Reg Servicing, buy local, buy online?

[naldiver]

Hello all, I have a question about a new reg purchase. I am getting my first set of gear and looking @ an AquaLung Titan. I live inland and don't have any real reason to be overly loyal to my LDS, other than servicing options.

They charge 120 to service a reg not purchased from them. If I purchase the reg from them, service is 60 a year, with year 1 being a service, 2 being a complete rebuild. As long as I stay up on service, parts are 100% covered. Is this a good deal, average, or ripoff? I could learn to service the reg myself, but then I would have to cover parts.

Just curious what some of the more experienced folks thought.

Thanks.

 

[Paladin]

I am sure to get flak over this, but have you considered doing your own servicing? The Titan evolved from the Conshelf line and uses the same service kit. It isn't at all complicated inside and is very easy to service. The service manuals can be found here:

Titan 1st Stage Service Manual - Page %CURPAGENUM% of %LASTPAGENUM%

The parts kits can be found online. Vintage Double Hose sells service kits for the Conshelf/Titan. The price for the parts is about $30.

I have been servicing my Conshelfs for years. It isn't rocket science. It's really pretty easy.

As for having your regs serviced by a shop, I would send them off to Scuba Toys if I wasn't going to do it myself. Good service and decent rates.

Good luck!

 

[divingpyrate]

I prefer local, but that all depends on the shop. We are lucky to have scubatoys in Dallas. Those guys are great they are doing our regs right now

Sent from my A500 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Actually for a reg not covered under "free parts" which in reality are not. You pay for them on the front end. And miss a service and you'll have to pay for parts to get back in. But in reality 120 with parts is about average. At least in my area. I charge by the hour plus parts and with shipping since much of my business is people sending me their regs it works out to about 110 for a full rebuild of the 1st, both seconds, and the service of the SPG. That's for a HOG or Edge reg set. But that's every two years. There's a recommended annual inspection that I do for 35 bucks plus return shipping.

If you don't buy the reg from them you get hosed on the rebuild if done every year. Which most regs do not need. Annual service is needed mostly on regs that see a lot of use or are not well cared for by the owner. Regs used in saltwater tend to need a bit more attention.

You can learn to service your own but depending on where you are and who you know, getting parts could be an issue. Unless you buy a reg from a mfg whose dealers are allowed to sell you parts.

 

[diversteve]

I'm pretty sure with Aqualung you'll need to be a licensed dealer to obtain parts. Also, they control prices pretty tightly thru their dealer network. If you've found a much better deal on a Titan elsewhere it's probably not being sold by a licensed dealer. Which at least puts you into the $120/yr. cost and maybe your dealer will refuse to service it entirely as it's a "grey" market product and may not be able to be registered in their warranty system - IDK.

So if you go with an Aqualung product, it might be worth it to buy from your local dealer. Even if the cost differential is substantial, at $60/yr difference you'll get most of that back in a few years. Otoh, Scubatoys in Dallas charges $50 + parts to service most regs. IDK if Aqualung is a brand they work on - they don't sell Aqualung currently. Scuba Regulator Repair - Scuba Annual Service

Other brands may vary. HOG/Edge is one product line that encourages self-service once you've taken their service class. You'll also need a technical diving certificate to do so. If of interest, contact ^Jim^ - he can set you up.

I dive Atomics. Local service on them is $60 - I bought thru my LDS locally as there's at most a 10% discount available - parts are free also.

 

[naldiver]

I have considered servicing myself, but not sure I am comfortable with that right away, so I would actually rather not until a few years down the road at least. I am rather limited by my local options @ the LDS. I don't have anything against AL, but wouldn't be opposed to some other reg either. I am just trying to find the best balance of functionality from the reg and cost (up front and servicing).

Thanks all for the input.

 

[Scubagolf]

If you don't have current "loyalty" to an LDS, I suggest buying from Scubatoys. They will treat you like a local customer and the annual servicing "service" is great. I purchased my and my wife's first reg sets from ST and shipped them from Cal for annual servicing.

 

[chillyinCanada]

I see your profile says you have less than 24 dives. How positive are you that you will continue to dive on a regular basis? I'm an advocate for having your own gear, especially regs and BCD, but hesitate to recommend a purchase this early in the game. Something like 90% of newly certified divers don't become regular divers, some of them never dive again after certification regardless of initial intentions. Give that some consideration before making reg selections and/or purchase.

Why wouldn't you have any loyalty to your lds? Perhaps it is different down there, but up here, my lds treats me marvelously and regularly gives me great advice.

 

[naldiver]

I see your profile says you have less than 24 dives. How positive are you that you will continue to dive on a regular basis? I'm an advocate for having your own gear, especially regs and BCD, but hesitate to recommend a purchase this early in the game. Something like 90% of newly certified divers don't become regular divers, some of them never dive again after certification regardless of initial intentions. Give that some consideration before making reg selections and/or purchase.

Why wouldn't you have any loyalty to your lds? Perhaps it is different down there, but up here, my lds treats me marvelously and regularly gives me great advice.

pretty sure. I travel along the coasts and to Hawaii multiple times a year and get weekend time on all trips. Based off of travel scheduled this year alone (that I know about so far), I should get 3 days diving in hawaii, 3 in the keys and a few in the northern gulf (yearly fam vacations). If all works out, I will get another Hawaii trip as well at the end of they year for another 3 days there.

I guess I could have loyalty in the future to my LDS, but have none as of now due to being new to diving and my travel schedule. I travel so much, I couldn't find the time to cert @ home, so I did in Hawaii. Finally, with a selection of just AL, not sure if I should pigeon hole myself in that corner or not...

 

[theduckguru]

Your LDS is saying if we inspect a reg in year 1 of the warranty, the cost is $60. When we service a reg with free parts in year 2, the cost is $60. Does that make sense?

A parts kit for the reg is $50 if you had to buy one.

If I lived in a warm climate near the ocean where I could dive a lot, an annual service / free parts
warranty might appeal to me. Living inland and being lucky to get in a couple of dive trips a year, the free parts deal is not appealing. If for some reason I don't dive for a year, I have to pay for service, even if the reg doesn't need it, just to maintain a free parts warranty.

Also, if you look on ebay, you will find plenty of Titans for sale because they have don't have much demand used. Consider patiently shopping a used Legend.