Regulator service - Do you get what you pay for?

[Centrals]

@Lucia
1. That was for one full set or two?
$(137 + 34 + 29 + 29)= $229!!!!! Pretty steep for 1 set.
2. Have you talked about it with your husband on DIY.
3. Regulator does not need to be serviced every year.

 

[Lucia]

@Lucia
1. That was for one full set or two?
$(137 + 34 + 29 + 29)= $229!!!!! Pretty steep for 1 set.
2. Have you talked about it with your husband on DIY.
3. Regulator does not need to be serviced every year.

That was ONE set - so we paid double that for the 2 sets

 

[Centrals]

It is not rocket science but:
1. Availability of spare parts.
2. Special tool(?).
3. Final testing.
4. Confidence

As a tec diver I have several sets to take care so I learnt(not manufacturer approved course) it from a qualified technician. Rest is history.

Good luck.

 

[Lucia]

@Lucia
1. That was for one full set or two?
$(137 + 34 + 29 + 29)= $229!!!!! Pretty steep for 1 set.
2. Have you talked about it with your husband on DIY.
3. Regulator does not need to be serviced every year.

As to your second point - I have not yet talked to my husband but I’m devising my plan haha!

 

[rhwestfall]

Service is an interesting situation, and pricing is all over the place and is also geographically driven (which might be part of your situation being in a low volume area). While I don't know your regs specifically, way, way, way long ago, it was basically $25/stage (labor) + parts kits with no extra cleaning or effort needed. Now, I'd certainly think the labor rate has gone up since then, and looking at the number you posted, it is about $45/hour assuming an hour each stage for inspection, disassembly, basic cleaning, reassembly, and tuning.

Sadly, that is a sign of the times for keeping the lights on in a shop....

It is interesting that some folks are mentioning buying sets like Deep6 or HOG, diving them for 2-3 years until the require service, selling them at that point, and buying new again, and basically breaking even of what servicing would cost...

There is a reason for DIY. You aren't paying all their costs to keep the lights on...

 

[jlcnuke]

My husband and I have 7 year old Cressi regulators which are fairly basic - we’ve been very happy with them and have had no issues or problems. We just had them serviced at a dive shop in Kansas City. I asked the shop if they found any problems or concerns and was told no. We have a trip coming up in June and we’ll do a pool test before the trip. I found this thread after searching for info on service cost as it was higher than I expected:

$137 annual service
$34 first stage parts kit
$29 second stage parts kit
$29 octo parts kit
(plus $20 “labor” to change a battery on a computer)

After reading some of the info here, I am thinking of trying to talk my husband into servicing our stuff in the future . Primarily for the goal of being more confident that things are done thoroughly (I realize I really know nothing about the competency of whoever worked on our stuff and since we aren’t located anywhere near a coast, the options are limited). I would not feel comfortable giving this a try but he is a dentist (used to working on intricate small things with a variety of tools), he’s mechanically inclined, and he’s a perfectionist. But, he’d still have to take the time to learn and time is the one thing we are always short on. I also wonder if working on our own stuff would be hard since it would only occur once per year - I mean, would it need to be re-learned each time?

Is it feasible to learn how to do this from videos? I saw the regulator service technician training thread about upcoming seminars in May but I don’t think the scheduling would work for him - but watching videos on his own schedule seems more plausible. (EDIT - just realized the May seminar I was looking at was last year - oops!) Suggestions appreciated!

No, you're really not going to learn it properly from Youtube etc., you'll want to take a class to learn to service regs really (especially if you don't have experience with that type of equipment in the past). Now, here's the kicker, many regulator manufacturers won't let you take a class for their regs as a diver, they require you take it as an employee of a shop.... and they make it tough (to virtually impossible) to get parts if you aren't a service center.

Deep 6 and HOG, on the other hand, both offer consumers the ability to take their class and get parts from them directly. The classes are typically ~$250. You also need tools and some other misc stuff to service regulators properly which will run you upwards of ~$500 if you buy it all. After that, you don't have to pay labor ever again and you may even get parts kits cheaper than retail (sometimes even free).

