Scubapro worth the premium??

[seoultrain]

Hi guys!

I'm looking to make my first real gear purchase.

In Asia at least, Scubapro gear seems to go for a decent premium to, say Oceanic and other brands.

I can get a Delta4/FDX 10 set up for around $450 or a s600/mk17 set up for $670. When I look at the spec, if anything the Oceanic is better.

So is it worth paying the premium for Scubapro stuff, is it really that much better in terms of quality and reliability (is there even a difference?) or is it just a label?

Assuming the above set ups are my choices, which one would people go for?

ST

 

[ScubaSpicher]

Hey I am not sure what type of diving you are doing, but I dive the Delta4/FDX 10 and have thought very highly of it. I can only compare to some other rental gear as it is the first reg I have ever owned, but had it in cold water and pretty good depth and felt no decrease in performance. Again, I have not used the Scubapro setup, but do not think it could feel much different. Therefore, I would go for the Oceanic reg.

 

[Iain Thysse]

I would go for the Scubapro, but thats just because I have never owned an Oceanic and I have owned many Scubapro. Having said that, in Asia it does seem easier to find Scubapro parts than Ocianic (again, not having owned an Ocianic I can't be sure). That may be a factor to think about when it comes time for servicing.

 

[Cyclops_Diver]

My personal experience:
I have a Poseidon Xtreme Deep regulator setup, as well as Atomic Titanium set. They function great. But I didn't mesh with the Atomic because it always felt strange breathing on it to me. Had it serviced, tuned, inspected, just didnt "feel" right. The Poseidon is an awesome reg. Breathes great, everything. Finding parts was a PITA for me and I found it complex just researching so I could DIY the servicing on it myself.

I bought a Scubapro MK17/G250V set. Awesome! Breath great, able to DIY the servicing, parts are not impossible to find, there will be support for it for decades, and best of all it "Feels right" to me.

Point of the two paragraphs was the "feel."

Try to test out both regs before you buy them. If I had done this step, I wouldnt have two reg sets gathering dust, and my wallet would be a bit fatter!

My view is now that these regs are my life support...and the price tag is of little concern to me. How a reg "feels" though...that's priceless! Nothing like good peace of mind.

 

[jefffalcone]

$450 for a new Delta4 seems like a very good price. I don't know much about oceanic regs, but I think that almost all regs are pretty good. $450 is over $100 below MSRP.

OTOH $650 seems high for the mk17/s600.

I've never tried either of these regs, but from a pure econimic standpoint, I'd say go with the oceanic, or find somewhere else where you can get a better deal on the scubapro.

 

[Jrock1062]

I dive the MK25/S600 i love the reg breaths great that being said i believe it to be a warm water reg so decide what kind of diving you will be doing

 

[halocline]

$670 is high for the MK17/S600. To me, it's high for any reg, having bought my current favorite reg (MK10/D300) in excellent condition for $87.

I'm sure either one you listed will work fine. Ease of service is often an issue with regs, sooner or later.

 

[xspect]

I use to dive with a mk25/s600 (I dive with a B2 now) and my wife still has a delta iv/fdx10. I don't feel the s600 justifies the increase in cost.

I also agree that $670 is way too much to pay a mk17/s600.

Leisurepro has a mk17/s555 for $374 (I really dont care to hear how much of a sin it is to buy from LP I just passing information along)

$450 for a brand new delta iv is a very good price.

 

[serrada]

Got certified in 1985 from a SP dealer. Thought the SP G250 was way over priced. Bought a Dacor, then a Oceanic and now have a SP G250 if that tells you anything. It will be the reg for comfort, breathability and last you through all types of diving including if you want to got into technicale diving. The cost in the end will be nothing provided you keep diving.

 

[jefffalcone]

Got certified in 1985 from a SP dealer. Thought the SP G250 was way over priced. Bought a Dacor, then a Oceanic and now have a SP G250 if that tells you anything. It will be the reg for comfort, breathability and last you through all types of diving including if you want to got into technicale diving. The cost in the end will be nothing provided you keep diving.

I agree that money spent on a high quality reg is money well spent, but that's no reason to spend more than market value.