Regulator for Completely Green Beginner

[doctormike]

Just about to take my OW course to certify before a trip to Cozumel. One piece of equipment that I'd really like to own and not rent is my own regulator.

I really am JUST starting to look at these. Been looking at Oceanic, Scuba Pro, and Atomic. Really pretty interested in the Atomic for the 2 year service intervals.

I will primarily be diving warm water, and mostly on trips to Mexico. I'm willing to spend up to $550 if I need to.... this is one item I want to make sure is quality.

What brands should I be looking at? Any specific models?

1) I wouldn't buy any regulator until you have done your course. Some people decide that they don't like diving in the process of their open water training. Obviously, I don't know you, but that's a common consideration. Also, you will have a better idea of what to look for in a regulator once you have done your training.

2) How often do you plan to dive? If it's not very frequently, you might be better off renting a regulator for now. Remember, you have the ongoing cost of service.

3) Virtually any new regulator from a well known company will be fine for your purposes. Assuming that you are not going diving in very cold water, I doubt that you will notice much difference between regulators in the standard range of prices.

4) A dive computer and a BC have a lot more variables, and in my opinion a new diver would benefit from standardizing on those pieces of equipment and learning their specifics early (when compared to a regulator). All regulators are essentially the same, but you have a lot of options with a BC or a computer that you could consider (another discussion, but something that you might not have thought of.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

I would not buy a regulator now. If you want to buy your own gear, a BC is more personal than a regulator and you probably want to buy your own wetsuit and gear bag and flashlight and.. it gets expensive..

 

[Scuba Legends]

Hy Jaeger,

First of all Congratulations on becoming Open Water Diver. Welcome to our crazy family!!

I would like to say that as you can see, about gear there is as many opinions as divers, and all of them correct.

One thing you have to consider is how often you plan to dive and if it is worth of it.

Me personally i believe that if what makes you feel more comfortable underwater is your own regulator, then go for it.

About BCs i would say wait untill you try some different ones.

Me personally, I don't know if you did that allready, I recommend you to get your own mask.

In my job i've seen many divers that couldn't enjoy the dive because of the mask. I've not seen any that couldn't enjoy because of the regulator.

Maybe next step after mask would be fins, i've seen so many Dive Centers renting crappy fins...

And maybe another option after the fins would be a Dive Computer.

But this is my point of view and as mentioned, there are many about this topic.

I wish you a lot of fun in Cozumel, you'll love it.

Check this link to see what awaits you and some tips:

Top Diving Destinations: Riviera Maya

Happy Bubbles

Gery #scubalegends

http://www.facebook.com/scubalegends

Http://www.scubalegends.wordpress.com

 

[KevinNM]

Lots of options. One to consider is that most scuba shops turn over their rental fleet fairly often and sell the 1-2 year old regs at a pretty good discount fully serviced.

 

[taguja]

Hi,

Good thing you ask before you buy.

I totally agree with some earlier posts. Get your own basic gear. Mask, find, boots, gloves.
Also what you wear, this is your second skin.

Before I would buy any items like regulators, dive computers, BC ... I would rent and dive different models and types so you can see and personally experience what you like.

Just because one item works for me doesn't mean you will be happy.

Keep an eye on the costs. It get expensive pretty quick and if you don't dive regularly and use the gear it is not worth it to buy.

You rather get your experience and see if you like diving, what you like to dive, and where you like diving.

Before I would empty my bank account for gear I would use the money to go diving and learning this amazing sport.

Same with courses, stick to the basics. OWD, AOWD, something like maybe Rescue or similar. Diving skills come with experience. Just having a cert doesn't mean you are good at it.

Now, my personal choice is Apeks.
To keep it cheap and reliable I would use a DST, TX50, and TX40.
From there on you can always expand. Plus maintenance is easy and cheap. I even service my own Apeks regulators - some do, many do not do that. That is a personal decision.

