Poll: What are the top tier regulator brands?

[Eric Sedletzky]

I have my stock of Oceanic parts after the local dive shop shut down. But why buy a regulator from company like ScubaPro that will not provide parts to the end user? Is this consumer hostile? Are there others? If a company will not sell you maintenance parts after just a few years why buy from them?

Scubapro, Aqualung, Atomic, and most others will officially not sell parts to the end user. However, there are online scuba suppliers that will sell parts like 900001 kits for Conshelfs and other Aqualung regs, SP MK2 kits, generic poppets for various 2nd stages, MK5 kits, and other various (classic/vintage) kits, etc. there’s also eBay. So they certainly haven’t sealed everything up and there is no way they will ever be able to. You just have to pick and choose what regs to own based on what parts you can get if you insist on doing your own service work.
Then there’s some people who have the money and don’t care about self service. They are glad to drop off their stuff and just let the dive shop do it.

 

[tbone1004]

No regulator companies that I know of officially approve of the customer obtaining parts and doing their own service work, except for Hog and Deep6.
I was unaware that Poseidon allowed it finally (after a course).
Whether or not the end user can find parts for the various brands on their own is a different story. Yes, thanks to the internet and secret connections, black market parts can be obtained quite easily.

Dive Rite will as well

@Mr Carcharodon All of the AUP brands were really nasty about parts, just as bad as Scubapro/Aqualung about it

easier to avoid liability for the companies if only trained service techs have access to the parts...

that is BS, it's 100% to put more money in the local dive shops. There is no extra "liability" and some of those brands actually used to include the full service manual in the box when you purchased regulators. That stopped around the same time local dive shops because a big thing in the 80's

 

[Addicted2H2O]

that is BS, it's 100% to put more money in the local dive shops. There is no extra "liability" and some of those brands actually used to include the full service manual in the box when you purchased regulators. That stopped around the same time local dive shops because a big thing in the 80's

I agree with you. What additional liability could there be on the manufacturer if the end user acted on their own and performed his/her own repairs/services? None. So it's more aimed at putting more money-making opportunities in the hands of the dive shops. But that's not only true of parts and equipment. It's also true of instruction. I've harped on it for a few weeks now because I'm still highly agitated about it, but take the prerequisite that some agencies have for Master Scuba Diver. I can't see any reason for that to be a necessary course for dive master candidates because what one will learn in that course is stuff that will be learned in the DM program anyway. It's redundancy. And that being the case, seems like just another opportunity for dive shops to make additional money. And I get it, they have to pay the bills, too. But at what point do you stop gouging the end users for more money?

/rant

 

[2airishuman]

The diamond studded, limited edition professional gold alloy one, only sold to verified master divers who have enrolled in the lifetime service plan, because you can't be serious unless you look serious.

Otherwise there's no difference.

 

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

I was the proud owner of an Apeks and now I am the proud owner of a Dive Rite. So far I have not noticed any difference.

 

[Fibonacci]

To expand this issue further, many companies won’t even sell parts to dive shops unless they sell their products. This may be good for the LDS in the short term, but not in the long term for retaining customer loyalty.
.

Its even worse here in AU... my LDS owner was complaining recently because Aqualung now enforce a policy of charging $65 pa per AL model to retain authorised service accreditation and get OEM parts!

When you think about the myriad of AL products over the years, maintaining service accreditation for anything other than the most recent (and highest margin!) AL regulators just doesn't make economic sense.

A form of 'channel-stuffing' that he could not accept so he is now no longer an Aqualung dealer... combined with Atomic's annual service training program restrictions he threw up his hands and no longer offers any regulator service at all.

 

[Philly_Diver]

1) Apeks
2) Atomic
3) Dive Rite

These are my top brands.

 

[BoltSnap]

Very interesting results for the Poll, SP is indeed no. 1, Apeks and Atomic are 2nd and 3rd respectively. Other brands including the loud and very new brands aren't anywhere close.

 

[Doctor Rig]

Yes, very interesting poll voting so far. Sure hope many more ScubaBoard.com members will cast their brand votes before the poll closes on November 4th.

Yes members, please vote on your three (3) top-tier brands of regulators $600 or less, giving fair “known” consideration to the brands (1) Performance (new & cared-for used), (2) Comfort, (3) Ruggedness, (4) Cost (purchase & maintenance), and (5) Brand warranty & customer service.

 

[Blue Quaker]

Can't vote...Poseidon is not there... we have 9 of them!