steelsaint
Contributor
I am looking into getting into Technical diving. What is the difference between technical regulators vs. just recreational diving regulators?
Tech vs. Rec. Regulator, whats the difference?
- Thread starter steelsaint
- Start date
Please register or login
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
- Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
- A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
- You can make this box go away
Jimmer
Contributor
Nothing. Most tech divers prefer a balanced reg, but then again, so do a lot of rec. divers. In my mind it ultimately comes down to just getting the right reg for the conditions. A regulator that works fine for a 400 foot deep dive in warm tropical water, might be totally useless in 20 feet in cold Great Lakes water.
Not much. Most regulators sold today would work just fine at most diving depths (rec or tech). That said, tech divers often have certain preferences that filter out some of the lower-end regs.
diveandclimb
Contributor
I think most regs that are good for tech are the ones that are balenced to breath well deep and many are also good for cold water that tech divers would be more likely to encounter than your average rec diver. Some tec regs are more specialized such as pre o2 cleaned deco regs. Also, for a tec reg you are going to want a DIN connection not a yoke.
Tec regs tend to be higher performance than lower end rec regs. Some come pre cleaned for higher o2 content. Also DIN connections are preferred. A lot of tec divers want regs that handle cold water better than some rec regs. The Tek 3 from Apeks has ports designed for easier hose routing.
ianr33
Contributor
Good performance,DIN, most likely suitable for cold water depending on where you dive,no titanium or other marketing stupidity.
Ease of servicing is another factor. With multiple regs many divers will do their own
Most important is that they should just work. I have 4 Apeks regs.Dont really think about them,just put one in my mouth and forget about it.
Ease of servicing is another factor. With multiple regs many divers will do their own
Most important is that they should just work. I have 4 Apeks regs.Dont really think about them,just put one in my mouth and forget about it.
Most regs are good for 40% nitrox out of the box. If you are divng deep, your back gas regs will see O2 percentages lower than that, and often lower than 21% if you are diving with trimix.
In terms of flow rate, most balanced first stages will deliver enough gas, the same is not true for most unbalanced piston first stages.
Balanced second stages are a good idea for technical diving as they generally perform better.
And the back up reg needs to be just as high quality as the primary reg - no going cheap as is often the case with a recreational computer with a cheaper unbalanced octopus.
In terms of flow rate, most balanced first stages will deliver enough gas, the same is not true for most unbalanced piston first stages.
Balanced second stages are a good idea for technical diving as they generally perform better.
And the back up reg needs to be just as high quality as the primary reg - no going cheap as is often the case with a recreational computer with a cheaper unbalanced octopus.
halocline
Contributor
Hose routing for doubles is another consideration for tech divers.
Personally, as I consider getting into tech (cavern/cave) diving, I'm going with old simple regs that I know to be reliable beyond any doubt. MK5s or MK10s, D300, B/As. Any quality reg these days is pretty damn reliable, but to me the most important consideration in overhead would be ultra reliability. If, for example, I had to choose to go into a potentially stressful overhead environment with one of the older style simple sherwood regs and the new SR1, I'd take the old guy.
Personally, as I consider getting into tech (cavern/cave) diving, I'm going with old simple regs that I know to be reliable beyond any doubt. MK5s or MK10s, D300, B/As. Any quality reg these days is pretty damn reliable, but to me the most important consideration in overhead would be ultra reliability. If, for example, I had to choose to go into a potentially stressful overhead environment with one of the older style simple sherwood regs and the new SR1, I'd take the old guy.
BS.
N, "N" 2 zen
N, "N" 2 zen
White Knight
Contributor
Marketing Baby!! If I can convince you that my regulator for sale is for "Tech" diving then you'll pay more for it. Oh...this one is "over balanced", tuned for 400 ft cold water, titanium parts, and other special state of the art features. Most importantly...we don't like to sell this one to recreational divers. This one is for that Special Forces, deep diving, mixed gas, commercial, ninja, and black belt scuba diver! Are you man enough for this regulator! Are you prepared to see the expression of envy from your buddies and the "extra long" look you’re going to get from the ladies when you air this mechanism of manhood up? If you beg me to sell it to you and you can prove that you are truly the stud diver this regulator demands...then (after I think about it for a while and verify your references) I may just sell it to you for only three times more than the exact same reg in the case next to it--but with a different sticker.
Similar threads
