Newbie Regulator question

[Nemrod]

Yes there are differences, modern regulators are mostly plastic and not very durable and tend to require alot of yearly repairs but you can get parts and service (maybe unless it is Mares). Older regulators tend to be more durable, more simple and they are made from metal but often parts (and other than self service) are problematic. Those of us who refuse to give up our old favorites scrounge parts, make parts and adapt parts from other regulators. N

 

[Stu S.]

Getting a usable or rebuildable regulator for 1/8 the price of a new one is unlikely. Look on eBay at what things sell for, and add $80 or 100 to get it rebuilt. Then... look at on-line merchants like Leisure Pro or Scuba Toys and you will see that unless you get a super deal on a used regulator, you might as well get a new one.

Example: I sold a one year old reg on eBay for $30 less than I paid for it. Annual service would have been $50. I bought a brand new one as a replacement and came out ahead.

The Alpha 8 by Oceanic is a family favorite here, and at $125 is a good as you can do.

 

[redacted]

Both Aqualung and Scubaopro are good bets for older regs as both still support regs that were sold and even discontinued decades ago.

Scubapro supports pretty much everything it has produced except:

1. The Pilot second stage
2. The first generation Air 2 inflator/octo
3. The Air 1 second stage

Scubapro also uses a design approach where whenever possible upgrades and improvements in design can be retrofitted into older models. This rends to keep the performance of older models on par with newer ones and in most cases means that older seccond stages use the same annual service parts as new second stages, ensuring easy parts availability.

I'm being told by a local Scubapro dealer that diaphram covers and exhaust-Ts are no longer available for the scubapro metal 2nds (108, 109, 156). These are excellent regs and annual service parts are the same as current models, but mif that is true then you will want to insure that unique rubber parts are in good shape before you purchase.