Regulator help?

[goodformeto]

I purchased a set of mares proton 12 regs at the local sport chalet grand opening for really cheap at about a year and a half ago, then when a LDS was going out of business recently they had a few 2nd stages for cheap so I picked up a Magnum and Brut by sherwood thinking I'd just put them on the mares and use the better one for a primary and the other for an octo. Now, it looks like people don't like balanced regs like the proton and the magnum and the proton for octo's, and the Brut is not good for cold water (is CA considered cold water?). I already had them put on so I have one sherwood on each mares proton 1st stage and a proton 2nd on each set up. Will this work or did I waste a lot of money? I haven't tested them but was hoping to get to go diving with the wife towards the end of the month. Any info before I waste the money on a trip to the coast would be helpful. Thanks.

 

[Isaac-1]

As a general rule, any brand of modern second stage regulator will work with any brand of 1st stages, although when you mix and match like this you are slightly more likely to need to have the regulators tuned. Is CA cold water, I guess it depends on when and where you dive, I have only been to CA once, and that was for only about 30 minutes. For some reason it seems in the last few years it seems the definition of cold water has went from near freezing up to 45 or so degrees, and with it the paranoia over good/bad cold water regualtors. So use your own judgement, but don't pay too much attention to all these people that say you must to do it this way or that.