What regulator do you lust after?

[Nemrod]

I have one. It's a jewel. But it's a totally different animal.
I like the Mk2 because it's so simple and straightforward. I like the inline radial hose layout. But it's heavy. In Titanium it could probably chug on forever.

The Mark 2 Evo in DIN configuration is awfully small and hardly heavy. The yoke/knob weighs more than the regulator casting. If there were a titanium Mark 2 (with titanium DIN and A clamp) I would run, not walk to my nearest Scubapro pirate store and lay my bounty on the table for one .

Please Scubapro, please give us one titanium travel regulator. I know y'all like to build sturdy overbuilt stuff that lasts three lifetimes and cost more money than my credit card (wife) will allow but just one please, one little bitty titanium Mark 2 or give us back the Mark 11 titanium.

 

[scrane]

Yes, the Mk2 yoke is massive compared with the body. As it is the Mk2 runs about two ounces heavier than the balanced Conshelf. The Conshelf's yoke is easy to remove just by unscrewing and easy to pack.
But the Mk2 is so easy to rebuild. Only a little harder than cracking an egg.

 

[Nemrod]

Yes, the Mk2 yoke is massive compared with the body. As it is the Mk2 runs about two ounces heavier than the balanced Conshelf. The Conshelf's yoke is easy to remove just by unscrewing and easy to pack.
But the Mk2 is so easy to rebuild. Only a little harder than cracking an egg.

The Conshelf first is long gone and does not have a replaceable orifice. It is also a balanced diaphragm (1500 lpm) and the current production Mark 2 Evo has a replaceable orifice and is an unbalanced flow by piston (3000 lpm). The Conshelf type has a bunch of little bitty parts and the Mark 2 Evo has one basically. Pick your poison. The AL Core/Helix first stage (spec is 1500 lpm) is very compact and has ACD, especially in DIN!

 

[PR_SMITH]

Not lusting after any more regs; I have Apeks DS4's, DST's and couple of FST's. They all work flawlessly, breath easy, and are simple to service.

 

[PfcAJ]

SP Pilot (unconverted)
SP g250 hot frames, crystals, etc.
DX Overpressure (unconverted)
AL Trademark

Fire.

I’ve got a Snark III on the way, hoping that cleans up nice. Recently added a SP mk6 to the stable. Such a cool idea that just didn’t pan out.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Well OK then, I guess I’m lusting after a MK2 evo now.
I have a couple of Conshelfs but in light of what’s going on with AL I’m not too hopeful that parts will be available for eternity. Autumn may be upon the Conshelfs.
Right now my MK5’s are the go to regs I use up here in Norcal for beach diving. I hooked up my MK20 the other day in prep for a dive day and the IP creeped up to something like 158 from where it stopped at 140 for a minute. That’s on a two year old service with only about 20 dives on it. I let the dive shop do the service because I was busy and had no time.
I’ve never had any creeping problems with my MK2 or MK5’s, they just work.

 

[scrane]

Well OK then, I guess I’m lusting after a MK2 evo now.
I have a couple of Conshelfs but in light of what’s going on with AL I’m not too hopeful that parts will be available for eternity. Autumn may be upon the Conshelfs.
Right now my MK5’s are the go to regs I use up here in Norcal for beach diving. I hooked up my MK20 the other day in prep for a dive day and the IP creeped up to something like 158 from where it stopped at 140 for a minute. That’s on a two year old service with only about 20 dives on it. I let the dive shop do the service because I was busy and had no time.
I’ve never had any creeping problems with my MK2 or MK5’s, they just work.

It's way past winter for the Conshelfs, but the number of parts needing replacement is small and available from third party vendors. Easy IP adjustment is a plus. Nice Conshelf firsts are plentiful on Ebay and can be had for as little as $35. if the seller is interested in actually selling. With any luck your bargain Conshelf first is ready to dive after basic checks.

I would like to have a TFX, and given time I can usually rationalize myself into almost anything, but the present pricing is more than unacceptable.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

It's way past winter for the Conshelfs, but the number of parts needing replacement is small and available from third party vendors. Easy IP adjustment is a plus. Nice Conshelf firsts are plentiful on Ebay and can be had for as little as $35. if the seller is interested in actually selling. With any luck your bargain Conshelf first is ready to dive after basic checks.

I would like to have a TFX, and given time I can usually rationalize myself into almost anything, but the present pricing is more than unacceptable.

I have a Conshelf 11 that actually has some collector provenance. It was used to land the largest jade boulder ever found (9000 lbs. ) in Jade Cove in southern Monterey County in 1974. I had an extra OEM service kit laying around so I just rebuilt it.
My other one is a Conshelf 21 that a neighbor gave me. I put a kit in it several years ago so it’s probably still good for another 5-10 years? I’ll just run both of them to death then hang them on a wall.
The old one I just use with a 1085 on a LP steel 72.
Simple beach dives.

 

[scrane]

Since basic regulator technology has progressed very little over the years there's no reason why we cannot lust after those shiny relics of yesterday and dive them like they were new. There's a reason why Pete Wolfinger's book "Regulator Savvy" copyrighted in 2003 is still available, relevant, and enlightening. Buy them cheap and tear into them and if you screw something up buy another. I guarantee if you rebuild an old Mk5, Conshelf, Mk2, 108, 109, 156 or d300 you're well on your way to understanding how to work on the most modern rigs. Satisfy your lust cheap.

 

[Nemrod]

I did not mean to pick on the poor Conshelf type, at least the internal parts (orifice damage junks the body) are still in most of ALs current line. Not like they have ever come up with anything new in 40 or 50 years or more. And they wonder why nobody gets excited over their latest cool new graphics!

The Mark 5/10 are probably in worse shape for internal replacement parts. I have enough pieces to probably keep my Mark 5s and 10s going for the remainder of my diving but I may have to scavenge some from each other to keep them going. Pistons being one problem area with the integral knife edge.

Every dog has his day and some of these old regs have had several days more than perhaps they should have. But I can go buy a brand new Mark 2 Evo and service kits and the Evo is a solid improvement over the Mark 2 with replaceable orifice, larger piston, tighter IP and higher flow rate, smaller external size, more freeze resistant and it does have a cool new graphics too!