Poll: What are the top tier regulator brands?

[UFOrb]

can get a new FST XTX 100 + XTX40 DS4 for 500€ ($588 USD) here, and that price includes 19% VAT already. That's $495 USD before tax.

I’ve just bagged an Apeks XTX200/XTX40 set (with reg bag) for £425 (US$556)!
Apeks XTX200 XTX40 Set, Stage 3 with FREE Regulator Bag

Just the FSR & XTX200 2nd stage is £375 (US$491) from Simply Scuba.

 

[Doctor Rig]

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS ''TOP TIER''
There is environmentally sealed...as opposed to open spring chamber...there are regulators which are manufactured to ''tolerate'' cold water conditions...there is all kinds of ''eye candy'' cosmetic differences and colors to suit every taste...there is differences in flow characteristics...upstream/downstream/pilot valve...etc...there is diaphragm as opposed to piston...
There are reg sets designed and advertised to be ''entry level'' and there are reg sets designed and advertised to be ''expedition grade''
''Some'' less expensive brands will out-perform their ''ultra'' expensive competition...
Over the years I've dove them all...they all have their ''intended'' purpose...
No different than a Ferrari fulfilling its intended purpose or a ''pick your favorite brand''pickup truck fulfilling its intended purpose...
I think your getting ''TOP TIER'' confused with ''MOST EXPENSIVE''...
Who ever said ''most expensive'' was the best...
An inexpensive open spring chamber piston first stage designed to accommodate an entry level diver or used to perform deco stops at 60 ft or less...may be ''TOP TIER'' for its intended purpose...regardless of its initial cost...
The care you take with what you have...is far more important than your initial cash outlay...
Dive Safe...Warren

@ Warren: With your experience, you make some interesting comments which make sense, while others don’t. You state the poll and associated comments on “top tier” is being confused with “most expensive.” Are you possibly only referring to some of the submitted postings, not the poll?

The poll and this thread were intended to identify the “top tier” brands (3) who make the best regulators selling for $600 or less, with “best” being defined by the following, which is much broader than just performance.

“In voting, please give fair consideration to the brands (1) Performance (new & cared-for used), (2) Comfort, (3) Ruggedness, (4) Cost (purchase & maintenance), and (5) Brand warranty & customer service.

If by chance you misunderstood the intended scope of the poll and this thread, I’d love to hear your related opinions and comments since you have extensive experience.

 

[Rred]

tbone-
"nor would I buy a regulator that has a warranty based on dealer authorized service at x-intervals."
I might buy it but just ignore the loss of the lifetime warranty, I don't need to pay for authorized annual meddling.
But who offers what liftime warranty without that condition? Not just a warranty against gross manufacturing defects, but some kind of meaningful lifetime warranty without annual nonsense??

 

[Doctor Rig]

tbone-
"nor would I buy a regulator that has a warranty based on dealer authorized service at x-intervals."
I might buy it but just ignore the loss of the lifetime warranty, I don't need to pay for authorized annual meddling.
But who offers what liftime warranty without that condition? Not just a warranty against gross manufacturing defects, but some kind of meaningful lifetime warranty without annual nonsense??

@Rred. Like the regulator company Deep 6? What companies have a warranty of value to you?

 

[Rred]

Doc-
I don't understand why folks prefix a name with the @ symbol in web forums. It doesn't DO anything in conventional forums, does it? It certainly doesn't send any message to me. AFAIK that's what, only a function on Twitter??
I wouldn't have said "What companies..?" if I knew them. I have no idea what the Deep6 warranty is. There are no company warranties of any great value to me, other than the normal "one year against manufacturing defects..." yada yada. I have no idea if anyone offers anything better right now, although IIRC probably ScubaPro, USD, Dacor...a number of players all offered lifetime warranties as far back as at least the 1980's. If you spent 50% of the price of a new regulator having some authorized dealer service it annually, and paid extra for all the parts they put into it. A terribly uneconomical deal, unless you had OCD and wanted someone to mess with the way the regulator worked every year.
The few (probably two?) times I have a shop overhaul a regulator, I had to re-adjust it personally afterwards. So, annual servicing? I'd rather sell it and replace it, than try to find out just how qualified the guy on a shop bench is. Every year.

