First of all, I am a regulator hoarder/collector/addict, so there is that. Now, as a group we have discussed the finer points of regulator addiction and the 'best' regulator to own ad nauseam. Yet we also recognize that the 'best' regulator for a specific purpose also exists.
I'll give a couple of examples. I once worked as a harbor diver. It was dirty, nasty diving. On any given job I could be laying on my back, with my tank and first stage in the sand, scraping barnacles and other marine growth off the hull of a vessel, while a soup of the scrapings surrounded my mask/ second stage. I needed an environmentally sealed diaphragm first stage and an all plastic second to keep from swallowing mouthfuls of condensate during the long work hours. My regulator of choice was a US Divers Conshelf SE specifically because it was sealed against sand and the soup of barnacle/sea growth plus I could work oriented inverse of normal diving [body below my regulator] and not have the damn thing nearly drown me with exhalation condensate. It was and is one of the driest breathing second stages ever, maybe too much so for the average recreational diver, but I wasn't using it for that purpose.
Another example can be a back-up travel regulator for tropical destinations. My personal choice would be based on simplicity and reliability, an unbalanced piston first stage: SP Mk 2 [the non EVO version] coupled with a compact balanced 2nd stage: SP G500. This combination is a lightweight, powerhouse of a regulator, great for saving a dive trip if something happens to your primary regulator.
What are some of your special use regulators, and in which circumstances do they shine?
I'll give a couple of examples. I once worked as a harbor diver. It was dirty, nasty diving. On any given job I could be laying on my back, with my tank and first stage in the sand, scraping barnacles and other marine growth off the hull of a vessel, while a soup of the scrapings surrounded my mask/ second stage. I needed an environmentally sealed diaphragm first stage and an all plastic second to keep from swallowing mouthfuls of condensate during the long work hours. My regulator of choice was a US Divers Conshelf SE specifically because it was sealed against sand and the soup of barnacle/sea growth plus I could work oriented inverse of normal diving [body below my regulator] and not have the damn thing nearly drown me with exhalation condensate. It was and is one of the driest breathing second stages ever, maybe too much so for the average recreational diver, but I wasn't using it for that purpose.
Another example can be a back-up travel regulator for tropical destinations. My personal choice would be based on simplicity and reliability, an unbalanced piston first stage: SP Mk 2 [the non EVO version] coupled with a compact balanced 2nd stage: SP G500. This combination is a lightweight, powerhouse of a regulator, great for saving a dive trip if something happens to your primary regulator.
What are some of your special use regulators, and in which circumstances do they shine?
