M_B:
So let me rephrase what you guys just said :
there is no difference in performance on deps ~100 between (say ) $100 and $400 regs ?
Another thing i want to make sure i'm getting right - i'm not sure if 100 is the depth where i should " draw" the line . I guess it should be up to 160. ( i do understand that this is not the "cruising" range for rec. diving )
The ideal way for you to answer this question would be for you to try out different regs under the same conditions. I realize that's pretty tough to do, for you and countless others buying regs for the first time, and there are lots of LDS salesmen (and companies that promote the various regs) that exploit this inability to "try for yourself" in order to sell you something that will not have an appreciable impact on your diving.
Maybe there's an analogy here. Let's say your diving is somewhat analogous to driving to work, around town, and the occasional trip. Is a honda accord okay for that? How about a mercedes? How about a porsche 911? How about a middle of the road ford or chevy? They're all going to work just fine. Does it matter that the porsche, which can go 200 mph, has a much higher top speed than the accord, when you're only going 70mph max? Why do people buy porsches...that might give you some insight into part of the reg market.
Now take into consideration that driving is a very normal environment, in which you are very aware of small details like the handling, acceleration, etc...consider yourself to be an "expert" driver, because, like the rest of us, you drive everyday. You're going to be diving occasionally and in a very abnormal environment, under water, in which the details of how your regulator works will probably be barely perceptable to you, as long as it works well and you're comfortable getting air. There are many other equipment related things that have a more noticable effect on your diving comfort; wetsuit fit and BC style/fit are first on that list IMO. In other words, if your suit doesn't fit and you get cold, or if you're having trouble with buoyancy due to a poorly designed or bad fitting BC, you'll be much more affected than by a less than high performance reg.
I've dove to 130 ft with both a MK2/R190 and a MK15/G250, which by any standards is a high performance reg. In fact, I've done this on the same trip. Sure, there's a comparative difference in the way the regs feel, but it's not anything like "gee, this MK2/R190 can't cut it, I need more air" and I'd have no hesitation about using the MK2 at that depth again. I'm sure the zeagle envoy would give you the same sort of experience, as alot of people rave about it. The truth is that almost any reg made and sold by a reputable company is way more than sufficient for practically any rec diving scenario, and certainly is much better than equipment that divers used years ago for very demanding environments.
