Thinking about buying a regulator

[creamofwheat]

Just a couple basic questions when it comes to purchasing a regulator...

I am a new diver, but want to purchase a regulator that is good quality and will last a nice long time, in cold water. I would be looking into a yoke one, with a hose for a dry suit as well as a BCD. Of course with an octo. Can anybody recommend me a decent brand for a new diver who wants it to last in cold water, one which is rare to start free flowing? Also wondering about SPGs/compass/etc...I will be buying a dive computer (eventually), so do i still need to get a console? And if i do get one, can it easily be removed once i get the computer? (sorry, silly question, I know, but I honestly know nothing about the whole purchasing equipment thing) Also, anything in specific I should be looking for? I am also looking for a ballpark price range (i am canadian, so in canadian dollars, if possible)...I tend to get ripped off from places and I want to make sure that doesn't happen. So much to learn...anyway, thank you in advance for any input.

Edited to add....I have seen and heard prices in the ranges of about $300 to $900ish, so I am somewhat confused as to what i should be paying.

 

[TeddyDiver]

Almost any brand you find with environmantal sealing except Dacor (worst I know).
Check up Scubatoys.com to study prices (USD).

 

[HilaryRN71]

Just a couple basic questions when it comes to purchasing a regulator...

I am a new diver, but want to purchase a regulator that is good quality and will last a nice long time, in cold water. I would be looking into a yoke one, with a hose for a dry suit as well as a BCD. Of course with an octo. Can anybody recommend me a decent brand for a new diver who wants it to last in cold water, one which is rare to start free flowing? Also wondering about SPGs/compass/etc...I will be buying a dive computer (eventually), so do i still need to get a console? And if i do get one, can it easily be removed once i get the computer? (sorry, silly question, I know, but I honestly know nothing about the whole purchasing equipment thing) Also, anything in specific I should be looking for? I am also looking for a ballpark price range (i am canadian, so in canadian dollars, if possible)...I tend to get ripped off from places and I want to make sure that doesn't happen. So much to learn...anyway, thank you in advance for any input.

Edited to add....I have seen and heard prices in the ranges of about $300 to $900ish, so I am somewhat confused as to what i should be paying.

Just a few points to consider...

You can read up on Yoke vs. DIN. I will say DIN is more of a hassle at times, but it's also more secure. Less chance of an O ring failure, and none of those annoying little bubbles that you see floating up from almost EVERY single yoke valve reg setup you see.

Secondly, re: price...there is the saying, "You get what you pay for." I bought a $300 regulator. It was usable. It provided air under water. Decent from the surface to about 60 feet as long as I was upright. If i was on my back..it was work. If I was deeper than 60, it was work. I recommend going into your local dive shop and asking them to explain regs to you, and the difference between balanced and unbalanced regulators.

Also consider if you are going to get into mixed gases? And can your reg handle a higher oxygen blend? Your LDS should be able to answer these questions.

My $300 regulator was pretty quickly replaced with a $700 Atomic which I really love. It is a great balanced reg, and has a 2 year service interval, which saves you money every year you don't have to have it serviced.

Also with the Octopus, consider the Atomic SS1 safe second or equivalent. It is an octopus that fits onto your low pressure inflator. In the event of an out of air scenario, you can quickly give your panicked buddy your primary reg, and switch to your secondary, which is right there on your LPI. Since most panicked buddies grab your primary first anyway, it makes alot of sense. It also helps you streamline...one less hose.

And in closing...let me just say make sure you buy from an authorized dealer so the warranty is good. Good luck!!!

 

[espenskogen]

Just a couple basic questions when it comes to purchasing a regulator...

I am a new diver, but want to purchase a regulator that is good quality and will last a nice long time, in cold water. I would be looking into a yoke one, with a hose for a dry suit as well as a BCD. Of course with an octo. Can anybody recommend me a decent brand for a new diver who wants it to last in cold water, one which is rare to start free flowing? Also wondering about SPGs/compass/etc...I will be buying a dive computer (eventually), so do i still need to get a console? And if i do get one, can it easily be removed once i get the computer? (sorry, silly question, I know, but I honestly know nothing about the whole purchasing equipment thing) Also, anything in specific I should be looking for? I am also looking for a ballpark price range (i am canadian, so in canadian dollars, if possible)...I tend to get ripped off from places and I want to make sure that doesn't happen. So much to learn...anyway, thank you in advance for any input.

Edited to add....I have seen and heard prices in the ranges of about $300 to $900ish, so I am somewhat confused as to what i should be paying.

For diving in Canadian waters, check out Poseidon - I've been using the Poseidon Jetstream for 5 years (The preferred choice of the US Navy when they're not on rebreathers) and have recently upgraded to the Poseidon Extreme. They're expensive, but worth it.

