LDS has used Tusa Reg setups for sale. Good Deal???

[Greg Crane]

OK, After doing a little more checking around. I went back to the July 2013 edition of Scuba Diving Magazine and checked out the reviews for this year. ScubaLab: Reg Test Review | Scuba Diving Magazine
What caught my eye right away was the EDGE EPIC 2012 (hog? as Dr. Tracy indicated above). It was rated the 2013 Best Buy. Now we're talking a pretty good deal if you consider what is being offered by a company called Tech Diving Limited. Amazon.com: Buying Choices: Edge Epic Complete Regulator Set They are evidently a new company, but the product is the product, right?
Throw on a $135 tri-guage console and a LP BC hose and it appears that I will be way way ahead of the Cressi Sub Ellipse combo that the LDS is selling for $500 with the ellipse Octo, and tri-guage combo (1st stage 1hp and 3lp). "And the Edge combo will be new" and not 4 or 5 years old. Seems like a no brainer if Tech Diving Ltd. can actually produce the product without snags or surprises. The extra benjamins will likely be well invested don't you think?
Only thing that I am not crazy about is the Nylon woven hoses. And I wish that the purge valve was red. But I suppose that it is a small price to pay for the evident quality according to the ratings. Also I have never had a 1st stage with horizontal hose connections. Don't really think that I will like it at first, but it seems that most high end units are sporting it these days.

 

[Greg Crane]

Also found this package at Divers Supply: Edge EXP Regulator Package
Just trying to avoid the "sounds too good to be true with Tech Diving Ltd."

 

[diversteve]

Actually this is TDL. They're widely known in the tech diving space for years. I would have no reservations about buying from them - almost did more than once. They're a real shop in Lake Havasu, AZ. http://www.scubatrainingandtechnology.com/contactus.html

Tech Diving Limited, The Leading Source for Diving Equipment

Edge/HOG (Highly Optimized Gear - their tech side) has a forum here on SB also. Edge Gear

Divers Supply is another highly regarded source. I've bought small stuff from them. The only problem with the Divers Supply deal is the Octo:

Sea Elite products are sold and serviced exclusively through Divers Supply

As in - only them.

Save you some trouble googling: both Scubatoys and DiveGearExpress also sell Edge/Hog. Both are solid companies. I buy a lot of gear from Scubatoys, they ship fast. I encourage you to Call Scubatoys also, sometimes the price they show online is what the mfr's require.

contact [user]Jim Lapenta[/user] here also and see what he can do for you. He sells a lot of Edge/HOG gear to SB members.

HOG now has a new Yoke model - the D3. In another thread we priced one very reasonably with their new Zenith 2nd stage. Like $275 out the door - IIRC it was thru DGE. You just missed an intro sale some retailers were having. DGE only sells DIN models though. Other retailers also sell the D3 in yoke.

 

[FloridaPhil]

I picked up my Hog D3 and Zenith from diverightinscuba.com and can highly recommend them. Good people, fantastic service. Unfortunately the special intro pricing as mentioned above has now expired but they will price match any legitimate price on the web.

Sent from my GT-P7310 using Tapatalk HD

 

[Greg Crane]

Awesome info guys! Thanks for taking the time to give such detailed advice.
BTW: the Tusa that the LDS has is an IMPREX. The LDS offered me to dive with it this weekend at N/C. It will be worth experiencing it anyway.

 

[kelemvor]

Not that I'm trying to dissuade you from buying the atomic. As far as I know they're fine regs. But that scubalab "magazine" isn't really producing objective reviews. They're just paid advertisements from the various scuba companies. Don't take a positive review there to mean anything in particular.

Renting or borrowing a reg like you're planning to do is a great way to find out if you'll like it before you commit hundreds of dollars. That's part of the reason I rented for quite a while before purchasing.

 

[diversteve]

Not that I'm trying to dissuade you from buying the atomic. As far as I know they're fine regs. But that scubalab "magazine" isn't really producing objective reviews. They're just paid advertisements from the various scuba companies. Don't take a positive review there to mean anything in particular.

Dive one and come back and tell us if you feel the same way...

 

[Greg Crane]

Not that I'm trying to dissuade you from buying the atomic. As far as I know they're fine regs. But that scubalab "magazine" isn't really producing objective reviews. They're just paid advertisements from the various scuba companies. Don't take a positive review there to mean anything in particular.

Renting or borrowing a reg like you're planning to do is a great way to find out if you'll like it before you commit hundreds of dollars. That's part of the reason I rented for quite a while before purchasing.

Thanks for giving me some perspective kelemvor. You just reminded me of a magazine that we used to advertise our filtration products in. They contacted all companies that make similar products to ours and invited us to participate in a product review spread "(That we had to pay a fee to be a part of)", so yes we were basically buying advertising!
I have been in consumer mode and not considering the marketing perspective of what I was actually seeing in that review. Not to say that anything was wrong with the review, it just is what it is.

I am going to do some research and see what the actuality is about servicing the Tusa Imprex regs. Just because my LDS is moving to Cressi for their primary sales platform and rental fleet doesn't mean that the Tusa Imprex's are not servicable. I am going to call some reg service shops and see whats up with them. The one thing that is in my mind is that if the Tusa's are decent, I can hand them off to my wife whom I hope to have certified some time later this year or in spring, and by then, I can save up a little and buy new and better. My wife wouldn't care or probably notice the difference in a so so or an excellent reg. Her theory is if it breathes, she's good. Although the TDL Edge package has an excellent price IMO.

 

[Greg Crane]

Just keeping it fresh, I found another review that is really expansive in respect to a very broad range of regulators. Gear / Accessories | Scuba Diving Magazine
Be sure to view the Regulator Test Scores Chart: Gear / Accessories | Scuba Diving Magazine
Here again, this is just published info from a magazine, but it is quite broad for anyone who is interested.

 

[halocline]

Greg, I would more-or-less forget about magazine 'reviews' of scuba regulators. Essentially any scuba regulator manufactured and sold by a reputable main-stream company will function perfectly fine for recreational diving. They really could not be sold if it were otherwise. There is a tremendous amount of hype, B.S., fear-as-sales-tactic, and mis information in regulator marketing and sales.

TUSA is a brand owned by the Tabata corporation, that manufactures regulators for scubapro and others. Frequently TUSA regs are merely slightly changed older scubapro models. However, IMO, $250 or more for a used TUSA reg is probably not the best deal. You could spend far less and get a used MK10 in good shape.

I would not throw away the old sherwood. Unless it was stored poorly, it might just need a cleaning and rebuild. The older sherwood regs have built a decades-long reputation for reliability and durability. They're not the smoothest breathers out there, but again, any scuba regulator will supply plenty of air for recreational diving, if it's adjusted well.

Whatever you buy, eventually the service cost will eclipse the purchase price if you dive regularly and for a long time. I highly encourage you to explore self-servcing your regs if you already work on compressed gas regulators. Start with the sherwood, it's not an investment because you already own it, and see how it goes from there. You can buy a great book by Vance Harlow on regulator repair (airspeed press) and some basic tools from scubatools.com, and get help from lots of people on this forum. You'll need a tank and an IP gauge as well.

Then I would buy a regulator that you can get parts for. Older SP regs fit this category, although the company itself won't sell parts to individual divers, there is a very strong grey market for parts, and some dealers are finally coming to their senses about the absurdity of restricting parts sales.