 

[BoltSnap]

My husband and I have 7 year old Cressi regulators which are fairly basic - we’ve been very happy with them and have had no issues or problems. We just had them serviced at a dive shop in Kansas City. I asked the shop if they found any problems or concerns and was told no. We have a trip coming up in June and we’ll do a pool test before the trip. I found this thread after searching for info on service cost as it was higher than I expected:

$137 annual service
$34 first stage parts kit
$29 second stage parts kit
$29 octo parts kit
(plus $20 “labor” to change a battery on a computer)

You paid a total of $137 for labor to service your regulator once in 7 years and you are complaining? Your husband is a dentist, I am certain that his hourly rate in his practice far exceeds what you will be saving doing the service himself. He is much better off spending the service time cleaning his patients' teeth and paying a professional who does it full time to work on his equipment. I am certain that you spend what you are going to be saving, or at least you think you will be saving DIY regulator service, on a single meal dinning out and yo do it more frequently than the 2 - 3 years for your regulator.

You have to consider the following:
1. You only need to do the regulator service every 2 - 3 years, this means that if you're going to do it yourself for two regulators, you aren't going to keep your skill level up to remember the details and acquire the experience and knowledge doing something only once every 2 - 3 years. It just isn't worth it. 2 or 3 years later you aren't going to remember much.


2. The costs for setting up your workshop properly with the appropriate tools and the space to store the equipment doesn't justify the savings at all when you only own 2 regulators and only do it every 2 - 3 years.

3. The "peer pressure" that you see here on SB from people that advocate DIY regulator service is generally coming from people who are technical divers who own MANY sets of regulators and dive often enough that they do the service frequently enough with big enough volume that they may have financial justification for DIY regulator service but this isn't you at all.

4. The "propaganda" sold to the public from some equipment manufactures about their policies concerning DIY service is coming from vendors that aren't big enough to establish proper dealer and service network and compensate for their shortcomings by shifting the burden to the end user to reduce their costs for them to stay in business. They are essentially making a "defect" become a "feature" to help them promote their business despite their shortcomings.

5. You are going to have a difficult time sourcing service kits for most brands out there.

6. I'd really hate to be the husband that works on regulators for himself and his wife or daughter not having enough experience and continuous practice then doing something wrong on her regulator and be on the receiving end when she has an issue underwater and she let him know about it. Worse yet, God forbid something bad happens to this loved one (assuming that she is loved) underwater and she suffers an injury, the trauma for both people is going to last a very long time. DIY service on two or three regulators every 2 - 3 years is just not going to develop any real skills or "intuition" to do it properly.

My advice is to find a reliable trustworthy competent service center to work on your regulators and enjoy your time going out doing things together as a couple instead of DIY regulator service.

 

[Bigbella]

"Regulator service - Do you get what you pay for?"

I suppose that that is the fifty-thousand dollar question.

Ideally, yes; but the business of scuba has, for the most part, traveled a considerable distance from a dedicated sales and service model -- and have, logically followed the flow of cash, and have largely become glorified travel agencies. Years ago, as an example, we all just pitched in for gas, along with a late local shop, and went on a three hour ride in a psycho-killer panel van, to Mendocino, for a day of spear-fishing and abalone, and camped out. That was what amounted to the majority of local travel, at one time, along with an envied annual trek to the Channel Islands.

The flip side of a recent receipt, from a local shop, for a 15.00 battery replacement kit, touted a 5K trip to Micronesia -- times have certainly changed.

When I first began diving, there were three, maybe four, local shops, all with thriving repair departments, well before the advent of so-called "disposable" gear; and most of them, could do a decent job on many brands of regulators. Since then, nearly all have shuttered; and one of the oldest remaining shops, now farms out its higher end regulators, somewhere they weren't willing to disclose.

Yeah, that inspires confidence.

I haven't had anyone service my regulators in years, since I work on them myself and encourage others to do the same, if at all possible; but made an exception, last year, and had @rsingler rebuild one, when pressed for time and parts. Needless to say, he did a bang-up job; and has a real "old school" passion for it as well, as his marathon seminars and innumerable threads on SB clearly illustrate -- 180 degrees from the fledgling efforts of some teenager in a floral "4/20" t-shirt; a hog ring; a four hour Marriott seminar under his belt, on a minimum-wage Summer job . . .

