New Regulator Advice

[tbone1004]

if you like that, then go to Poseidon, they're using spheres not, no hard orifice... Even the older ones don't have a sharp edge, they use a little bullet looking thing in the bottom. Pretty slick design

 

[divad]

if you like that, then go to Poseidon, they're using spheres not, no hard orifice... Even the older ones don't have a sharp edge, they use a little bullet looking thing in the bottom. Pretty slick design

Are you trying to sell me a regulator?

 

[tbone1004]

nope, just a feature in the new first stages most are unaware of since it is completely different than all of the other mfg's. I dive Poseidon exclusively but almost never recommend them because of a number of reasons, but the different breathing characteristics aren't for everyone

 

[divad]

nope, just a feature in the new first stages most are unaware of since it is completely different than all of the other mfg's. I dive Poseidon exclusively but almost never recommend them because of a number of reasons, but the different breathing characteristics aren't for everyone

Looks neat, but wasn't asked about by the OP. It also seems that the Zeagle kits are cheaper and easier to come by.

 

[tbone1004]

26/17 vs 30/20, not really significant, but that is for FH7 only from Zeagle. I have never seen their parts from their Aqualung days for sale... More importantly, one of the main reasons I don't recommend Poseidon for most divers is the lack of swivel turret, which I think offers the absolute best hose routing for singles *without a drysuit*, doubles, and sidemount, and is a deal breaker for me when considering new regulators. I make due with the Poseidons because I don't want to put an OPV on all of the first stages, nor do I want to go to pistons, so that is my compromise, and is part of why I don't recommend them to other divers

 

[BoltSnap]

no, just commenting that holding those cards has minimal bearing on your qualifications to judge regulators. You clearly have not taken them apart next to each other, and you clearly have no actual expert opinions on the matter that truly qualify you to judge them, otherwise you would not have that opinion. If your opinion was "I don't want to support the cheap manufacturing, potential exploitation, etc etc that goes on in Asia so I choose to spend money locally" then fine, but saying you won't judge something that is made by a computer *because yes, all regulators are made by computers, not by hand*, because the computer is located in Taiwan instead of Europe is just plain ignorant and racist. I'm sorry, but you really are not qualified to go out and say you aren't going to trust regulators that are built and designed by engineers to equal if not higher quality than other regulators on the market *yes, the chrome plating on the regulators in ODS is in fact higher quality than that used by Apeks which has been proven time and time again in the caves*, just because they are built in Taiwan.

Add obnoxious to your being rude please.

BTW, you won't see much innovation with these copy cats, not in dive equipment or anything else.

 

[tbone1004]

have we seen regulator innovation from Scubapro, Atomic, or Apeks in the last decade? or anyone else for that matter....

 

[BoltSnap]

have we seen regulator innovation from Scubapro, Atomic, or Apeks in the last decade? or anyone else for that matter....

Certainly, incremental innovations for sure. Nothing fantastic but this is the market and the limits of mechanical innovations. (I am speaking about SP and Atomic since I am very familiar with them).

 

[halocline]

Instead, I'll ask; if I wanted to work on my own regs, which manufacturer would you recommend?

I would recommend older SP regs, either the MK2, MK5, or MK10 first stage and the 109 metal case 2nd stage. These are very simple regs, parts are readily available on ebay or other non-dealer sites (vintagedoublehose.com) and there is widespread community support for DIYers on this site. You could search on the DIY forums for many threads about this.

 

[Tribes]

I'll ask again since you may have missed my question:
Is there something specific about Taiwan that concerns you?

Edit: oops, it wasn't you that brushed Taiwan with the broad brush.

Instead, I'll ask; if I wanted to work on my own regs, which manufacturer would you recommend?

One of the best regulators ever made was the ScubaPro G250 with a Mark 10 first stage, they were very easy to work on (and there are still parts). You really need some training to work on any regulator. They are simple for the most part, but still I have seen some pretty screwed up stuff that people have don't on there own. I used to have a equipment repair class once a year and I had the students overhaul there own regulators. They had the books and the schematic but still needed lots of help. Most just let me do it after the class was over.
I see why you guys want to repair you own stuff (when I was doing it I charged $25 plus parts and if it was a Scubapro the parts were free). Today the cost of repair is out of hand . There is a chain of stores here that is charging $100 plus parts (almost $200 by the time you walked out the door, most regulators only take an hour to overhaul). And there are lots of horror stories about store repairs. I do know that there are a few mom and pops store that are reasonable and do a good job, but you have to look around.
To answer your question, I guess you need to buy a regulator that gives you training and parts along with an easy breathing machine. Your not going to find that with any of the majors. Maybe find a store that would give you some training on the regulator you are buying, but then there is the issue of parts. I think that the greed of some of the stores when it comes to repair is really bad for the sport. Its got divers repairing there own life support machines (which for most is a bad idea).