regulators- what the diff?

[b52boy]

I am new to diving...I have only used the euipment the trainers had ...
I am looking to buy my own stuff now. I understand BCD's pretty good...but what's up with all of these regulators?
prices of $100 to well a bucket full of cash...In the computer world pricing followes a curve...pricevs technology and it's pretty easy to track...but this regulator thing has me going round and round.
Will the 100-200 dollar range give me decent performance in fresh and salt water? I live in Michigan but trave to Mexico from time to time and plan on diving in both areas...

What am I to do?

 

[jviehe]

When it comes to regulators, a higher price usually means more features. Performance only goes up a little, and even dirt cheap regulators will perform well for most begining OW environment. being in michigan, though you may want to look at regs that are well known for cold water diving. Scubapro seems to be the most widely liked maker, and all of their regs perform well. Id also say its probably important to get something with a balanced first stage. Look in the archives for lots of information, and Ive also found the Rodales monster reg guide to be helpful.

http://www.scubadiving.com/article/0,7424,2-35-57-269,00.html

 

[Bob3]

An important consideration will be the anti-freeze protection a reg has; look for something with either an environmentally sealed 1st stage or other means of freeze protection.
In general. a diaphraghm 1st stage will be less likely to cause mischief in cold water than a piston.
Having a reg that you can get serviced locally is also a big plus.

 

[b52boy]

Thanks jivie ...for the rodales link..lots of good info in there...

 

[ScubaJewel]

I don't know that there is a "bad" regulator on the market, they all seem to perform well. I think its more brand loyalty or brand snobishness

Julie

 

[DeepScuba]

I don't think so. If you've ever breathed a "Good" reg, and then tried a poor one, you'd easily know the difference.

 

[Boogie711]

I don't know that there is a "bad" regulator on the market, they all seem to perform well. I think its more brand loyalty or brand snobishness

Tell me Julie - how many times have you been down to 130 feet in 35 degree water with a TUSA reg? Or if you think it's about branding, even better - one of those no-name asian regs???

There's a REASON people like particular brands - because they work well.

And by the way, B52boy - do a search around here on "Rodales." Never, EVER trust Rodales. Inconsistent beyond belief.

 

[DeepScuba]

I agree Boogie. The last test I saw, is a case in point. They had some real DOGS, and even then, they weren't near as harsh with them as they should have been.

If it's junk, say so.

I really wonder why S/P backed out too.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

Boogie711 once bubbled...
Tell me Julie - how many times have you been down to 130 feet in 35 degree water with a TUSA reg? Or if you think it's about branding, even better - one of those no-name asian regs???

Let's not be indiscriminantly bashing TUSA. I have about a 1000 dives on Scubapro regs and, although most people are unaware of it, they are manufactured for Scubapro by Tabata - as in that partent company of Tabata USA or "TUSA". So in a real sense, I have a lot of time at 130 ft in 35 degree water with TUSA regs.

I do agree with you though on the real "no name" brands. There are some regs out there that I do not consider to be safe at all - the quality control just is not there.

Personally, I am very loyal to Scubapro as they offer excellent parts and service support and I can count on it that a Scubapro reg I buy today will still have parts available in 10 years. They are also "evolutionary" in their thinking and design philosophy and make improvements that can be retrofitted into older regs.

For example I have a Scubapro Adjustable second stage made in the late 60's that has been upgraded to a Balanced Adjustable utilizing the same basic poppet assembly and internal parts as the currently produced G250 HP. After more than 30 years it is still an excellent breathing reg by any standard and you can still get parts for it. I don't know of any other company that does that for their customers.

In general, there really has not been any major leaps in regulator design in the last 15 years - the designs are all pretty mature and close to their peak, so any major improvement is unlikely. The last major industry wide change was the move to graphite resin cases and these are a mixed blessing. They are cheaper to produce and allow more in terms of internal case design, but they are also much more prone to breaking and cracking than a brass case and also contribute to dry mouth when diving.

Second stages have gotten smaller in the last few years but the advantages are mostly in marketing rather than in comfort or performance. Even relatively large second stages are still nearly neutrally bouyant in the water and hose lenght has a far bigger impact on comfort and jaw fatigue than case size.

 

[mmcdds]

b52boy once bubbled...
I am new to diving...I have only used the euipment the trainers had ...
I am looking to buy my own stuff now. I understand BCD's pretty good...but what's up with all of these regulators?
prices of $100 to well a bucket full of cash...In the computer world pricing followes a curve...pricevs technology and it's pretty easy to track...but this regulator thing has me going round and round.
Will the 100-200 dollar range give me decent performance in fresh and salt water? I live in Michigan but trave to Mexico from time to time and plan on diving in both areas...

What am I to do?

I think you'll find that many of the high end regs (Apeks, Scubapro, Atomics, Aqualung, Zeagle, Sherwood, Poseidon) perform well. All those brands seem to have their loyal followers who swear by them, but any of them breath well enough to more than satisfy most divers. Many of the lower end regs, however, breath noticably harder, especially at depth.

Do a search of the different brands on this board and you'll hear lots of opinions on which breath the best and how well they perform in different conditions, then if you can , try some of the regs you're interested in before you buy them.

Good Luck