So many regulators, only one mouth...

[DevonDiver]

I rate Scubapro and Apeks very highly. You can't go wrong, even with their low-end kit. Atomics gets very good reviews, but I have not used them personally.

If you are buying used regs, then you really need to factor in the cost of a professional service. Whilst you may have the technical aptitude to service them yourself, it can be difficult to get the correct service kits and tools. Also, when you start your scuba training, you will want the peace of mind of knowing that your kit is in perfect working order.

When choosing a regulator, the availablility of spares and servicing is a big issue. That is why I choose my current Scubapro regs - because they are easy to get fixed or spares anywhere in the world. Not every reg manufacturer has a great support network; especially in tropical/remote holiday destinations.

You won't need the top-end performance offered by the most expensive regulators...and if you are only diving in warm waters, then you don't need to worry about upgraded regulators that are less prone to freezing.

It's worth trying a regulator before buying.. as the comfort of the regulator is a big deciding factor. It shouldn't cause any jaw ache.

 

[Paladin]

If you plan to do your own maintenance you'll want to be sure you can get parts - either locally or on-line. I believe that rules out ScubaPro and Aqualung? (including Apeks?) Someone feel free to correct this if I'm wrong.

AquaLung parts are very easy to get. Vintage Double Hose sells pretty much anything you might need and full service kits can be purchased on Ebay (and other online sources) for $30. I am a big fan of the older AquaLung regulators and have Conshelf XIs, XIIs, a XIV, an SE and a 22. I service my own and they are easy to service.

Conshelfs are so easy to service, the first time I did one, I was sure I'd done something wrong because it was so easy. The next weekend, I jumped into the water with it and it functioned flawlessly and has continued to work perfectly since then.

I also have a bunch of USD Aquarius regs and I recently picked up a freshly serviced Calypso J. Did I mention I'm a big fan of the older AquaLung Regs?

 

[50Fathom]

AquaLung parts are very easy to get. Vintage Double Hose sells pretty much anything you might need and full service kits can be purchased on Ebay (and other online sources) for $30. I am a big fan of the older AquaLung regulators and have Conshelf XIs, XIIs, a XIV, an SE and a 22. I service my own and they are easy to service.

Conshelfs are so easy to service, the first time I did one, I was sure I'd done something wrong because it was so easy. The next weekend, I jumped into the water with it and it functioned flawlessly and has continued to work perfectly since then.

I also have a bunch of USD Aquarius regs and I recently picked up a freshly serviced Calypso J. Did I mention I'm a big fan of the older AquaLung Regs?

Scubapro too. They may have a lot of faults as a company, but they are pretty good about supporting older reg designs, so parts and kits are available for nearly everything. There are a few exceptions, but generally, a used Scubapro is a solid bet for parts support.

 

[Nemrod]

I am a long fan of Scuba Pro, I worked in a Scuba Pro shop in college but that said, there are few equals to AL for longevity of parts availability and neither, knowingly, sell parts to "customers" but most of us who are long time divers manage to stockpile the parts here and there. The AL current Titan first stage goes back to the Royal Aqua Master and to this day parts are interchangeable and as far as parts availability worldwide is concerned I imagine AL might have a slight edge. When Scuba Labs did their regulator roundup a few years back I think it was the Legend that came out on top and the Titan XL was one micro skosh below it.

I don't think you can go wrong with either brand or a half dozen others, the brand and style thing gets way over hyped these days, well, maybe it always was.

N

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Actually the advice regarding the dvt and acd is not quite right. Nothing will prevent corrosion of the first stage except careful maintenance by the diver. Both systems use a very light spring and a plastic bullet that will resist water entry but not prevent it under all circumstances. Rinse it with a hose directly- water will get in. Drop in a rinse tank more than say 18 inches deep there will be enough pressure to allow water in. Dry the dust cap with the tank and hit the bullet with that flow-yep, water is getting in. Second stages if carefully rinsed and dried then stored out of direct sun should last indefinitely. IMO the systems also add another failure point and moving parts. When I got my second reg I specifically asked that the dvt feature NOT be on it.

I service my own regs and know others that do. There is a shop here that has some regs from the first days of scubapro. They get used and they look like new. Any reg can last the same amount of time if given the proper care and regular service.

 

[Nemrod]

Since my wife has a Legend with the ACD and my Titan does not and since I do the maintenance and since both regulators have seen almost exactly the same dives and same operator (me) I do have a comment here. The ACD does help prevent water entry.

Last year on Caymans the crew dunked our regs in the wash tank, my Titan did not have the cap on, darn that. Well, again, the ACD did it's job, the Titan got wet. It is a useful feature that does work but it would not make or break the deal on a reg for me.

N

 

[beanojones]

Second stages if carefully rinsed and dried then stored out of direct sun should last indefinitely.

They don't. Not just theoretically, but in practice, any reg that has a chromed brass air inlet that has a square hole in which a stainless steel lever pivots, will fail right there. The square gradually because notched or rounded. All metals except titanium corrode eventually. Stainless is usually better than chromed brass, but there is a reason why titanium knives got popular. (Monel is better than chromed brass, but http://www.corrosion-doctors.org/Seawater/images/strainer.jpg ).

I got to see this failure due to corrosion often in regs I serviced. I personally have lost all my ScubaPro gear to corrosion. My gear was less than five years old. Granted it was incredibly heavily used, but it was a failure in materials that killed it.

This is on old or heavily used gear, but why not just get gear that does not need babying now that the engineering and material science has made it possible. Dry environmental diaphragm first stages with DVT/ACD protection, and full Titanium second stages make your gear largely immune to corrosion regardless of proper care. That means you have to buy your first stage from one company and your second from another, though, since no one makes both as far as I know.

 

[Zung]

beanojones, are you still in the tropics? There are places in the world where corrosion is frightening: I've seen music CD you can see thru after just 1 month in French Polynesia. But other places are a lot "safer": I've got gears over 20 years old that still look new, even though I do at least half of my diving under the tropics.

 

[beanojones]

beanojones, are you still in the tropics? There are places in the world where corrosion is frightening: I've seen music CD you can see thru after just 1 month in French Polynesia. But other places are a lot "safer": I've got gears over 20 years old that still look new, even though I do at least half of my diving under the tropics.

Yes in the tropics now, and all my stories are from the tropics. Just the salt air alone corrodes stuff. Add to that 4-6 dives a day and you come to love environmental seals and titanium.

 

[steelwindmachine]

regarding the corrosion thing, I guess it's a matter of spending the money upfront now for long wear materials, or buying a less expensive setup and paying out over the course of time in service/parts to keep it going.

if my gf/her sister's diving history is any indication of dive frequency, my gf hasn't dove her gear in 2 years. It's been sitting in a garage and suit/BCD on a open porch. I'll need to be learning up on proper dive gear storage techniques since I think I'm going to be ultimately responsible for everyone's stuff.