What Reg Do You Recomend

[Jarrett]

Exotic aluminum alloys or titanium are almost always not worth the extra money, and in some cases do not hold up well over the years.

Ah, I should have mentioned that in my post. I wouldn't have gone with the titanium setup had it not been less expensive than the non-titanium ScubaPro, Atomic and top of the line Zeagle regs. I figured since I could get titanium for less than non-titanium, it was worthwhile for me in this case.

 

[msedivingdoc]

Just a quick reminder to a new buyer...online purchases of scubapro and some other regs will not come with the free parts deal. Read the online schpeal if you agree buy online. Since I like to have mine worked on @ LDS that is where I have to buy my next reg.... wish someone had told me before I bought. BTW I just wanted to let him know, not turn this into a online vs LDS thread... there are plenty of those, just do a search if curious.

 

[Jarrett]

There are many possible explanations, including the reg being out of tune.

That could be possible. I didn't ask Larry at ScubaToys if these new regs were properly setup when he sold them to me. I just made the assumption since its ScubaToys and pretty much everyone agrees they are one of the better stores in business that all was fine.

 

[Wreck]

I second the Scuba Pro from a LDS since you get great service after the sale.

That's only relative - depends on the shop, the day, the proprietor, the reg tech, and how much business you do with them.

ScubaPro has a lot of market penetration here in the States, you should not be having a problem getting it serviced in most places. If you buy a reg from an LDS, they should be able to service it.

 

[Wreck]

Zeagle DSV and DX second stage. Made in Florida and lifetime warranty. Awesome reg for any diving conditions, water temp, or murky water.

Zeagles used to be made by Apeks, not sure if they have their own manufacturer and custom designs now or what.

 

[Web Monkey]

We jump in the pool at ScubaToys to try out the new equipment and I quickly notice that at 11 feet my ScubaPro Mk25/S600 was not giving me as much air as I was hoping to receive. I am sure it was enough air, but for a big guy and newbie like me it gives me comfort to feel like my regulator is delivering a bunch to me. So for reference I swapped regs with my daughter's Oceanic and it was giving me much more air at 11 feet. I was immediately more comfortable with it. Luckily, ScubaToys let me swap my ScubaPro reg out for the Oceanic and that's the one I am using now.

It may have been mis-adjusted, or maybe the tank wasn't turned on all the way. The Mk25/600 has a huge flow rate and will supply more air than you could possibly breathe.

Terry

 

[Wreck]

Something's really strange about this, because the MK25/s600 delivers WAAAYY more air than it is humanly possible to breathe, no matter how big you are. I can guarantee you that the Oceanic does not deliver more air; maybe you had the 2nd stage adjustment set so that the reg would breathe harder or the reg was seriously out of tune, or for whatever reason at the time you were using the SP your state of mind and/or physiology was different causing you to have some sort of reaction about not being able to breathe easily enough..who knows. As long as you got the reg you want, you're set. People sometimes criticize the MK25 for having too high a flow (something around 5 times the capacity of the most high performance 2nd stages available under full freeflow) so I'm certain your problem was not the reg's capacity.

Most every regulator should deliver plenty of air above 100'. If you are able to overbreath your reg under stress-free diving conditions, something is certainly not right with your reg.

A lot of second stages have cracking pressure adjustment knobs that can make the reg so sensitive that it will nearly free-flow. A Venturi lever (AKA pre-dive/dive lever) will assist in shoving air into your mouth once the valve is cracked open and air flow begins for each breath. Many upper-end (but still within your price range) regs will have this feature. I find it most useful when diving against current or scootering as both can cause your reg to freeflow via the pressure against the purge button depending on the reg's sensitivity.

 

[StSomewhere]

Well, Scubasarus is correct in saying everyone had a different view. But, Apeks came up more than once. And Apeks is owned by the famous U.S. Divers aka. Aqua Lung.

Funny how people have different perceptions of brands. I have an Apeks TX50/TX40/DST and the one downside to this IMO is that Apeks is owned by Aqualung which means I have to deal with the Aqualung America bull**** internet/mailorder policies, since I live in the good ol' US of A.

OTOH, its been a good set so far, and seems like it would be very easy to get serviced around the world if need be (which IIRC is what youduke originally asked, not just what everyone's favorite was).

If I had been able to find a Zeagle shop at the time I first bought my regs I would almost certainly own a ZX/Flathead-VI instead.

Zeagles used to be made by Apeks, not sure if they have their own manufacturer and custom designs now or what.

That was true once, but hasn't been the case since maybe 1999 or 2000 (whenever it was that Aqualung bought Apeks). The ZX/Flathead-VI is a different (modified?) design and its WOB numbers are actually superior to the Apeks/Aqualung lines, go figure.

 

[Wreck]

I just started but would like one that is dependeble and easy to breath with. Dont wont to have to upgrade for a while and would like to have one that is a good brand name that can be worked on and serviced most anywere if need be. thanks .maybe 3 to 400 dollar range.
I mostly will do sping diving maybe some ocean thanks again

If diving springs leads to cave diving, which it usually does, you will be entering a realm requiring specialized gear and training. If you think that might be in your future, it would be good to look at what that crowd uses so you don't end up getting equipment you will have to upgrade/replace in the future. First off, buy a first stage that can route hoses cleanly down along the tank.

Most new buyers just want to be told they're getting a really good reg - it's the psychological "feel-good" factor when they're not sure which one is better. Those annual regulator ratings are nice, but mainly window dressing. The average user is not going to notice the difference for which he/she just paid an extra $200 for one reg over a similar one. Get a reg that's been proven. Apeks and Scubapro have been there and continue to get the job done.

My personal favorite is Apeks because I prefer:
1.) An environmental seal (diaphragm) to keep water-borne debris out
2.) Cold-water performance
3.) Deliver plenty of air during stressed moments
4.) Clean/streamlined hose routing for technical configurations
5.) Compact and clean (less of a snag potential)
6.) Proven reputation among those who dive the extremes.

That's not to say Apeks has the best reg for you, it depends on what you plan to do with it.

 

[dustbowl diver]

Many of today's regulators are built to be replaced, not serviced. Consider what the regulator is made up of and factor that into your decision. I went inexpensive for my first purchase, a TUSA set up from our very own ScubaToys. I am very happy with it, but know that I will want to upgrade at some point.

I am leaning toward the retro movement as a good many of these dependable models don't contain the amount of plastic found in today's itterations