Regulators that are are less likely to free-flow when diving in cold waters ?

[Roger Hobden]

What would be your top three or top five recommendations about brands and models of regulators that are less likely to free-flow when diving in cold waters (cold like in "canadian-cold") ?

Also, if you were diving with a pony bottle, would it be preferable to have a different brand/model of regulator to minimize the (probably highly unlikely) chance that both your main source of gas and your back-up would be simultaneously impaired by the effects of the cold water ?

Concerning the pony bottle, I guess that all that would be needed would be one LP for the regulator and one HP for the SPG. Do these setups cost less than a standard 2 HP 4 LP regulator ?

 

[Pyro_]

Poseidon regs providing you have a shop that knows how to work on them properly.

 

[grf88]

Apeks are pretty popular in The Great Lakes and other areas of cold water

 

[diversteve]

Poseidon Xstream Regulator

Approved to cold water standard, EN250
• Approved for use under ice down to -1,6 °C / 29.12 °F without CWD kit
• Unique internal Thermo Dynamic Anti-freeze system (TDA)

 

[Roger Hobden]

Poseidon regs providing you have a shop that knows how to work on them properly.

Hmm ... based on my current level of experience, I wouldn't know how to evaluate this.

 

[Pyro_]

I was pretty much in the same boat When I got my first set I asked in a couple of different Canadian and Ontario online forums about who was recommended for them and was given a couple of recommendations for where I was living at the time. Have been using the same shop ever since

 

[Magnus Lundstedt]

I admit that I am a Poseidon fan, And the Xtream first stage is great that you not need any CWK to use it in cold water.

But that said, I think about any cold water regulators, with enviromentaly sealed first stages, is good to go down to about -2*C colder water is usualy not in liquid form ;-)

Any regset that is EN250 certified should work. But some, like the older poseidons, need cold water kit to be compliant to EN250.

Regarding usuíng different regset for a pony bottle, I would try to have regs that use same service kits, or at least that you can service in the same service center. I prefere o have the same brand/service kit so i do not need to keep different service kits.

Also I would prefere to use the same first stages, becouse it is easyer to have one spare first stage and swap it out if one of them fails. I do not think there is such big difference in pricing in stages with different number of connections, usualy it does not make finansialy good reason to make similar regulators with less connections, and the more pony specialized regulators often are not the superior cold water ones you like to have.

 

[Caveeagle]

Hmm ... based on my current level of experience, I wouldn't know how to evaluate this.

Easy to evaluate. Poseidon regs have been THE gold standard for cold water and deep performance for over 20 years. Many now perform "as well". But none are better.

Service is a non issue. If you don't have a good local option, you can send poseidons to DRIS, or airtech scuba and you will be well cared for.

Almost any environmentally sealed first stage should work. Apeks and Miriad of clones are well trusted in tech diving circles.

 

[Brian G]

You might want to mention how cold the water might be for your diving. A few degrees above freezing make quite a difference in performance needed.

 

[ddown]

https://www.usap.gov/scienceSupport/documents/Antarctic_Dive_Guide.pdf

I'd start here that's what people who do it for a living use dtd 2017