So how much did you pay?

[split0101]

Please note, Im not sure if this is proper forum etiquette, so moderators please delete if found inappropriate.

Im looking to buy a new regulator, and have pretty much narrowed it down to a few choices. One of them is the MK25/S600 Scubapro regulator. So I went to my LDS which is an authorized Scubapro dealer, and he sales guy quoted me a price about $65 lower then his "sticker" price. Now since companies like Scubapro, Aqualung, and Atomic dont advertise their prices online it makes it a little difficult to figure out if your getting a "good deal" on a reg. It also seems that the prices differ from one shop to another.

So my question is this, how do you know if your getting a good deal on one of these companies products when there seems to be some wiggling room from the sticker price? It seems that if I haggled with him some more he might have dropped the price even further.

My LDS which will remain nameless quoted me $602 for a MK25/S600, what have you guys paid? Is this guy giving me a good deal? Thanks in advance...

 

[Cacia]

I just bought that reg for BF....the reason I cannot say is the dealer gave me a deal that allowed him to technically keep his aggreement with SP. The way they do this, is they ring up the MSR minus 10% then they give you a deeper discount on other non SP items (or a free 100 dollar light, etc) It is a great reg by the way.

My favorite SP dealer just lost his dealership because another shop sent in spies and caught him giving deep discounts. It is very cut throat and many angles are played. The dealers have a hard time because the companies play their own games...

The official answer to your question is MSR less 10%. I will check the receipt and tell you later.

 

[split0101]

I just bought that reg for BF....the reason I cannot say is the dealer gave me a deal that violated his aggreement. the way they do this, is they ring up the MSR minus 10% then they give you a deeper discount on other items (or a free 100 dollar light, etc) It is a great reg by the way.

My favorite SP dealer just lost his dealership because another shop sent in spies and caught him giving deep discounts.

The official answer to your question is MSR less 10%.

He mentioned if I got a DC or BC then he had more room to work with. The only problem is Im not sure what the MSP should be. It seem the dealers around my area have different prices for the same product so its hard to gauge if your getting the product at a fair price. I dont mind paying for it, but at the same time if I can keep a few bucks in my pocket….

 

[Cacia]

Understood. Something I do is check Leisure Pro prices for anything I plan to buy and you can use this as a baseline because in my opinion they have about the cheapest prices aroun IN GENERAL. Now customer service, warranty is another topic. (I have not had a problem). The MSR should be available on-line.

 

[MoonWrasse]

LP has that reg listed for $425, MSRP @ what your dealer quotes you.

So, you could ask yourself "is it worth $175 to buy the reg above the board?".

You might of course use this argument to negotiate with your LDS.

 

[RonFrank]

LP sell that setup for $424. So there is a bottom line. I have no clue what a warranty is worth on this type of reg. It also depends upon how much diving you do. If you dive a lot, then getting a rock solid warranty maybe a better idea. However lifetime on SP products does not seem to be very lifetime.

IMO there are so many great regs out there as the manufactures technology for producing these products has greatly improved. I'm a Zeagle guy, and I think those regs are great. The Flathead IMO is as good as any reg on the market, but I dive the DS50/ZX. I've breathed on B2's, Zeagles, the MK25, and IMO they may breath slightly different, but you would need a machiine to actually gauge the resistance and flow.

If you are tech diving, maybe there is some difference, but doubtful in most cases.

 

[MantaRey]

One thing you should keep in mind though is at a LDS you're paying for more than just the regulator. Sure LP has the same reg for less money; but you may have issues with the warrantee, and you can definitely count out customer service. Just keep in mind that if you buy stuff at your LDS they'll be more than happy to help you out a lot in the future should you need it.

And that is a good price for it. Great reg, plus the warrantee is spectacular. I love mine. Is it the mk25AF?

 

[Cacia]

Ron, can you get parts in remote locations for Zeagle regs? That is the main reason I choose SP because I know atomic, apeks are good also. Some people carry the spare parts.

The warranty is worth nothing to me. On just about any product except returns to Costco.

here, the guru who works on regs is where they all go from the shops. So, I just take it directly to his place. I save about 40 % on service.

 

[MoonWrasse]

LP sell that setup for $424. So there is a bottom line. I have no clue what a warranty is worth on this type of reg. It also depends upon how much diving you do. If you dive a lot, then getting a rock solid warranty maybe a better idea. However lifetime on SP products does not seem to be very lifetime.

IMO there are so many great regs out there as the manufactures technology for producing these products has greatly improved. I'm a Zeagle guy, and I think those regs are great. The Flathead IMO is as good as any reg on the market, but I dive the DS50/ZX. I've breathed on B2's, Zeagles, the MK25, and IMO they may breath slightly different, but you would need a machiine to actually gauge the resistance and flow.

If you are tech diving, maybe there is some difference, but doubtful in most cases.

I'm also a Zeagle man.
You can get the flathead, Zeagle's top of the line reg, for $478 at Scubatoys with the waranty.
http://www.scubatoys.com/store/detail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=ZXFlatheadVI

 

[split0101]

I did check LP to get an idea of how much one would cost w/o manufactures warranty (since it's grey market), but I figure over the course of the lifetime of the reg it would work out to my benefit to get one with a full warranty (also I dont mind paying for piece of mind).

Thanks for the alternate suggestions for regs. I have looked at the Zeagle regs but unfortunately there arent and LDS around me that service them so Id have to send it back every time I needed it serviced. I guess it's not that big of a deal, but I rather know they guy who is servicing my reg. So thats why Im looking for regs that I could get serviced locally. Right now I have been to three LDS's in my area. One does AL, and SP, the other does Cressi, and the third is only AL. So it kinda limits me to those three brands... There are a few more stores a little more out of the way but if I could save myself a few bucks then it will be worth it.

SP I think used to publish their MSRP, but I got the 2006 catalogue and the prices are not printed (they were in the 2005). So it ends up being a price scavenger hunt between all the LDS for the best local price. Actually is more of a haggling nightmare, feels like Im buying a car every time I walk into a LDS and ask for a quote in a reg…