Some advice for a newer diver

[silver02ca]

Generally no. That comes with time and practice. A balanced first stage will give you the same ease of breathing regardless of the tank pressure. In an unbalanced first stage as the tank pressure drops your IP will start to change which will make the reg harder to breath from. In a balanced second stage the ease of breathing will stay the same regardless of depth. For an unbalanced second stage it will feel harder to breath the deeper you go.

 

[halocline]

In a balanced second stage the ease of breathing will stay the same regardless of depth. For an unbalanced second stage it will feel harder to breath the deeper you go.

This is not a true statement. All 2nd stages, balanced or otherwise, compensate for depth in exactly the same way. The difference between balanced and unbalanced 2nd stages is that balanced 2nds will somewhat compensate for changes in IP, and there are a few other more subtle design implications. But no 2nd stage 'feels harder' to breathe as depth increases. Some regulators with poor flow characteristics will have trouble with IP drop and recovery during inhalation under the highest demand (which can be depth-related), but that's a first stage issue, not a 2nd stage.

To the OP...I suggest you not worry too much about balanced/unbalanced. If you can't get your regulators working really well by finding a good tech (easier said than done, unfortunately) and you're looking for a reasonably priced replacement, the aqualung titan or SP MK11 are both perennial best buys. The HOG regs are highly regarded by several forum members, and the prices are excellent, just remember they only come in DIN, so if you don't have DIN tanks, don't buy a DIN regulator.