 

[LandonL]

Doc-
I don't understand why folks prefix a name with the @ symbol in web forums. It doesn't DO anything in conventional forums, does it? It certainly doesn't send any message to me. AFAIK that's what, only a function on Twitter??
I wouldn't have said "What companies..?" if I knew them. I have no idea what the Deep6 warranty is.

The @ tags a person in the post, so they get an alert that someone has written something to them. Plus it creates a little link to their profile.

Our warranty has no requirement for annual/periodic service intervals. We are not going to force you onto a schedule, your warranty is in effect continually. We even give you free service kits when you order the reg to start off with.

 

[Rred]

Thanks, Landon. But I have "Alert preferences" set on my forum account, so if you say "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Beetlejuice" three times fast, I get an alert notice, regardless of the @ sign. I don't know if using that sign would forcibly generate a notice if I hadn't set them....but if you have set them, it does nothing extra that I can see. (Yeah, I'm old school fossil.(G)

It took some digging around on your web site to find the warranty terms, I was looking for a "Warranty" button rather than a generic "FAQ" listing. You might want to add that somewhere on the bottom of the home page, because while that isn't an unlimited lifetime warranty, it still is a generous one.

 

[LandonL]

while that isn't an unlimited lifetime warranty, it still is a generous one.

Others don’t really offer an unlimited warranty either. Just a continual one, if you spend hundreds each year to maintain it. You are definitely paying for it in that case.

Even though ours is 10 years, it applies for the entire duration with no requirements on your part.

Honestly, if it’s past 10 years, just talk to us. We are reasonable guys. We try our best to help.

Other than giving you service kits when you order, we also provide first service completely for free. So there is some additional benefit as well.

 

[vjb.knife]

Since you have eliminated several of the top brands by limiting the price then Atomic would be my favorite since all of their regulators are essentially the same except for materials. I also dive Poseidon but I don't think they can be bought for under $600 new. At work I dive a Scubapro Mk11 with an S600 second on their full face mask and it has been working out well for me. In 48 years of diving both recreationally and professionally I have used many brands of equipment but Poseidon and Scubapro have always been favorites and also the recent addition of Atomic Aquatics.

 

[W W Meixner]

@ Warren: With your experience, you make some interesting comments which make sense, while others don’t. You state the poll and associated comments on “top tier” is being confused with “most expensive.” Are you possibly only referring to some of the submitted postings, not the poll?

The poll and this thread were intended to identify the “top tier” brands (3) who make the best regulators selling for $600 or less, with “best” being defined by the following, which is much broader than just performance.

“In voting, please give fair consideration to the brands (1) Performance (new & cared-for used), (2) Comfort, (3) Ruggedness, (4) Cost (purchase & maintenance), and (5) Brand warranty & customer service.

If by chance you misunderstood the intended scope of the poll and this thread, I’d love to hear your related opinions and comments since you have extensive experience.

Hey Doc...

I think I have to refer back to my original thread...it's like asking...who makes the best small car for under $30,000...based on performance...comfort...ruggedness...cost (purchase and maintenance)...and brand warranty and customer service...

The answer is as broad as it is wide...is an entry level Mercedes or BMW any better than a comparable Toyota or Nissan...

Based on your five point considerations...is ScubaPro any better than Deep Six...not for my money...

I've always personally felt that when servicing regulators...whether it's 1st stages or second stages...fewer parts is always better than more parts...and being able to use standard tools is always better than having to use brand specific specialty tools...

A Poseidon Jet-Stream second stage has only a few parts...and only a few service parts...some ''other'' second stage regs...including service parts have upwards to 50 pieces...just plain silly...

Take the service courses...become self reliant...you'll discover very quickly the real meaning of ''Top Tier''...

Dive Safe...Warren