Regulator Durability

[chrpai]

FWIW, that $50 quote is going to be more like $100 plus shipping. Parts are extra and Hog dealers sell them for about $20 for the first stage and $15 each second stage.

Unless someone is excessively OCD, regs are bound to take some abuse. I set my rig in the sand at Lake Travis one day and some boats came by making wake. Sure enough I got all kinds of nasty sludge inside my seconds. No worries though because the Hog 2nd stage design makes it a breeze to break down in the water and put back together.

Although a less experienced diver did look at me in horror as if he had never seen the inside of a reg before.

Personally I carry an IP gauge and follow the inspection protocol found on this board. My first service won't be until my rig actually has a problem. That could be tomorrow or that could be 5 years from now. At that point I might service it or I might just buy new.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Little knicks and scratches give a reg character. My first reg was a Sherwood Brut that had been used as a rental. It looked like it had been on many expedition dives rather than just in the pool and local quarry! But that did not affect how it performed at all. New divers will find that something as simple as carrying your reg in a reg bag may allow it to get some small scratches from the first and seconds rubbing together. Short of putting a foam cozy on every component it's going to happen.

That does not mean you can just toss them around though. Dropping it from say three or four feet on to a hard surface could crack a case. Might not. But if you wouldn't want it to happen to your cell phone for example you wouldn't want to do it to your reg. Except take it under water. Reg ok for that, cell phone no.

My original set of HOG regs have some knicks and scratches. Over four years now and using them in salt, fresh, wrecks, under the ice, zero vis silty environments, and since I have one big bin for regs now that actually protects them better than a bag for local stuff, they have some character.

One of my old oceanic seconds looks like it had fine sandpaper taken to it. The ring is aluminum. I work in a metal shop and know how easy it is to scratch that with no real damage. But a couple hundred hours in the pool and three years of diving will do that.

I still take care with my regs. I do not abuse them. But I also do not expect them to stay pristine. Unless they don't get used. And that is not going to happen.

Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk

 

[CamG]

Regs are not different than our bodies, if you abuse them or use them hard they wear out!
Love the comment by Jim, so true "character" they tell the story of where and how we dive.
You can treat them like precious heirlooms or use them like a wheelbarrow either way they will remain useful as long as they are maintained.
I have a variety of Oceamic, Hollis, Apex, Atomic all work well and I care for them with a tick of OCD.

If I am going in an overhead environment all my gear gets scrutinized twice as much just my practice.
I am a bit less anal about OW but still pretty careful about regs.
I do not use any of my gear careless or rough.
It gets enough abuse on my dives or training for them!

CamG Keep Diving....Keep Training....Keep Learning!

 

[Tigerman]

Little knicks and scratches give a reg character.
...
That does not mean you can just toss them around though. Dropping it from say three or four feet on to a hard surface could crack a case. Might not. But if you wouldn't want it to happen to your cell phone for example you wouldn't want to do it to your reg. Except take it under water. Reg ok for that, cell phone no.

I like gear looking like its used, but cared for.
And thanks for explaining why my cellphones keep dying btw

...
I still take care with my regs. I do not abuse them. But I also do not expect them to stay pristine. Unless they don't get used. And that is not going to happen.

That will be the day I no longer have a need to breathe..

 

[Slamfire]

I think about it in a purely functional way. I just don't get burdened by aesthetics. In other words I do not mind the nicks and scratches that are inevitable with everyday use. Like jim said, they add character and tell a story.

If you manage to avoid crushings and other out of the ordinary destructive incidents, regulators should last a lifetime with proper care and easy maintenance. I literally do have my grandfather's regulators and I am currently thinking of restoring that old double hose to active duty.

In my opinion, optimal regulator design was nailed down a long time ago. In other words any new "innovations" are not going to add any relevant functional benefits. If you look at hogs, their design is very similar to other well known players in the market. They differentiate themselves through their high value for a low price and through their avoidance of treating customers as idiots that are not worthy of servicing their own regs.

 

[Paladin]

I have a 1959 Aqua-Lung DA Aquamaster that I still dive with. I'll let you know if it ever wears out. My other regs (Conshelfs and Aquarius) were mostly made in the 1970s and still work like new.

 

[diversteve]

FWIW, that $50 quote is going to be more like $100 plus shipping.

Moot point since the OP has to get them somewhere. I doubt Jim gives parts away for free either when he does the service. Not to put to fine a point on it but I did post: $50 service fee - not service, parts, shipping fee.

And we're in AZ and ST is in Texas so I'd assume shipping would be extra - unless you buy $100 worth of gear at the same time - then it's free.

Being "very new to diving" the OP doesn't likely have the technical cert to take the Hog Repair class yet either.

Speaking for myself I don't care to either. So when I get my Hogs they'll be serviced somewhere out of this area. Likely Tech Diving Ltd. since they're technically my dealer - 1 day driving distance anyway.