Need Opinions on Oceanic's Present-Day-Status as "Best Entry Level Reg"

[rakpix]

so, i've rented for about two years. mostly vacation-diving. tried aqualung, apeks, zeagle, scubapro, and oceanic. and i'm not ready to buy. by far my three favorites (breathing-wise) have been apeks, zeagle, and oceanic ... in that order. i'm getting ready for rescue diver certs, and plan to have my divemaster cert in a little less than a year.

i am NOT planning in the next THREE - FIVE years on: cave diving/instructing/trimix, though limited technical diving on shallower wrecks will be in my near future, as well as tropical reef diving, the texas flower gardens, and low-vis lake diving.

scubatoys and leisurepro both seem to endorse oceanic as their "entry-level-best." and i've heard some great things in the past about their regs ONCE YOU CHANGE THE MOUTHPIECE. now, considering that apeks and zeagle regs setups (first stage + two identical second stages + brass SPG + miflex hoses) are a LITTLE out of my price range right now ... actually, about 3-4 times my maximum price range, i thought i'd look into the following setup, which can be had for $390 including shipping!



1ST STAGE: Oceanic PX3 Piston wo/ DVT

2ND PRIMARY: Oceanic Alpha 8 Reg

2ND BACKUP: Oceanic Alpha 8 Octo

SPG: Oceanic Maxdepth (older style, not the wimpy "SWIV")

MISC: Aqua Comfo-Bite Mouthpieces



SO. what is scubaboard's expert opinion on this setup? is it?

A) the best USE of $400 bucks at this point in my dive career (60 logged hours), or should i just keep renting and save up for zeagle/apeks regs

B) the best VALUE in this price range

C) relatively FUTURE-PROOF?


i already know i like the breathing. honestly, the only thing i'm worried about is the first stage. doesn't look .... sturdy

 

[rakpix]

oh, and also curious what the board's view on comfo-bite mouthpieces is.

 

[Kunundrum]

If you rent a lot it does not take much time to pay for your own reg. and the knowledge of knowing when it was last serviced is also good piece of mind, as well is intimate knowledge of your gear. if you know how it is supposed to breath when it's working properly its easy to spot a problem before it becomes one.

My first reg set I bought used for 200$ it was a Oceanic DX4 W/ Alpha7 and it was a great little reg setup, I still have it today as a backup/buddy/teaching reg, though I have upgraded the 2nd stage to a HOG, and now the Alpha7 is the "octo".

the nice thing with renting is that you quickly find what regs you like, what features are important and you can use that to make a decision on buying your own gear. and if you find something that you enjoy, you can always inquire about purchasing the rental gear, one can usualy get a good price.

in your case I would look into a good used reg setup, for your price you should be able to find something like a ATX200, XTX50, Aqualung Legend/Titan in good shape of the used market. the HOG/Edge Regulators are also a good buy and worth investigating.

HOG Gear D1 Cold Water Regulator Set - Dive Right In Scuba - Plainfield, IL
or
Edge Gear Epic Regulator Set w/Octopus - Dive Right In Scuba - Plainfield, IL

 

[Kunundrum]

Dup Post

 

[Ltstanfo]

Sorry I cannot help you with the Oceanic question (I mostly dive Apeks) but the comfo-bite mouthpiece question will get you as many positive answers as it will negative responses. In the end, you need to decide what works best for you. I have used the comfo-bite mouthpiece on a few of my regulators over the years and my opinion is mixed. Overall, I do not prefer it to a generic clear silicone mouthpiece but that is my experience and yours may vary. If you have tried one and like it, then buy one and use it for a while. All mouthpieces eventually wear out so it is not like you will use this forever (unless you decide you really like it).

Good luck,
Ltstanfo

 

[Stu S.]

The Alpha 7 regulator got really high ratings in the picky British "DIVER" magazine. I bought one. Excellent. I bought one for my daughter. Also really good, even at 125 feet.

I got an itch and decided to "trade up" to a premium regulator. It is no better than the Alpha, just more costly.

The Alpha 8 is basically the same as the 7. Although not an "ice" regulator, it is excellent in all other categories.

 

[SkimFisher]

I know MANY that prefer Oceanic's GT3 over the Alpha 8. I own a GT3/CDX5 setup and I love it. You should check it out as well.

 

[RAWalker]

Since Apeks pricing policy is MAP (Minimum Approved Price) vs Oceanics MARP this allows retailers to discount Oceanic products more as long as they don't advertize bellow the Minimum Advertized Retail Price. Oceanic products can be found for lower pprices if you call or walk into the retailer. I'm not up on Zeagles policy so I can't speak to what you find if you shop around for those.
It is possible to find discounts on the higher end models of the Oceanic regs that will outperform all the entry level regs you have tried so far.
My favorite is the Oceanic Delta IV FDX10 it is their top of the line environmentally sealed first stage with a second stage that was at the top of their line intil the introduction of the EOS.
You may be able to purchase this reg with the same octo and SPG you were looking at within your $400 budget. Since the Delta IV Underwent a cosmetic change to the Delta 4.1 the original is discounted heavily.

 

[scubafanatic]

....all I can say is anyone who's even remotely a 'real' diver owns their own gear....rental fees quickly add up, and you are more likely to go diving frequently if you're not worring about coughing up rental fees all the time, plus having to pick up/return rental gear is annoying/eats up fuel/wastes time/extra wear-an-tear on your vehicle. Divernet.com has reviewed this reg so I'd hop over there to read their opinion on it. Don't get too carried away with holding out for the best future-proof tech reg...it's more important you pile on the dive miles, get experience now really diving.....the experience you gain is worth more than reading 1000 diving books or a million SB posts....it's that experience that will save you the big $ in the future when you are shopping for your tech gear.

 

[Diver0001]

A) the best USE of $400 bucks at this point in my dive career (60 logged hours), or should i just keep renting and save up for zeagle/apeks regs

Usually when retailers call something "entry level" what they really mean is "cheap".

For $400 you should be well on your way to saving enough for a high quality reg. A regulator is a long term investment and a good one will last for decades.

As for the Oceanic, the 1st stage is an unbalanced piston. Usually these regs are fairly reliable because of the simple design but not high on the performance curve and not well suited for cold water. The 2nd stage is also not balanced and the combination of the unbalanced 1st and 2nd stages makes for a regulator that I wouldn't recommend for deep diving.

So if you're not planning on diving in cold water or deep water now or at any point in the future then it's perfect. If not, well....

R..