Regulator choice?

[Flipper Tim]

Hi Divers!

I'm not only new to this board but also to diving in general really & I have a question on regs. I'm looking to buy my first brand new set & I was wondering if there is any real fundamental difference between the different makes or is it just a case of personal preference, like cars.

I'm thinking of getting Mares Proton Ice with V32 first stage & Proton Octopus. (U.K diving can be cold (4C is the coldest so far), I also want to prevent 'cotton mouth'.)

 

[shellbackdiver1]

My first OW instructor uses just about anything you can throw at him and will never complain. He cant tell the difference between a Atomic T2, Scubapro MK25, Apex 200 or the cheapest made regulator. He has this feeling with all of his dive equipment with exception to the hood....he likes holes in it where the ears are. We have debated this discussion many times and I cant win.

My preference is that I wanted to get one the best, most reliable and comfortable reg that I could afford. So to answer your question I think its personal perference.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

It's hard to go wrong with a quality reg from a good company. You do want to be sure though that what ever you buy can be serviced and warrantied locally.

The only people I have seen who have made a serious "mistake" in buying a reg are those people who buy a reg online and then need or want to come into the local dive shop for warranty or service work on the reg. Often it's a reg that the LDS is not a dealer for and/or it's a grey market reg that does not qualify for the same level of warranty support. Those people usually end up being very unhappy with their purchase.

As for Mares, I have not been impressed with the company or the parts support, at least from a small landlocked LDS point of view. I was also not impressed with Mare's treatment of Dacor and Dacor customers with the discontinuation of parts support for relatively new but out of production regulators. The cynic in me sees the potential for them to do essentially the same thing again with their regulators, severely limiting their useful life. I personally would not buy a Mares reg, but your luck with them may be better.

I like both Scubapro and Aqualung due to their history of producing quality regulators and supporting them for decades after they go out of production. I suspect Aqualung will treat Apeks regs the same way so I'd consider them as well.

 

[djanni]

I would not buy the low end of any manufacturers line. Probably couldn't defend that logic but I would not.

Doesn't mean you should buy an Atomic T2 either but they sure do look good.

 

[TimAZ]

I dive an Atomic and love it, but if starting over I'd lean towards Aqua Lung. Everyone and their dog has parts, so you should be able to get service just about anyplace with a dive shop and they have "flippable" low pressure seats for a quick fix in the event of a minor 2nd stage leak on the boat. Scubapro is just as easy to obtain parts for, but I've found field maintenance can be a bit of a pain.

 

[cerich]

I dive an Atomic and love it, but if starting over I'd lean towards Aqua Lung. Everyone and their dog has parts, so you should be able to get service just about anyplace with a dive shop and they have "flippable" low pressure seats for a quick fix in the event of a minor 2nd stage leak on the boat. Scubapro is just as easy to obtain parts for, but I've found field maintenance can be a bit of a pain.

Vey few of the current AL products have a flippable seat. BTW that will fix less tha 10% of freeflow problems.

Best,

Chris

 

[TimAZ]

Vey few of the current AL products have a flippable seat. BTW that will fix less tha 10% of freeflow problems.

Best,

Chris

Thats what I get for not doing my homework.
(Worked though both times I had to try it - Lucky I guess)

 

[plwtwo]

I use Atomic Regs, I have a T1 and B2 for pool use. I've tryed the MARES, OCEANIC, AquaLung and some ScubaPro regs....if I had to use something other than my Atomic's I'd quit diving. Just my $.02

 

[Hzracing]

Vey few of the current AL products have a flippable seat. BTW that will fix less tha 10% of freeflow problems.

Best,

Chris

The only current Aqualung 2nd stage seat that cannot be flipped is the LX 2nd stage

The manufacture does frown upon "seat flipping" but it does work.

Most freeflow 2nd stages are caused by a 1st stage hp seat failure


To the OP, Most Manufatures have a quality regulator, I would stay away from any reg that you cannot get serviced by your LDS, your local LDS should also be able to recommend a good regulator for the type of diving you will be doing

My reg recommends

high end - Atomic B2
Middle end - Aqualung Titan LX
Low end - Aqulaung Titan

Mares is good reg, but the company has been having parts supply problems, bad for the customer.

 

[WarmGoingCold]

Are there any out there that breath easily at depth with no adjustements? I am on a Dacor Viper metal right now and I love it because it breaths easily whether I am at 10 feet or 90 feet.