So do you spend $300 or $800?

[johnnyscience]

I know price is relative to you & your situation and you can only do what you can afford, but this isnt a cheap sport & when dealing with your life, you shouldnt skimp.

But there is clearly a big swing in price with these things.

So how do you determine if you spend $300 or $800 on a regulator?

There seem to only be a handful under the $300 range and quite a few $400 & up.

So what really makes these other regulators 3 times the price of ones that do their job & keep you alive in the $300 range?

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

I know price is relative to you & your situation and you can only do what you can afford, but this isnt a cheap sport & when dealing with your life, you shouldnt skimp.But there is clearly a big swing in price with these things.

So how do you determine if you spend $300 or $800 on a regulator?

There seem to only be a handful under the $300 range and quite a few $400 & up.

So what really makes these other regulators 3 times the price of ones that do their job & keep you alive in the $300 range?

Hi Johnny,

I highlighted the typical "sales pitch / scare tactic" you've obviously already heard in dive shops or sales literature, so we can dispose of that first, and then move on.

All regulators from every major brand, regardless of "price range", will keep you safe and provide years of happy diving as long as you take care of them properly.

So what does an $800 regulator do that a $300 regulator can't do?

I really can't think of anything.

The $800 regulator may (should!) breathe just a bit easier. But maybe not. It may be adjustable (certainly a "nice" feature, but not 100% necessary). It might kick butt on a breathing simulator test, but on an actual recreational dive you'd probably be hard pressed to feel a major difference (assuming the $300 and the $800 were both properly "tuned").

In other words, the $800 regulator is not likely to be over TWICE as good as the $300 regulator. It may be a bit nicer, but it is up to you to decide whether you should spend your money there, or on dive trips.

But besides some potential "bells and whistles", the $800 reg will not be safer or more reliable than the $300 reg. In fact, simple, unbalanced piston regs in the $200 - 300 price range may actually be the most "bullet proof" regs you can buy.

Do your research, talk to other divers (ask them what they like about their regs), try to ignore the sales hype.... and in the end, just buy the regulator that makes your heart go "pitter patter" and have fun.

Oh, as an FYI on price: I just paid $39.95 for a regulator on ebay that I intend to rebuild and then dive the heck out of (Scubapro Mk10, R109 Adjustable) So used regs should also be something to consider.... and buying used, you can sometimes find an $800 regulator for, well, with a little luck, $39.95

Best wishes.

 

[knowone]

EXACTLY what HE said.

And to add some bile I'm picking up tomorrow an Oceanic integrated trim pocketed air sourced bc for $60 or $70 why should I remember how much and there's some other stuff coming up and you can go diving

for 800 bucks.

 

[DevonDiver]

I currently dive with Scubapro regs. They were second hand and a good bargain. 1500 dives with them, no issues. Before that I dove with Poseidon Jetstreams, Poseidon Cyklon and Apeks regulators. They were all second hand. Account for the cost of a service into the price... but they all worked excellently. The only new regs I bought were Dacor. They were terrible and not worth the cost.

The primary factor affecting cost will be materials and research/development costs to the company. However, some brands and/or models attract a higher cost because of their brand placement in the market.

There are performance benefits from high-end regulators, but these will be barely noticeable on regular recreational dives. Performance only really becomes critical on technical/deep dives or in very cold water conditions. Likewise, any 'ceiling' dive (cave, wreck or tech) demands an absolute level of reliability, that isn't as critical in recreational diving. It certainly isn't critical enough to deserve any worry about being 'life endangering'.

The Op doesn't mention what location he will be diving in. If it is cold water, then that may affect the consideration - as some regulators are less prone to freezing than others.

Other than that, the best advice is to try and actually dive with a range of regulators. Pick the one that you find most comfortable. The higher end regulators can sometimes be a bit lighter or less bulky...but this is personal preference.

Factor in the cost of service and spares into your calculation - as the long term costs are as important as the immediate purchase price. Likewise, make sure that there is a locally available authorized service center for the regs - you won't want to be shipping them away every time the service interval comes around.

 

[johnnyscience]

I appreciate the advice. I plan on only warm water reef diving.

I'm comfortable with spending 2-300 on a regulator & its good to here you can get high quality in that price range and dont need to spend 5-800.

Now its just a matter of handling & using some at my LDS.

 

[johnnyscience]

Any suggestions on which companys companys to compare in that $2-300 range?

I've seen sometimes some regulators have an inline water mechanism... is cotton mouth something that happens easily & often while diving?

 

[HowardE]

I've seen sometimes some regulators have an inline water mechanism... is cotton mouth something that happens easily & often while diving?

Try not to smoke too much pot before diving

Seriously though. Dry mouth has never been a problem for me. I also always dive high performance regulators. I've tried a few cheap ones, and greatly prefer the Apeks or SP MK25 to let's say a $300 "value brand"

There are way too many reasons to list. Especially when I post from my blackberry. I will say, materials in construction (what are the guts made from) and overall durability and ease of maintenance. Suffice it to say... As with most things in life; you get what you pay for.

 

[Jorgy]

Aqualung Titan as a great low cost regulator.......

M

 

[keyshunter]

Any suggestions on which companys companys to compare in that $2-300 range?

I've seen sometimes some regulators have an inline water mechanism... is cotton mouth something that happens easily & often while diving?

The moisture addition gadgets are more nonsense. Of course this view will be challenged by people who have spent $150 on one. If you stay well hydrated, as you should, dry mouth will not be much of a problem.

IMO for a recreational diver to spend $800 or anywhere near that amount on a regulator is absolute madness.

 

[herman]

It's hard to add much to Leadturn's post, it's spot on. I would tend to avoid the lesser known brands and stick with the major players (Apex, Scubapro, Aqualung,Sherwood and a few others- in no particular order) not because their regs are much better but due to their presence in the market worldwide and history of supporting their regs for a long time. While a Brand X is likely just as good and will serve you well, it you can't find a servicing dealer or after a few years parts are not available, they are not as good of a deal.
I do suggest you avoid the top of the line of any brand, they tend to be costly to buy and service and don't add any USEFUL features. It's mostly fluff to sell you, same goes for exotic metals like titanium, sure it's a little lighter but so what. Buy a reg from a well know brand, used is fine, then find you a good service tech, they are the real difference between the regs.