Newbie to SCUBA. Looking to purchase my own gear.
Looking at all the regulators on the market, there is a very wide price differential between them.
What do you get when you spend the extra money?
My wife doesn't really like the rental regulator we are using for our classes. She says it's hard work to breathe in and out of. Will an expensive regulator provide for easier breathing?
You definitely don’t need to break the bank when getting a regulator. Buying a top of the line titanium regulator from Atomic or Scuba Pro will separate you from more of your money, but most likely won’t breathe any better than their less expensive models. There are a few differences in regulators that are worth considering, but for the most part, they are pretty much available in every brand apart form 1st stage design.
First stage:
Piston or diaphragm. Technically, the piston style is capable of delivering more gas than diaphragm, but in the real world, it doesn’t make much difference. Both styles are capable of delivering much more gas than a diver or two can use.
Sealed or unsealed. If diving cold or extremely murky water, a sealed reg is highly recommended, if not required. For ease of cleaning a sealed 1st stage is recommended, as it keeps whatever water you dive in out of the internals. If going for sealed, a diaphragm makes sense as it doesn’t require expensive lube at service.
Second Stage:
Breathing resistance adjustability. This is a little knob that you can turn to adjust breathing resistance, more accurately cracking effort. Probably not required, but you’ll often see it on the higher end regs. I generally keep mine set at least resistance.
Venturi adjustment. This is pretty useful, as it can prevent free flows at the surface, but in dive mode allows the flow of air to help keep the valve open. On Atomic regs you won’t see this as they have and automatic adjustment.
Heat sink. Usually see this on 2nd stages that come with sealed 1st stages. Prevents freezing if diving in cold water.
General:
Balanced or unbalanced. This is in both 1st and 2nd stages. Generally want balanced regs. I can’t really think of a reason why you would want unbalanced, at least for primaries.
Availability. Both brand and parts. How is the local dealer? I live in FL, so there are dive shops everywhere. Some good, some bad. But generally, I can find a shop that is a dealer in just about every brand. Also ask about service kits. Specifically, ask the shop about commonality across models. Some brands have a single kit that works for all, or many models. That’s a good indication that service will be available for a while.
