Octo reg or normal reg for pony bottle?

[Luc Dupas]

A cheap reg that doesn't deliver air at depth well, may promote CO2 buildup and potentially result in a CO2 hit to a stressed diver at depth (particularly at 100+ fsw).

Of course both your primary and your secondary have to breath "normally" at the depths you're diving! On the other hand your secondary (2nd 1ste stage + 2nd stage) have to be 100% reliable... meaning in a lot of cases you go for the most simple model, without adjustments and other fancy "marketing" things which might go wrong... e.g. the Scubapro MKII with a R190 2nd stage, or a Mares MR12 with an Axis or similar 2nd stage, are perfect, and cheap, regs for being used as secondary for depths down to 60m, even in freezing cold water, no problem whatsoever.
Some people seem to confuse "quality" (in terms of what is really "needed") and price... which actually is very good... since it offers dive shop owners to get rid of their most expensive stuff simply by using 1 sentence "your life depends on it"... no further "arguments" needed...

 

[gcbryan]

A cheap reg that doesn't deliver air at depth well, may promote CO2 buildup and potentially result in a CO2 hit to a stressed diver at depth (particularly at 100+ fsw).

If I donate a reg to an OOA diver I do not want them taking a CO2 hit and going into a panic because the reg is bad.

"Good breathing" is not just a matter of comfort, it is also a matter of safety...

Do you personally have any evidence to suggest that most standard octo's will not deliver air at depth to the point of promoting a CO2 hit? I think most octo's will work just fine. I know i've tested mine at depth and it's worked just fine. I don't plan on over exerting myself at depth regardless of what reg I'm using.

 

[SDAnderson]

Are there any regulator sets currently being sold in the US that won't perform adequately at recreational depths - particularly when being used on an independent first stage where demand will not be doubled in an emergency? I don't think so, but it's really not a rhetorical question.

I don't like the idea of detuning a back-up regulator in any situation but it makes even less sense if it is being used on an independent first stage. From experience, I can tell you that if you need the alternate, you're going to want full performance. Better to just crack the valve enough to keep the system pressurized (and water out of the first stage) but not enough to encourage a free flow everytime you bump the second stage or turn it upside down. In an emergency, a quick crank (especially if you're using Thermo valves) is all it takes to open the valve to full bore.

Personally, I don't own any SeaElite regulators and, though I don't like overpaying or buying features that I don't need, I also don't allow price to become my primary consideration. In the interest of full disclosure, I dive with either Apeks or ScubaPro regulators and my alternates are all the same model as my primaries.