wsugoalie:
Okay, I know there have been hundreds (if not more) of postings regarding regulators and opinions about them. I just recently became open water certified and my fiance and I are looking to buy the gear. In class, I used a Dacor Eagle regulator which was sort of heavy. My fiance used a Sherwood Brut (which he liked, but I didn't).
Anyways, we have some choices of regs included in some "student packages" being offered by the dive store. We want the regs to be suitable for cold water conditions since we live in Michigan; however, we will also be doing warm water diving. I'm looking for a reg with good breathability, lightweight, and suitable for cold waters. I'm not sure if an environmentally sealed 1st stage is necessary or not.
Here is the list the LDS gave us in the student packages. Any opinions on these particular regs would be of great help!
Thanks in advance!! :dazzler1:
1) Poseidon Odin Regulator
2) Mares Proton Ice
3) Dacor Eagle Pro DPD Regulator
4) Sherwood Blizzard
5) Mares MR12 Proton
Lets start with saying that most of the mid range and above regs of the bigger companies are good nowdays.
From the the brands you've named, I'm using the Poseidon(Jetstream/Odin) and a Mares(MR22/Abyss).
The Poseidon Jetstream is an older design reg but will still outperform many other regs esp. in depth. It gives you plenty of air but you have to suck a little harder to get it. If compared to a car, I like to compare it to a Volvo. Big, clumsy but very reliable.
The replacement (Xstream) is a great reg but expensive and difficult to find someone to service them. If your LDS would service it, it would be a great choice.
Mares makes very good regs. All are solid and good performers. They get better as you get more upscale. The Proton Ice is the replacement of the Abyss and should be an excellent performer as well. I haven't tried it myself so I can't confirm it. The MR12 Proton is a good, solid midrange reg and wouldn't be my first choice in cold water. I think that now that the Mares Abyss is being discontinued, you could find one for a very decent price. They are fairly heavy though.
Many dislike Mares because they make things like the HUB and that they discontinued service for the Dacor regs made before they bought the company. It doesn't change the fact that they make excellent regs. And if you'll decide to go with Dacor, you should be fine too if you'll get yourself one of their newer regs. They will continue to support the company. They would be stupid not to do so after paying the money for it.
As for Shrewood, I don't know to much about them.
That said, I have to tell you that before I bought my regs, I tested all the regs that I was considering (Apeks, Aqualung, Poseidon, Scubapro, Beuchat and Mares). Apperantly, I wasn't so impressed with the Apeks(TX100) as other on this board because after trying it, I went and bought me the Mares and never regreted it. Dove it in warm and cold(Nova Scotia in January) water and it breathes the same regardless how deep or how cold and you'll find someone to service it regardless where in the world. I am not saying that the Apeks is a bad reg. It is excellent but not as good as many here are trying to make us believe. They are very fashionable though esp. among the followers of a certain dive philosophy and the ones that would like to be like the followers.
Don't you know that everyones reg is the best?
As I said, I tested the regs I wanted and I would recommend doing it too. The regs deliver air in a different mannor and you may prefer a certain one.
It is smart to buy a reg that you could service locally or choose a brand that is very popular. It would be difficult to service certain brands abroad if something goes wrong on vacation. I would recommend sticking to the bigger brands:Mares, Aqualung, Apeks(belongs to Aqualung), and I would have recommended Scubapro if not for the cold water (Eventhough some of their diaphragm first stages aren't that bad in cold water)
Have you considered buying online? With two sets of gear, it could make a huge difference.
