Reg Maintenance by unauthorized dealer?

[Driznik]

I'm in the middle of choosing a reg and bcd, and one of the criteria I'm looking at is how easy it is to get serviced in the places I am planning on going. The logic being, that if I need to get it serviced, how easy is it going to be?

I'm leaning toward either higher end Mares and Sherwood gear and it appears that they're both strong in different parts of the world.

At home (Canada), in the Bahamas, Costa Rica and Belize there are more Sherwood than Mares dealers. In Australia there seem to be more Mares than Sherwood.

Does this criteria make sense?

If I do go with one, then go somewhere that my particular brand isn't serviced and something goes wrong, how bad is it to get it serviced by somebody who isn't certified by that brand? Clearly warranty = voided, but really are regs and bcds that different?

Thanks. All the discussion I'm finding in the boards here is helping a lot.

 

[jonnythan]

If they're not a dealer in that brand, it may be difficult/impossible to get them to service it due to lack of spare parts.

I'd bet that it would be easy to find a dealer for either Sherwood or Mares in most places, but I don't know..

 

[Mike Nebel]

If a shop is not a dealer of a brand, most manufacturers will not sell them parts. Sometimes a reg or BCD just needs cleaned, but even then, there are small parts that the manufacturer recommends replacing.

 

[aquaoren]

If serviceability in most places on the world is your criteria for making a decision, than Mares would be the better choice than Sherwood. Other good choices would beAqua Lung and Scubapro. These 3 names are the global player that you could service almost everywhere.

 

[rescuediver009]

I won't try changing your mind on your brands as they are both very widespread. Of course you will not find one that is covered everywhere, but the thing is that rarely do you need full service for a reg when in a strange place. More often than not, it is just a matter of changing an o-ring or tweaking a screw. Nothing to drastic.