Is the Aqualung Legend LX Supreme the best reg on the market, for me

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Ok, my last post in this thread, the Conshelf is a diaphragm reg. The diaphragm in a diaphragm 1st stage is included in service kits and is replaced when serviced, regardless of brand and yes, that includes Aqua-lung. I don't know where you're getting your information from but I'd recommend you look elsewhere for it as most of it is wrong. Would give me pause as to the quality of training. Horses and water...
 
Our tech likes Diaphragm > Piston 1st Stages. Even Titanium 1st Stages have metal parts in them.. and unless it's a dry (Diaphragm) chamber.. salt/chlorine water is going to get in there and f* stuff up.
--My next question was.. well, does anyone make a Titanium Diaphragm? I guess that's impossible

Well you could just get a Sherwood reg with their dry bleed and not worry about salt water intrusion until the bubbles stop. I bought one in '80 and am still using it now with one service inbetween, when the bubbles stopped. About 2010 I got a newer Sherwood and use my older reg for my pony as it has proved its reliability.

Its just a reg, it's not like you are getting married. If you don't like your choice just buy a new one and sell the old one.


Bob
 
DS4 + XTX50
I have been using the same DS4 + TX50 fro rec and tec dive since 1998. Knowing how to service them help to keep the maintenance cost down considerably.
DST is another option if you prefer turret and the 5th port.
 
Dudes. Forgive me. It just all seems so crazy.

To recap.

I want a reg that's going to last me 10+ years. As an instructor. 5-6 dives/day, 5-6 days/wk. Tropical salt water. Chlorine pool water. Shallow depths. Warm waters. Nothing too crazy. Just need something that's going to be reliable. Never be a hassle. Always be there, ready to go to work with me. Something I can service (shouldn't be a problem). Something I can get parts for. Something I'll ALWAYS be able to get parts for (a reg that's already out of production??). From a brand that isn't going to go out of business or be bought out anytime soon (like 50+% of the scuba companies out there right now, over the next 10 yrs). Parts won't be super expensive. Etc.. etc.. etc. You get the drift.

And I'm telling you that money's no object. As long as it comes from a reputable scuba company.

And you're telling me that some 50yr old reg that I have to buy from eBay-ish vendors... because it's no longer made new by anyone. So I'm not going to get my discount. I'm certainly not going to get parts for life. I'm certainly not going to get any kind of guarantees, or warranty's. And the closest thing to this reg is.. currently.. the Aqualung Core, a crappy version of the Legend that we present as our cheap-skate reg at my shop.

And I'm going to be diving for a shop. Working for a shop. Somewhere out there in the tropics. Diving a reg that my shop can't sell to customers. ??? Supporting my shop in that way.

I mean. wtf...

What are you wanting to do, teach scuba or be a salesman?

You seem to be really buying into the hype that surrounds regulators. There is no "best" except in arguments about regulators. There are many excellent regulators that all do the job reliably and with good performance. The "best" argument is about narcissism and salesmanship. Not about diving or teaching others to dive.

What you have now (legend) is a very high performing, extremely reliable regulator that will work perfectly for you. There are many others that would also work perfectly. I would not be too worried about the environmental seal or about the differences between piston and diaphragm regs. In warm, clear water, they all work great.

It may be practical for you to own a different reg set for use in the pool; chlorine is really tough on plastics and metals. If I were teaching in a pool quite a bit, I would use an inexpensive reliable simple reg like the SP MK2, an older conshelf, or an older sherwood. Many instructors simply use one of the shop's rental regs in the pool.

Regarding older regulators, the truth is that regs have not really improved in many years, and it lots of ways have actually regressed as companies look for more ways to lower manufacturing costs and maximize profits. I could easily buy any regulator I want, but what I use for cave diving is an old set of MK10s with old 2nd stages (D300-balanced/adjustable). I paid less than $150 for all four stages. In OW I use a MK5 (even older and better than the MK10) and any number of old 2nd stages that, IMO, out perform anything current that I've tried.

When I think of diving all day every day in a tropical climate, one big issue that comes to mind is drymouth and dehydration. This is where the old metal case 2nd stages, with less aggressive venturi assist, can really shine. You trade a small loss on WOB numbers (test machines don't get drymouth) for increased comfort and enjoyment, again, in my opinion.

When I did my DM years ago in Roatan, by the end of the summer several of the instructors were asking for old metal SP 2nd stages; I ended up leaving a few there as gifts.

One advantage of some of the older 1st stages is simplicity. They are easy to rebuild with very few parts, and are designed to go a looonnnggg time between rebuilds. This can come in handy if you're living in the tropics and diving all the time.

There's really no reason to spend a fortune on a regulator unless you want to spend money, which many people do. I don't think a titanium regulator is worth it when there are literally thousands of brass/chrome regs that have clearly lasted 50 years or more. The titanium regulators weigh a little less, which would be very important if you were diving at the top of a mountain and had to carry all your gear up.

Many of the best DMs and instructors I have met over the years in the caribbean couldn't really care less about what brand of regulator they're using. They're considered tools; whatever works is fine. It's a refreshing attitude!

Most importantly I hope you have a great time diving and teaching diving in a beautiful location.
 
@shark, read the above post carefully. It is a great summary basically of what everyone has been saying in this thread but in perhaps a more concise manner with some extra good information. Halocline is very knowledgeable, far more than I, he knows what he's talking about, I kind of know what I'm talking about.
 
Well. Here's one thing. I know everyone is just trying to help me out, and giving me their best advice.

But I work at a really nice scuba shop. Very top of the line everything.. equipment, instruction, servicing, etc. I've seen various things on the internet that rate us as high as the #3 best dive shop in the US.

We're a dealer for literally every single scuba co. you could name, with the exception of a couple small ones (who we can still get stuff from if we need to).

I just asked our service tech about Conshelfs. And I was informed that even we cannot get service parts for them. If someone brings one in for servicing, there's literally nothing we can do for them. Besides maybe honoring it by giving it a place in our antiques museum.

And that's the reg that you guys are telling me I should go into my career with, expecting to be able to use it for the next 10yrs??

Your shop tech is ignorant.

N
 
Everyone. This has been a really great and educating experience. Thank you all very much for your kindness, efforts and contributions in helping me become more knowledgeable.

I think what I'm going to do. I've got this great discount I can take advantage of before I leave. And it's probably a good idea for a full-time instructor to have two sets of regs anyways (so I can still work while one's being serviced, or if something crazy happens).

MOST dive shops out there are probably going to carry Scubapro or Aqualung. And I may very well be required to rep my shop's gear. I've already got a great Legend with parts for life. I may as well go scubapro with my second reg set (I can get parts for life on that too).

So.. drum-roll.. MK17/A700 is the choice.

(I like sealed/dry diaphragm regulators that nothing gets into)
 
I would have chosen that combination too as opposed to the A700. Due to the difficulty in getting SP parts I went with DS4s and G250s. I'm happy enough with the combination.
 

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