Regulators to consider

[lowwall]

The 2S is an unbalanced piston and Mares' rental fleet reg. OK for stage bottles, discovery dives and OW classes, but IMO should not be recommended for sale to most OW divers.

OTOH, the Rover is actually a decent second stage when paired with a balanced first stage, so if you were at all interested in staying in the Mares family and getting at least some use out of your existing great, I can suggest 2 options.

Replace the 2S with a new 62X first stage for $420 (DIN or yoke).

Mares 62X 1st Stage Yoke Diving Regulator

Introducing the revolutionary Mares 62X 1st Stage Yoke Diving Regulator - a mini powerhouse that redefines underwater exploration!Small yet mighty, the 62X's diaphragm first stage sets new standards fo

www.scuba.com

Or go with this from Mares' tech line for $600.

DGX Custom - Mares XR Regulator

The Mares XR Regulator is a feature rich and high-performance model based on the Mares 28XR balanced diaphragm first stage and Mares HR engineered polymer pneumatically assisted second stage, customized with your choice of hose material and length.

www.divegearexpress.com

It's their flagship first stage paired with one of their adjustable second stages. You can reuse one of your Rovers as the octo. Keep the other Rover as a spare.

All of these share the same IP spec, so don't need any adjustments to work together and it's very easy to swap hoses or stages.

 

[scubamedic2012]

Since you didn’t mention price, you can’t go wrong with Scubapro and the G260. The G260 is the next generation of the G250, arguably one of the best regulators ever made with smooth WOB (which can be tuned). I currently run Mk25 and G250 as my primary regulators.

I didn’t mention price but of course it is a factor. More than a particular price, I look at the best value for my investment.

 

[scubamedic2012]

On the comfort topic I use a braided hose for my primary only. Everything else is rubber hose.
It eliminates any pulling/pushing, swivels, made a big difference for me.
DGX has good ones.

Do you think the braided hose is more of a factor over a swivel like on the b2?

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Since your nearest LDS is two hours away then you might want to consider going with a brand that sells parts to the end user and learn how to do your own service work. Then you’re not enslaved to a dive shop for what they sell and what they service.
I am a piston fan myself and use old Scubapro regs, but I do all my own services. But getting parts is a PITA.
I was looking at Dive Gear Express and they have a balanced piston reg (DGX “Gears” Xtra) looks suspiciously like a SP MK25. They also sell rebuild kits to the end user. They are DIN though with no yolk option other than an adapter. But they have a really cool valve thingy that when you undo the reg from the tank there is an automatic shut off valve so no water gets in to the air inlet.
Deep6 and Hog would be your other legitimate options if you want a company that will sell parts to the customer, unless of course you can find the tunnel to the underground world of scuba where all the good stuff is. Kind of like the dark web, where you can buy anything you want, illicit drugs like LSD and all sorts of other crazy things, assorted contraband, illegal weapons, hand grenades, rocket launchers, you know even Scubapro parts kits!

 

[scubamedic2012]

The 2S is an unbalanced piston and Mares' rental fleet reg. OK for stage bottles, discovery dives and OW classes, but IMO should not be recommended for sale to most OW divers.

OTOH, the Rover is actually a decent second stage when paired with a balanced first stage, so if you were at all interested in staying in the Mares family and getting at least some use out of your existing great, I can suggest 2 options.

Replace the 2S with a new 62X first stage for $420 (DIN or yoke).

Mares 62X 1st Stage Yoke Diving Regulator

Introducing the revolutionary Mares 62X 1st Stage Yoke Diving Regulator - a mini powerhouse that redefines underwater exploration!Small yet mighty, the 62X's diaphragm first stage sets new standards fo

www.scuba.com

Or go with this from Mares' tech line for $600.

DGX Custom - Mares XR Regulator

The Mares XR Regulator is a feature rich and high-performance model based on the Mares 28XR balanced diaphragm first stage and Mares HR engineered polymer pneumatically assisted second stage, customized with your choice of hose material and length.

www.divegearexpress.com

It's their flagship first stage paired with one of their adjustable seconds stages. You can reuse one of your Rovers as the octo. Keep the other Rover as a spare.

All of these share the same IP spec, so don't need any adjustments to work together and it's very easy to swap hoses or stages.

Hmm, interesting. I will have to think about that one.

 

[NaCl H2O]

Do you think the braided hose is more of a factor over a swivel like on the b2?

Have not used a swivel, can't say.
I'm 99.9% salt water diving, one more place to get buil up in my untested opinion.

 

[KenE]

I enjoy my SP Mk25 and s600, but the g260 is the workhorse and is my backup/octo. If I did it again I would just get two g260. I send out for service so not locked to LDS and don't need to get parts or do service. The only reason I don't do my own service is I don't want my wife to blame me for killing myself, and I don't have time.

 

[lowwall]

Hmm, interesting. I will have to think about that one.

The 28XR package from DGX is a really good deal. You can also buy just the first stage for $400.

Looking at just the 62X vs. 28XR -
They should perform similarly at all recreational depths, so it comes down to other factors. The 62X is much more compact and lighter and it's available in yoke, so realistically a better choice for those who mostly travel to warm places to dive. The 28XR has LP ports on a rotating turret which can make for more convenient hose routing and is environmentally sealed. It's also NORSOK U-101 certified to 200 meters which means it's at home when it's cold, deep or silty. You can add the same TBP environmental seal kit to the 62X which will also give you the Norsok rating, but that will add around another $100 to the price and negate some of the size and weight advantage.

 

[RyanT]

Since price is in the equation, it's Deep6 hands down. I have SP, Atomics, and Deep6. My Deep6 breathe every bit as well as any of the others. They are as well built and cheaper. My buddy and I are in the process of moving all of our regs over to Deep6. Mostly for simplicity of servicing a whole batch of the same regs.

 

[formernuke]

Since price is in the equation, it's Deep6 hands down. I have SP, Atomics, and Deep6. My Deep6 breathe every bit as well as any of the others. They are as well built and cheaper. My buddy and I are in the process of moving all of our regs over to Deep6. Mostly for simplicity of servicing a whole batch of the same regs.

Same here, I'm even thinking of switching my drysuit inflation reg to deep 6.