Most Reliable Regs?

[robbcayman]

I am about to purchase a reg and can't stand when stuff breaks or has constant issues. What are some of the more reliable regs and some of the not so reliable regs? I know better than to post what is the best reg, since everyone has their opinion. I am trying to stay in the $200 -$350 range, any brand recommendations would be nice though. Thanks

 

[No Fish]

I am about to purchase a reg and can't stand when stuff breaks or has constant issues. What are some of the more reliable regs and some of the not so reliable regs? I know better than to post what is the best reg, since everyone has their opinion. I am trying to stay in the $200 -$350 range, any brand recommendations would be nice though. Thanks

Do you mean reliable or durable? To me they are two different things.

 

[robbcayman]

I want a product that will last overtime and not give me fits in the process.

 

[No Fish]

I want a product that will last overtime and not give me fits in the process.

My take on this is that most regs are reliable in the conditions that they are designed for. For me, I have mostly Apeks. And I get them serviced.

 

[Mike Nebel]

I work on regulators for my LDS and for the Army SF dive teams. The Army uses the U.S. Divers Conshelf XIV, old, but reliable and durable. The LDS recreational divers are big on the Aqualung Titan and Legend, and Apeks ATX 100 and 200's. I have also repaired many Mares regs for the LDS rental program, and they take a beating and still perform. Consider maintenance when you buy. If you get a reg secondhand from an out of town store or from the internet, where will you get it serviced?

 

[Jamdiver]

Robbycayman,

I think the Sherwood line of regs are pretty durable/reliable. I know for a fact that most of the regs for rent at my local dive club are Sherwood and they've been used and abused for years and work perfectly.
Most of the dive ops that I've seen rent Sherwood regs.
I guess they're like those old Land Rovers Defender's you see people going safari with in Africa.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

Aqualung and Scubapro are two of the very few companies that do a very good job of providing on going parts and support for decades so if you buy one today, the odds are good it will still be supported in 20-30 years.

The conshelf design is very duarable and time tested. I often have them come in for service after setting for years, if not decades and I have yet to have one come in with HP leaks etc. The Conshelf second stages won't win any prizes for ease of breathing for the most part, but they also hold up very well, particularly the metal cased versions. If I were stranded on a tropical island with an infinite supply of air but no reg parts, I would give serious consideration to a Conshelf 14.

I am also a fan of Scuabpro regs. The Mk 2 Plus R190 or R390 offers surprisngly good performance and is as simple and reliable as a regulator gets. It would be the other serious choice for the "lost on a desert island with a mysteriously reliable compressor" scenario.

Both of these will fall in the lower end of your price range.

A used Scubapro Mk 10 Balanced Adjustable or Mk 10 G250 would also be an excellent performing and very reliable regulator and could be found for $150-$200 in very good and just been just serviced condition.

 

[Poseidon8118]

Go to some of your local dive shops and see what they rent. Most dive shops in my area rent Sherwoods (Bruts and Magnums) or Aqua-Lung Titans. Just check around your area and you should have no problems with service or reliablility issues.

 

[halocline]

My guess is the SP MK2/R190 is one of the most bullet proof regs made; very low parts count. There's a reason it hasn;t changed much over the years and has been used as rental/training gear countless times. I've had mine to 130 ft and to me it breathes fine at that depth. There's also something about the dynamic o-ring in the 1st stage never being subjected to high pressure; maybe DA aquamaster can explain it, but my understanding is that this design, along with the reliability of a piston vs a diaphraghm ensures that the 1st stage virtually cannot fail.

I also bought a used MK15/G250/balanced adjustable with the intent of learning more about high performance regs and to see if there really is a noticable difference in peformance under normal recreational conditions. Although the regs were sold as "recently serviced" and cost about $250, I then sent them to a real SP expert (thanks DA!) who found that they were in pretty serious need of rebuilding; addding some cost to the purchase. If you do buy used, I think it's a good idea to have the reg serviced by someone you trust who did not sell it to you.