1 Hog D1 1st and 2 2nd stages can be had for HALF the cost of a Scubapro M25/A700. IMHO it breaths just as good as the Scubapro M25/A700. You can easily buy the Hog service kits for around $15-20 a stage and service them yourself if you have any reg service exp.

If you have your heart set on Scubapro its not a bad thing. I had to have a ​

Scubapro M25/A700 and a Scubapro M25/G600 before that. I dont regret it one bit. I love that chromed metal body. Awap and Jim said "none of the regulators made today are junk." I dont have to exp to speak to that. I do know if you go with Scubapro, Atomic, Hog or Apeks you will do fine.

That is just my 2 cents. It cant buy you a cup of coffee any more. So its worth nothing. Just my opinion. What ever you do welcome back to diving! Enjoy it!

Later Mon,
Nick ​

 

[k ellis]

I agree with the above posters that alot of LDS may possibly feel betrayed by Scubapro. They were exclusive to brick and morter stores with strict policies not to sell via internet. This kind of forced a markup on the products as if you wanted scubapro you paid what the LDS wanted to charge. If you did not want to pay it you either spent a ton of money in gas traveling to lands far off to the next dealer (In most cases) or you simply used a competitor. Now with the internet being fair game with scubapro the rules have changed and its opened up competition. Its only forseeable some LDS would feel betrayed by this action.

It was a long time coming though because everyone is becoming dollar savy and looking for the best deal for the dollar. After all isnt that how this whole economy got in a mess with Chinas low wages??? People would see a regulator at a shop for 800 dollars but find it on sites like leisurepro for 350 its a no brainer where they spent their dime. Who really needs a lifetime warranty on a basic fin with nothing but fin and strap?

Scubapro revised their business model also which is where the consumer looks differently upon them. They used to offer free parts for life but changed this policy for reasons unknown to me. This leads to the question of why pay more to get less???

Anyway I am not trying to start a debate just giving insight as to why many shops and consumers are really upset with scubapro.

 

[GROBIOG]

The LDS has much competition with Scuba Pro products as they are now available online. Quality is still excellent. Atomic makes good regs too. Atomic is not sold on line so he likely has a larger profit margin.

Profit margin is the same, it is related to how much was paid for and how much is sold for.

I have a

Scubapro M25/A700 and M25/G600. They are both great. I prefer the 700 to the 600. It seams to be almost impossible to make free flow but either are great. My only issue with Scubapro is that they really havent come out with anything revolutionary in a long time. Everything is just a worked over version of the last model. Scubapro 90% marketing and monopoly and 10% R&D if I had to guess. G250V? Also they just about did away with free Parts for life unless you by a Scubapro regulator, BCD and Computer(Scubapro or Subgear BCD and Computer) all at the same time. That used to be one of the big selling points of Scubapro, WARRANTY. ​

Scubapro regulators still have lifetime warranties but free parts for life aren't standard anymore. If you forget to have your reg serviced EVERY year on the dot your parts for life is over. No reinstatement. Rumor has it at a resent Platinum Dealer meeting(platinum dealer is Scubapro code for exclusively a Scubapro dealer) a lot of dealers complained about the warranty changes. I bet before long the PFL(Parts for Life) is back or warranty reinstatement is back. I get the idea that Johnson Outdoors the parent company is have a lot of trouble. They will have to do something. I also dont like how Scubapro just about refuses to deal is any manner with end users. The answer to ANY question is ask/check with a local Scubapro dealer. So, you want make sure you like your local dealer first. An advantage to Scubapro is the number of service shops/techs around. If my A700 breaks in the Cayman Islands I can get it fixed pretty easy. I know I can find parts for the MK25 and G600 on the island. not to sure about the A700. There are Scubapro shops everywhere.

There another great brand out Hog. 1 Hog D1 1st and 2 2nd stages can be had for HALF the cost of a Scubapro M25/A700. IMHO it breaths just as good as the Scubapro M25/A700. You can easily buy the Hog service kits for around $15-20 a stage and service them yourself if you have any reg service exp.

If you have your heart set on Scubapro its not a bad thing. I had to have a ​

Scubapro M25/A700 and a Scubapro M25/G600 before that. I dont regret it one bit. I love that chromed metal body. Awap and Jim said "none of the regulators made today are junk." I dont have to exp to speak to that. I do know if you go with Scubapro, Atomic, Hog or Apeks you will do fine.

That is just my 2 cents. It cant buy you a cup of coffee any more. So its worth nothing. Just my opinion. What ever you do welcome back to diving! Enjoy it!

Later Mon,
Nick ​

You mean either G250 or S600.
I also prefer my A700 over the S600(metal barrel), I find the air comes out a bit more moist on the A700.
The impression on Platinum dealer meeting on this side is that the parts for life issue is firm and dealers were encouraged on creative solutions of their own.

I agree with the above posters that alot of LDS may possibly feel betrayed by Scubapro. They were exclusive to brick and morter stores with strict policies not to sell via internet. This kind of forced a markup on the products as if you wanted scubapro you paid what the LDS wanted to charge. If you did not want to pay it you either spent a ton of money in gas traveling to lands far off to the next dealer (In most cases) or you simply used a competitor. Now with the internet being fair game with scubapro the rules have changed and its opened up competition. Its only forseeable some LDS would feel betrayed by this action.

It was a long time coming though because everyone is becoming dollar savy and looking for the best deal for the dollar. After all isnt that how this whole economy got in a mess with Chinas low wages??? People would see a regulator at a shop for 800 dollars but find it on sites like leisurepro for 350 its a no brainer where they spent their dime. Who really needs a lifetime warranty on a basic fin with nothing but fin and strap?

Scubapro revised their business model also which is where the consumer looks differently upon them. They used to offer free parts for life but changed this policy for reasons unknown to me. This leads to the question of why pay more to get less???

Anyway I am not trying to start a debate just giving insight as to why many shops and consumers are really upset with scubapro.

Internet sales does NOT mean fair game, the prices are the SAME for everyone, rule changes? Is that for LDS, now they are authorized to sell online, and for the ones already selling online, like Leisurepro, now they ARE authorized dealers and they have to adhere to same rules, so their price IS the same as your LDS. And if you haven't noticed, prices aren't set by LDS, it is set by Scubapro themselves.



Now, I do have to agree that Scubapro is not the same company, apparently a lot of people were laid off and it is showing on the service, nothing terrible, specially compared to other companies, just an observation of not the superior service it is/was known for.
This however has nothing to do with product quality that I've been able to observe though. IMHO, I think it is still the BEST regulator out there, MK25 with A700/S600/G250V, I don't think there is anything better, Apeks and Atomic are just as good.

 

[diversteve]

LDS says that Scubapro isn't what it used to be quality wise and recommends Atomic. Is that comment true about Scubapro? How does a Scubapro M25/A700 match up against an Atomic B2? I will mostly be diving in Southern California.

I looked at both and bought Atomic. All Atomics have a 2 year service interval - IDK about Scubapro. Atomic was actually started by two former Scubapro engineers. Get the swivel if you go Atomic. I guess in the unlikely event that you'd need to send it to the factory - Atomic Aquatics is in Huntington Beach.

Atomic makes good regs too. Atomic is not sold on line so he likely has a larger profit margin.

Actually they are - thru Shopatron on their website and other retailers. Scubatoys is one. Atomic Scuba Gear and Dive Equipment However it seems like they're at full retail so all you'd save is the tax. So maybe this is one case where supporting the LDS makes sense.