One good thing is that you are watching your cash. Not everything that is expensive and fancy will be needed.

Happy Diving

 

[jonhall]

Agree with posts above. There's no one correct way.

I felt the first gear I wanted, other than mask, fin, snorkel, was a wetsuit that fit my 6'4" frame (and one for my wife at 5'2".) I rented everything else for 2 years before deciding to purchase everything else (went in a completely different direction and purchased lightweight traveling gear) which included an Aqualung Mikron Regulator.

Check, as it sounds you have, each manufacturer's warranty. Aqualung, Scubapro, etc..., have lifetime warranties as long as you follow the service schedule set forth by each company, such as inspection one year, overhaul the next, repeat. Aqualung offers free parts for life (for my model), which are the kits used to rebuild the 1st and 2nd stage on the overhaul years.

Buy from a reputable dealer and ask if they provide the service for your gear or if they have to send it off for repair. There will be a big difference in price and wait time. From my experience, the dive store I purchased from, inspected my reg the first two years. No idea if he, in turn, kept a record. I let a year go by without the inspection and then the store closed. Basically 2 ½-3 years passed before taking it to one of the other 2 dive stores in town. One would have had to send it out and the other did the work in store. Since I waited so long and had no documentation of service (be sure you do keep documentation), mine is out of warranty - lesson learned - I am back on a service schedule though. BTW, both stages had sand, salt, and some corrosion in them; had both stages rebuilt.

How many ports do you want in the 1st stage? Once I went to a console air integrated computer, I thought I might want to keep my analog gauges also (for comparison) but I only have 1 HP port. That's okay though, for me, as I want to travel as light as possible.

Congrats on OW diver completion. Have fun diving!

 

[Slow]

I'm a total novice too but am under the impression that Kermit doesn't need a regulator....

Now that I've contributed that uselessness, I'll shut up now. ((I did buy Deep6 recently FWIW))

 

[halocline]

I really am JUST starting to look at these. Been looking at Oceanic, Scuba Pro, and Atomic. Really pretty interested in the Atomic for the 2 year service intervals.

As others have said, don't buy anything yet. Regarding the service intervals, if you are a vacation diver doing less than around 50 dives/year, and you take good care of your regulator, rebuilding it every two years is a waste of money and time. Every year is borderline nuts. The manufacturers are really pulling a fast one with those policies.

As an example, a friend of mine learned to dive about 10 years ago, she takes a few dive vacations per year. After she finished her class she bought a used MK20/G250 which I serviced for her. We're still waiting for it to show signs of needing service again. She takes good care of it.

I have several regulators I bought used, serviced, and have used periodically for about that long. Others seem to get more use and as such I'll work on them more frequently, like maybe every 4 years.

The brand/model doesn't really matter, but it is nice to have something for which it is easy to find parts. If I were starting over I might go the hog route because they actually sell parts to the end user, and you are not tied to any dumb service requirement.

 

[kelemvor]

Ah you need a green regulator then ?

I bought a green regulator. They charged me extra and told me it could only be used at 20' or less.

 

[buddhasummer]

As others have said, don't buy anything yet. Regarding the service intervals, if you are a vacation diver doing less than around 50 dives/year, and you take good care of your regulator, rebuilding it every two years is a waste of money and time. Every year is borderline nuts. The manufacturers are really pulling a fast one with those policies.

As an example, a friend of mine learned to dive about 10 years ago, she takes a few dive vacations per year. After she finished her class she bought a used MK20/G250 which I serviced for her. We're still waiting for it to show signs of needing service again. She takes good care of it.

I have several regulators I bought used, serviced, and have used periodically for about that long. Others seem to get more use and as such I'll work on them more frequently, like maybe every 4 years.

The brand/model doesn't really matter, but it is nice to have something for which it is easy to find parts. If I were starting over I might go the hog route because they actually sell parts to the end user, and you are not tied to any dumb service requirement.

Yes, but they are no where as pretty as a109/156...