Long-Term Serviceability

[iim7v7im7]

Name the three scuba equipment companies that make regulators and BCs with the highest likelihood of parts and service a decade from now for products purchased today? My current Scubapro gear is approaching 15-years old and I have been able to keep it annually serviced throughout this period. I am considering replacing both.

What other companies are like this (I am sure that there are others).

Thanks

 

[JMBL]

Well, I've replaced my 24 y.o Scubapro Mk 10 + R190 only this year. It was very badly serviced 2 years ago by an unscrupulous dive technician and has been working eraticly ever since. My Poseidon Cyklon 5000 metal is still working fine after 16 years. My other regs are much youngers, so I cannot help you further.

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

Name the three scuba equipment companies that make regulators and BCs with the highest likelihood of parts and service a decade from now for products purchased today? My current Scubapro gear is approaching 15-years old and I have been able to keep it annually serviced throughout this period. I am considering replacing both.

What other companies are like this (I am sure that there are others).

Thanks

Sounds like a test. Ok, my top three choices for future ability to obtain services parts would be, in no particular order:

Aqualung

Scubapro

Atomic

More than three? Ok:

Apeks

Zeagle

Mares

Many service parts can be sourced from generic sources (soft seats, o-rings for example). But but if you damage a non-annual part on an older reg you may have some problems finding a replacement.... even from the top three I listed. A number of us have gone in on "special" parts orders for older Scubapro regs, namely having parts fabricated, because they could no longer be easily obtained from Scubapro (for Scubapro Mk5 1st stage).

BC's are a different animal, but in many cases you can replace inflators and dump valves with "standard" sized generics.

Best wishes.

 

[diversteve]

Apeks has been around since the mid-70's. And has their own factory in England.

Aqua Lung - they also distribute Apeks in the U.S.

Aqua Lung is the name that first introduced the world to Scuba diving in 1943 when Jacques-Yves Cousteau and Émile Gagnan developed the first "Aqua-Lung."

Cressi since the 50's. Cressi scuba diving equipment History 1930'S-1940'S professional scuba diving equipment gear computer regulator octopus wetsuit mask fin spearfishing

ScubaPro since the 60's. Now they're owned by Johnson Outdoors so they're liable to be around.

My Zeagle Ranger bcd just turned 12. It's only seen routine service once in that time at a shop to keep the warranty current for another year.

The only maintenance I've ever done it change the inflator about 5 years ago. Because I wanted their BX (hose flush) inflator - there wasn't anything wrong.

Zeagle and Atomic have both recently been acquired by Huish Outdoors - they own Liquivision and Bare also.

I agree with Leadturn, stick to BCD's with standard components since most inflators are universal. It's why I'm not a fan of things like the Mares AirTrim or Aqualung I3 - both the inflator mechanisms and the dump valves are proprietary since they're operated by the system - not individually. Even Mares seems to be getting out of the AirTrim - only two of their models offer it optionally this year.

Not much can happen to a steel/aluminum backplate either if a BP/W appeals to you. Many of them are semi-universal in wing choice also so those could easily be updated if they ever leak. Not all though, some have proprietary wing mounting methods/guides.

 

[PfcAJ]

Name the three scuba equipment companies that make regulators and BCs with the highest likelihood of parts and service a decade from now for products purchased today? My current Scubapro gear is approaching 15-years old and I have been able to keep it annually serviced throughout this period. I am considering replacing both.

What other companies are like this (I am sure that there are others).

Thanks

Why replace it?

 

[Bob DBF]

Sherwood
Started their own line of equipment in 1972 after manufacturing parts and regulators for all the major players since the '50's, as well as being in the compressed gas industry from the '30's.


Bob

 

[Brandon]

All Zeagle regulators produced since 2000 use the same parts kits, and the inflators are an industry standard $25 replaceable part. Those are the common replacement parts, but for various BC bits and pieces - you're likely to be able to get any part you need by contacting the factory directly in Florida (if your dealer can't get it). Their rep has posted on here numerous times offering to help people get difficult to find items.

My Zeagle regs are 10 years old and I no concerns about the continued availability of parts well into the future. I'm sure I'll be diving them 10 years from now.

 

[KeithG]

I can only talk about Sherwood as our regulators are over 25 years old and the only ones we have ever had. I can not comment on other manufacturers. I can still get them service locally or can buy rebuild kits on ebay.

So why are you thinking of replacing yours? Suddenly discovered you do not like the color?

With proper care, your reg will outlast you. Your BCD will eventually wear out. Mine developed small pin prick leaks at the locations where the material had worn through. It took 20 years for that to happen. All other parts still functioned properly and parts were available for service if required.

But I think I would put ScubaPro up near the top of my list?

 

[tbone1004]

BC's don't really matter since they change so regularly, get a BP/W and the wing can be changed out at your leisure and isn't brand specific, so nbd there.

Regs
Dive Rite isn't going anywhere, neither is Tusa who is the manufacturer for Halcyon and Scubapro regulators. Scubapro is also owned by the multi billion dollar Jarden corporation so their parent company certainly isn't going anywhere, and I doubt Scubapro will either.
Apeks isn't likely to go anywhere, and Aqualung by association
The two mack daddies are Sherwood and Poseidon. They've been around for so long and the parts are still available, it's highly unlikely they'll ever go anywhere. The Cyklon second stage kits are the same as they were in the 50's and still being made The first stage kits from either company are so stupidly simple you can still get parts kits for the almost 60 year old regulator designs.

Even companies like Hog and Hollis buy their regs from a company called ODS who also makes regs for a few other companies, Dive Rite included, and the parts kits are mostly able to move between the regs. ODS isn't likely to go anywhere so as long as one of the companies is still selling the kits, you can make them work.

 

[scubafanatic]

BCD's are pretty simple, so if you buy a new BCD, get one with generic parts (inflator mechanisms/dump valves). For example, my Diverite Transpac and Oxycheq wings use such generic parts. Also try to get a BCD that can use modular/generic weight systems, if you don't use a weight belt.

Regs are more complex, often not generic parts but require OEM 'special' parts. Soft parts are often generic (O-rings/etc.) but an Atomic piston ain't gonna fit a Scubapro reg, for example. The good news on regs though is, if all else fails, you can go on E-Bay, Scubaboard classifieds, etc., and select a cheap, low-mileage and quite usable reg whenever you want, the brand/model doesn't really matter too much, as long as it's a common model produced by a mainstream scuba brand. There are plenty of people who consider regs to be disposable, they'll dive it a few years, then E-Bay or trash it rather than spend $ 150 on a full service, so they couldn't care less about long-term product support.

Being the gearhead that I am, this year I have rounded up and had serviced a number of Scubapro MK 5's / 109's, just because I like the vintage look/clean design of the classics, but SP has finally completely phased out OEM support (at least for the MK 5) so I have gone to considerable effort to get help bring those units back to life using 3rd-party parts/service. That being said, the vast majority of divers are not gearheads and couldn't care less about regs other than as a 'tool' for breathing underwater, so for them, spending $ 150 every 5 years on a cheap but functional E-Bay reg meets their requirements.