Regulators

[aprils0909]

Could someone weigh in on a good regulator for ocean and gulf dives? I will rarely dive in fresh water. I live in the U.S. but am scheduled to move to Asia in a bit over a year. I will be doing most of my dives there.

I've heard great stuff about Zeagle, but not sure if that is the way to go. Any particular brand to totally AVOID? I want this to be a one-time purchase for quite awhile.

 

[FishTaco]

buy the scubapro mk25 s600
or an apeks reg

 

[dirthead]

Apeks, Zeagle, ScubaPro.......all good regulators. Zeagle makes great stuff, but others do too. Moving to Asia, I would look at the area you will be in and what brands are supported there for service. No use buying something here that you can't get serviced when you move. I would go with something environmentally sealed just to keep all the salt and debris out of your first stage. This is not necessarily a mandatory thing though. I would think Apeks and SP would have lots of service support in Asia, but not sure about Zeagle.

For Apeks, give Phil at www.divesports.com a call. For Zeagle, Larry at ScubaToys. Since you will not need the US warranty in Asia, might look at some of the European sites (www.diveinn.com) for ScubaPro stuff at better prices than US shops.

I would look at an Apeks ATX50 (~$350), Zeagle ZX/DSV (~$300), or possibly the new ScubaPro Mk17/S550 ($$-not sure). These are just my opinions, you will probably gets lots that differ.

 

[THX1138]

I have Apeks 200 and 100 Regs. No worries.

 

[buff]

Divernet did a survey of regs amoungst 6 well experienced divers. They tested all the super expensive brands in many different categories.

The reg they like the most was from Oceanic...the cheapest one by far...waaayyy far. They just threw it in the mix for fun and it won...hands down.

I think it was the Alpha 7 piston.

You don't have to spend a lot on a reg to get good performance and reliability.

 

[otay!]

Divernet did a survey of regs amoungst 6 well experienced divers. They tested all the super expensive brands in many different categories.

The reg they like the most was from Oceanic...the cheapest one by far...waaayyy far. They just threw it in the mix for fun and it won...hands down.

I think it was the Alpha 7 piston.

You don't have to spend a lot on a reg to get good performance and reliability.

http://www.divernet.com/equipment/1202regtest.htm

First choice was clearly the Atomic M1, closely followed by both the Apeks ATX100 and ATX200 and then, in no particular order, the Aqua-Lung Legend LX Supreme, the Scubapro S600/MK25, and the Mares Abyss (let down only by an inappropriately small mouthpiece).
Then there was the Oceanic Alpha 7 SP4, a great favourite. This begs the question, need you spend so much on a regulator when the inexpensive Oceanic Alpha 7 (although not recommended for use in cold fresh water) is so highly thought of?

 

[daniel f aleman]

She said Asia.

Scubapro and Oceanic are all over Asia and can be easily found in dive shops, therefore easily serviced.

 

[SangP]

Hi,

I really depends on your budget and also what kind of diving you would be doing. Personally I love the Aqualung Legend LX series and would say the Scubapro MK25's a close second followed by the Apeks ATX100.

Brands I would avoid would be stuff that's hard to find or repair or the spares cost a bomb.

PERSONALLY (personal opinion only LOL!) I would not get a Poseidon or a Dacor.

SangP