 

[halocline]

There are ALOT of choices for you, and I would suggest that you spend a good deal of time looking around and reading from several sources before you buy anything. Best would be to find someone in your area with some real experience that can advise you, not sell you stuff.

Almost any reg from a reputable company will last a long time; there are plenty of 25-30 year old scubapro and U.S. divers (now aqualung) regs out there still working great. One thing that's important is to have access to a GOOD service tech and parts for your reg. You'll want to consider that; someone recommended poseidon regs, which have a great reputation but are also best serviced by someone who specializes in them as they are constructed differently than most regs. So, if there's not a good poseidon tech in your area, it might not be the best choice.

As far as the gauges go, you need to have a SPG and depth gauge on every dive; so unless you buy a wrist computer at the same time, you'll need a console which includes SPG and depth gauge. There's nothing wrong with having an analog depth gauge as a back up in case your computer says bye-bye while diving. Lots of advanced divers like having only a SPG clipped to their hip and all other instruments on their wrists, but these are divers with experience and typically don't need to look at their SPG that often. For new divers, there's an advantage to havng depth and air supply in the same place for frequent checking, at least IMO.

If the array of choices out there is confusing, you might wait awhile and try to rent whichle you're figuring out what you want. To be honest, a good fitting exposure suit and BC will have a much more noticable impact on your diving at this point than a reg, so if you haven't bought those yet, it's something to consider. You might head over to the BC forum and search for opinions on what typce of BC (jacket, back inflate, backplate/wing) is best for a new diver. Then set aside a couple of months to read the billions and billions of opinions on that one!

 

[Ber Rabbit]

I'm diving a Dive Rite RG2500Ice and love it. It's a DIN/yoke combination, that's nice to have because it doesn't need to be replaced if your diving progresses to a point where you want to use HP tanks. The yoke adapter just screws right into the DIN opening; I put mine on and left it on. The regulator has Vyton O-rings inside which are more durable than regular o-rings and therefore the recommended service interval for the regulator is every 2 years not annually. This is nice for me because I bought from a Michigan shop so my regulator will have to be shipped for service.

A lot of regulators are sold as just the first stage and one second stage, the octopus is a separate purchase as are the gauges. This is nice because you can choose to spend as much or little as you want on your octopus. I chose the compact gauge set with a compass, the console is nice and small and streamlined. I like it a lot better than my standard size console on my Scubapro regulator. The compact gauges I bought are easy to read--I had my husband look at them and he was pleasantly surprised that he could read them easily even with his eyesight.

The BC hose will come with the BC and the drysuit hose will come with the drysuit so you don't have to worry about buying those with your regulator.

Happy shopping to you!
Ber :lilbunny:

 

[Ber Rabbit]

Here's a good deal, actually I just called him and bought another regulator which I DO NOT need but the price was too good to turn it down. Check out the Christmas sale
Ber :lilbunny:

 

[Randy43068]

you breathe like a girl through it. A drink straw would supply enough air for you, little girl! *snickering*

I'm diving a Dive Rite RG2500Ice and love it. It's a DIN/yoke combination, that's nice to have because it doesn't need to be replaced if your diving progresses to a point where you want to use HP tanks. The yoke adapter just screws right into the DIN opening; I put mine on and left it on. The regulator has Vyton O-rings inside which are more durable than regular o-rings and therefore the recommended service interval for the regulator is every 2 years not annually. This is nice for me because I bought from a Michigan shop so my regulator will have to be shipped for service.

A lot of regulators are sold as just the first stage and one second stage, the octopus is a separate purchase as are the gauges. This is nice because you can choose to spend as much or little as you want on your octopus. I chose the compact gauge set with a compass, the console is nice and small and streamlined. I like it a lot better than my standard size console on my Scubapro regulator. The compact gauges I bought are easy to read--I had my husband look at them and he was pleasantly surprised that he could read them easily even with his eyesight.

The BC hose will come with the BC and the drysuit hose will come with the drysuit so you don't have to worry about buying those with your regulator.

Happy shopping to you!
Ber :lilbunny:

 

[Ber Rabbit]

you breathe like a girl through it. A drink straw would supply enough air for you, little girl! *snickering*

Lucky for you I don't have time to find a smiley sticking its tongue out A tech diving buddy turned me onto this reg because I too wanted something that wasn't going to free-flow on me in cold water. While any reg can free flow if you over-breathe it he had tried that with his Dive Rite and didn't get it to free flow.
Ber :lilbunny:

 

[Randy43068]

My old us diver SE2 did a fine job. But I replaced it with an Apex (some letters)100

I really like it.