sea quest mirage vs conshelf 20

[yardpro]

sorry for the newbie question.

I have over 50 dives now and am starting to get into equipment setups...

I am an avid diy guy and work on my porsche 928, wifes jag,and range rover... none of our cars, boats, etc have seen a mechanic in 15 years....SO, tinkering with my scuba gear is next...

so on to my question.

I have been using a conshelf 20 for a few years and just bought a mirage to use on a hooka for pool repairs, and boat bottom cleaning. My question is i am curious which is the better first stage?

I will use the better one on my primary setup.
My wife is also getting her openwater this fall,so i would like to have something decent put together for her by then...

i almost never buy new. I like old things, and from reading this board is appears that old inexpensive regs work as good or better than some of the new. If i am correct, what should i be looking for?

thanks for the advise in advance.

 

[Fishpie]

That Mirage is as good as new. I don't think it has ever seen water.
It is the same reg as the US Divers Aquarius II and almost identical to the current Calypso and Scubapro MK2.
As to which is better it's a matter of debate but most will point out that the Conshelf is a balanced diaphragm and the Mirage is an unbalanced piston which would mean that if both were paired with an unbalanced second stage there would be a slight increase in breathing effort in the Mirage at very low tank pressures. Some might point out that this is a good thing as it is another indication that you were just about to run out of air.....might make it better choice for your hookah.
Paired with a balanced second stage there would be no difference between the two.
If you are still looking for another reg why not keep it simple and go for another US Divers / Aqualung since you already have two.
Others that would be good choice would be Scubapro MK2, 5 or 10.

 

[herman]

I agree but given the choice of the 2, the Conshelf wins every time....and over most other regs for that matter but then again, I prefer diaphgram first stages. Almost everything I normally dive is a USD/AL or a close relative. Makes like easy since they all use the same parts.

 

[yardpro]

fishpie..are you who i bought it from?

thanks for the advise guys.

 

[Fishpie]

Yes, I sold it to you.