 

[Lucia]

You paid a total of $137 for labor to service your regulator once in 7 years and you are complaining? Your husband is a dentist, I am certain that his hourly rate in his practice far exceeds what you will be saving doing the service himself. He is much better off spending the service time cleaning his patients' teeth and paying a professional who does it full time to work on his equipment. I am certain that you spend what you are going to be saving, or at least you think you will be saving DIY regulator service, on a single meal dinning out and yo do it more frequently than the 2 - 3 years for your regulator.

You have to consider the following:
1. You only need to do the regulator service every 2 - 3 years, this means that if you're going to do it yourself for two regulators, you aren't going to keep your skill level up to remember the details and acquire the experience and knowledge doing something only once every 2 - 3 years. It just isn't worth it. 2 or 3 years later you aren't going to remember much.


2. The costs for setting up your workshop properly with the appropriate tools and the space to store the equipment doesn't justify the savings at all when you only own 2 regulators and only do it every 2 - 3 years.

3. The "peer pressure" that you see here on SB from people that advocate DIY regulator service is generally coming from people who are technical divers who own MANY sets of regulators and dive often enough that they do the service frequently enough with big enough volume that they may have financial justification for DIY regulator service but this isn't you at all.

4. The "propaganda" sold to the public from some equipment manufactures about their policies concerning DIY service is coming from vendors that aren't big enough to establish proper dealer and service network and compensate for their shortcomings by shifting the burden to the end user to reduce their costs for them to stay in business. They are essentially making a "defect" become a "feature" to help them promote their business despite their shortcomings.

5. You are going to have a difficult time sourcing service kits for most brands out there.

6. I'd really hate to be the husband that works on regulators for himself and his wife or daughter not having enough experience and continuous practice then doing something wrong on her regulator and be on the receiving end when she has an issue underwater and she let him know about it. Worse yet, God forbid something bad happens to this loved one (assuming that she is loved) underwater and she suffers an injury, the trauma for both people is going to last a very long time. DIY service on two or three regulators every 2 - 3 years is just not going to develop any real skills or "intuition" to do it properly.

My advice is to find a reliable trustworthy competent service center to work on your regulators and enjoy your time going out doing things together as a couple instead of DIY regulator service.

“You paid a total of $137 for labor to service your regulator once in 7 years and you are complaining?”

I wasn’t clear - this was not the only time we’ve had our regulators serviced - although we’ve gone a couple of years between service sometimes. I really don’t recall the cost last time but I’m pretty sure it has gone up. And, I was not complaining - sorry you took it that way. I was, however, wondering about the quality and relative “value” of what we paid after reading some of the other comments.

I appreciate the remainder of your comments and agree those are all good points.

 

[oly5050user]

My husband and I have 7 year old Cressi regulators which are fairly basic - we’ve been very happy with them and have had no issues or problems. We just had them serviced at a dive shop in Kansas City. I asked the shop if they found any problems or concerns and was told no. We have a trip coming up in June and we’ll do a pool test before the trip. I found this thread after searching for info on service cost as it was higher than I expected:

$137 annual service
$34 first stage parts kit
$29 second stage parts kit
$29 octo parts kit
(plus $20 “labor” to change a battery on a computer)

After reading some of the info here, I am thinking of trying to talk my husband into servicing our stuff in the future . Primarily for the goal of being more confident that things are done thoroughly (I realize I really know nothing about the competency of whoever worked on our stuff and since we aren’t located anywhere near a coast, the options are limited). I would not feel comfortable giving this a try but he is a dentist (used to working on intricate small things with a variety of tools), he’s mechanically inclined, and he’s a perfectionist. But, he’d still have to take the time to learn and time is the one thing we are always short on. I also wonder if working on our own stuff would be hard since it would only occur once per year - I mean, would it need to be re-learned each time?

Is it feasible to learn how to do this from videos? I saw the regulator service technician training thread about upcoming seminars in May but I don’t think the scheduling would work for him - but watching videos on his own schedule seems more plausible. (EDIT - just realized the May seminar I was looking at was last year - oops!) Suggestions appreciated!

Cost mentioned are pretty much spot on. To do this yourself not a good idea as you will find it difficult to find a source for required service kits also any warranty you may have will be voided. Cost of required tools may be prohibitive as well.