Reg info - 1st purchase

[Amadeus023]

Hola Tejas - congratulations on your recent certification and welcome to SB! I am a newly certified diver as well. I used SB to research things when I was deciding upon what equipment to buy (see my dive profile link for my gear). I found the people at ScubaToys (see my online DS link) very helpful. I have worked with primarily Greg & Joe and they helped me out a lot. Hands down they are extremely competitive in their pricing. Best of all - they are located in Tejas!

 

[Web Monkey]

The Atomic Z1 (Z2 by now?) is an excellent reg for a reasonable price.

I've seen them for around $300. Even if it's more than you want to spend, you should save up and do it anyway. A reg is one of the things you don't want to go cheap on.

Terry

Hello,

Any opinions for my first regulator purchase would be greatly appreciated!

I have just recently received my open water C-card, I would like to purchase a Reg and computer. I will be doing all warm water diving. I would like a reg that will be very comfortable to use, but will not blow my budget!

Everyone says Atomic, ( and my dive shop raves also !), but that is alot more that I want to spend.

Thanks!

 

[*Floater*]

Hello,

Any opinions for my first regulator purchase would be greatly appreciated!

I have just recently received my open water C-card, I would like to purchase a Reg and computer. I will be doing all warm water diving. I would like a reg that will be very comfortable to use, but will not blow my budget!

Everyone says Atomic, ( and my dive shop raves also !), but that is alot more that I want to spend.

Thanks!

I use Dive-Rites and they've worked very well for me so far, even though they seem to be considered second tier regs. I've used Apeks regs too and couldn't tell a difference. There are plenty of good regulators out there but make sure you can get it serviced locally and easily (check the cost of service) unless you plan to serivce it yourself. Decide whether you want DIN or yoke (I use DIN with DIN-to-Yoke adapters when necessary) and also what length hoses you want.

For example, if you plan to go with the 7ft longhose and 22" or 24" short hose setup, then it's often cheaper to request these hose lengths with the reg rather than buying it with the standard length hoses and then buying custom length ones separately later on. In fact, some manufacturers or shops llet you what hose lengths you want at no extra charge. For the SPG you might also want a shorter than standard hose (I use 24" HP hoses).

 

[Stu S.]

Welcome to diving. I have a budget to dive on myself. The bad gear left the scene years ago. All dive equipment is now either "good" or "deluxe". The Oceanic Alpha 7 and 8 are rated to the Navy Spec at 198 feet. I haven't been quite that deep with them, but they seem able. I got one for my kid, too. There is also an oceanic octo that is a great low-priced item. Shop on line for these and you will save.

I've been using the Cressi computer from Leisure Pro. It has the same insides as the Dive Rite and Tusa units, it is just priced lower. My dive pals say it looks good to them. It is somewhere "in the middle" on Nitrogen loading, compared with the rest.

Dive equipment is a seasonal business. This is now the off season, so deals can be found. Happy shopping! Happy Diving!

 

[Wilson]

You can't go wrong with the Scubapro Mark 11 or Zeagle Envoy. You may want to check out Cressi as well if your head isn't already to full of information on regs. The three, besides bang for the buck, also have parts for life if you maintain annual servicing. Scuba Toys has all the above, although you will have to call them on Scubapro items. Good luck!