Ranking of Regulators

[Dragon2115]

I have an easier ranking system...

Mine is the best, everybody else's is a distant second. :1poke:

 

[Snowbear]

I have found that regularly rinsing after use keeps the rankness out of my regulators :11:

I noticed you correctly put my regulator of choice at the top of the top of the line list

 

[aquaoren]

hmmm... the real world intrudes

Yes, indeed.

 

[uberspeed]

I can weigh in on the Aeris. I'd have to agree, middle to upper middle of the pack. My Atmos Pro breathes awesome, I cannot weigh in on serviceability, the inner workings, etc. so someone else (with more experience: especially servicing regs) may weigh in on that aspect of them (design, engineering, materials employed, etc.). Due to their relative "newness" and that they have a 2 year warranty and not lifetime like some other regs then I also think this firmly plants them in the category you have them in. All that being said I would say it breathed smoother to me than a MK25SA/S600 that I have tried and it certainly came in at a lower price point to boot. Also, I like the fact that Aeris as a company is aware that shunning online sales is just shooting yourself in the foot, IMHO.

 

[TostitoBandito]

I think the problem will be that each manufacturer makes a range of products, so listing their desireability solely by manufacturer is someone problematic. There are very few manufacturers who make only regs in one class. The entire line of current Apeks and Atomics seem to be in the top class..., but that seems an anomoly.

Zeagle is the same way for the mostpart. Only maybe their cheapest reg might fall into middle of the pack but the rest are high-end.

 

[Poseidon8118]

Good try but they need to be ranked by model not by company, i.e. Mares has some of the best WOB regulators out there, so has Aqua-Lung, etc. They also need to be ranked in two or three individual categories, i.e. cold water, tech, recreational-warm water, etc. I wish it was that simple as first stated in your original post...but its not.


You have to also weigh the fact that Apeks, AquaLung, US Divers, and Seaquest are the same company (AquaLung Group), and the same goes for Genesis, and Sherwood (Sherwood Group). Ah the heck with it....

 

[WarmWaterDiver]

XS Scuba now owns the rights to what used to be IDI, as I understand things.

http://www.onlinescuba.com/eshop/10Expand.asp?ProductCode=4030

http://www.onlinescuba.com/eshop/10Expand.asp?ProductCode=4545A

I agree with the last poster - to heck with it. This is set up too subjectively, as the manufacturers' generally make specific models for low, middle, and higher priced target markets. I know H2Andy, who started the thread, has posted about how much he loves his Sea Elite reg which he says is the same as the Dive Rite reg with a different label (and to me, the Scubamax balanced diaphragm reg looks really similar ..., and someone else mentioned IST ...) How about it H2Andy? Do these look similar to your Sea Elite rig?

http://www.escubamax.com/.sc/ms/bdd/1114034727553182/9/nc/ee/242/DIAPHRAGM%20BALANCE

http://www.onlinescuba.com/eshop/10Expand.asp?ProductCode=4652

http://www.onlinescuba.com/eshop/10Expand.asp?ProductCode=4056

It is interesting the person who ranked Dive Rite higher than Scubapro maybe hasn't seen the latest simulator scores - for those who believe in things like science, that is.

But, the observation that just about all will work well within typical rec scuba depths is probably pretty much on the money. Then it comes down to personal preferences - like is the Lamborghini really better than the Ferrari, etc.

 

[lord1234]

I saw a brand on ebay yesterday that isn't listed....Pro-Sub.

 

[Vie]

Another new(ish) brand is Dynamo.

http://www.dynamodiving.com/

My LDS tells me that Dynamo have some kind of a relationship with Atomic Aquatics (something about Dynamo being the manufacturer for Atomic regs) but I have no idea whether there is some truth to this or if it is just a rumour/BS. Dynamo and Atomic first stages are remarkably similar looking...

 

[Restart]

I like my Apeks :07:

Cheers.