Regulator setup?

[marclyng]

Getting what you can have serviced by your LDS is very important because if you had a problem with your setup before the big trip sending your regulators away to get serviced is no fun.

I can not speak much for the Oceanic's version on DVT but as far as Aqualung's goes its a great success and not a gimmick. I work in the the caribbean and put ALOT of abuse on my Legend ACD and it has never let me down. I dont use a dust cap and I will throw the whole setup in to rinse tanks or leave it in mesh bags on a wet boat decks and the ACD does exactly what it is supposed to do, it keeps the water out of the first stage. I recently did the servicing on the first stage as well and still to this day the inner parts of the regulator look as if they are brand new not even a hint of corrosion on the filter.

Look into the Legend series or Titan series ACD regulators. Both series have balanced first stages and you can get them with balanced second stages.

One thing I will say that you must do with these ACD or DVT regs is make sure the area is free of water before you attach it to a new tank, otherwise you will be blowing drops directly into the first stage. A quick shot of air from the cylinder to the valve seat before you attach the regulator will solve this problem.

 

[tac747]

You can't go wrong with either Scubapro or Aqualung. If you want the dry valve (they call it ACD) Look at the Aqualung Titan LX supreme . Balanced sealed diaphram first stage and balanced second stage . They breath great and for about $450.00 they are not overly expensive. Plus they can be serviced all over the world. Try and see if you can find one of whatever you are looking at to try out before you buy. The deal breaker for me was the comfort. The AL comfo-bite mouthpiece was the best fit of the many regs I tried.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

For just a few dollars more than what you will pay for one second stage and one first stage of Aqualung or ScubaPro you could get a complete HOG coldwater reg set. That would be sealed diaphragm 1st stage, 2 indentical balanced adjustable seconds, a 7 ft primary hose, 22 inch octo hose, and a DIN to yoke adapter. In addition they only require service every two years instead of every year. Or you could go with an Edge coldwater reg set and get it in yoke, lightweight braided hoses, and single spg for around the same price. Sealed balanced diaphragm 1st, balanced adjustable primary, balanced octo.

In addition if you ever decide you want to service your own regs I can sell you the kits. No trying to find an AL or SP dealer who will risk their dealership to sell kits to you.

 

[scubadiveilat]

Your first question is!

Diving conditions? Cold or Warm or both. main issue is the cold because cold-to-warm no problem vice versa is another issue.

Try regulator! as there are so many. What are you comfortable with a small or large one? The majority are balanced. The important part is comfort. As some are too large and heavy.

Mares and Sherwood have excellent reg's try them around.

Have fun and enjoy!!!

 

[Mndiv]

Hey everyone, I'm 15 and doing my OW certification dives next weekend, I am glad to have finally found a post on SB to which I am able to contribute

I am currently also going through the phase of looking into purchasing my own gear. I did a lot of research, both online and at the LDS. I have heard that ScubaPro and Aqualung tend to be more expensive because they do not authorize online dive shops to sell their gear, which limits the potential for competitive pricing, therefore making them more expensive.
I have looked at almost every major brand and compared tons of prices etc. and I've got to say that my final choice is the EDGE Epic regs sold by James Lapenta. The price simply cannot be beat, and being from Minnesota the fact that they are environmentally sealed is a big plus to me as well the fact that they have controllable breathing effort, a feature I found that many regs from major brands only have in pricier models. Another advantage to buying from smaller companies besides the pricing is that they seem to be easier to work with, you know you are able to contactthe person who actually sold you the piece of gear, with major brands such as Mares, Sherwood, Oceanic, etc. this seems practically impossible...

In regards to the ability to getting them locally serviced, that should certainly be major factor when considering a piece of gear. If I've got my facts right then I believe that any qualified tech from a LDS willing to can service the EDGE regs can , but when it comes to overhauling its a different story, the nearest qualified EDGE technician is about 3 hrs away from me but the low cost of purchase seems to be well worth it and there is always the option to send it to that store, directly to James Lapenta, or to EDGE directly.

For me it took quite some time, but its a no-brainer now, you get better service, more personalized assistance, much more high-end features at a MUCH lower price.

Hope this helps, and makes putting the bucks on the table for a piece of gear a little less overwhelming in this world of brand names, models, features, and so on
So long ~ Cheers