whats the difference

[Kunundrum]

Your relationship with your LDS may be something you want to keep, Ask them if they can do better on the pricing. the Personal service you can get from a LDS is worth the extra money Vs. A cheaper online price.

It's difficult to buy a "Bad" reg but it's easy to to by the "wrong" reg.

if you plan on traveling a lot you might want to consider a light weigh reg, but you definably want a mainstream regulator (SP/Apeks/AL). in case you need emergency Service, parts will be easely available on mainstream regs, but typically will cost more to buy initially.

I personally Like the "Air2" setup and have a Atomic SS1, this may be something you want, then again you might prefer the typical alternate second.

Piston Vs. Diaphragm Does not really matter much they both work quite well without any significant drawbacks.

Cold water Rated... do you plan on diving in Sub 40deg water, if so this might be a consideration.

Ultimately, all the regulator out there will do the job from Atomic to Zeagle the choice is yours because your lips will be wrapped around them, but ensure whatever you buy is appropriate for the type of Diver you are.

 

[rstofer]

There are 3 major manufacturers that are available around the world: ScubaPro, AquaLung and Oceanic. The others: HOG, Apeks, Zeagle, (dozens of others) may not have worldwide support.

The limiting temperature for cold water versus warm water is 50 deg F (there's actually a European standard driving this). If you are planning to dive in cold water, buy a regulator that the manufacturer recommends for cold water. It will, no doubt, be a sealed diaphragm 1st stage and a 2d stage with significant metal.

If your LDS won't service what they don't sell, you have a problem that only you can deal with. There are plenty of shops that are happy to get any service business. Sure, you won't get the free parts for life unless you buy from a certified dealer but there isn't any guarantee you will anyway. Just miss a service by a few days and see what happens. There are also companies in the business of servicing regulators. Yes, you have to mail them off and wait for them to come back but, hey, it's snowing!

LeisurePro services what they sell and they discount ScubaPro and AquaLung. They are an Oceanic dealer so the Oceanic prices are nothing to write home about.

Then there are regs like HOG where the company will sell you all the parts you want and the retailers will train you to service them. I don't have any but from all reports, they are excellent. You can pick up a cold water first stage around $150 and 2 second stages for about $100 each. DiveRightInScuba.com and Tech Diving Limited, a subsidiary of Scuba Training and Technology Inc.

HOG is headquartered in Macon, GA. edge gear diving scuba snorkeling manufacturer

If you are thinking about cold water, AquaLung has the best web site. Every cold water regulator has an snowflake icon next to the desciption. Oceanic is next: they don't recommend any piston 1st stage so only the CDX5 and FDX10 diaphragm based regs apply and the Delta4/FDX10 was selected by NOAA, the US Coast Guard and the US Navy for cold water diving.

Me? Well I like the old Oceanic Omega II regs and my cold water version just replaces the first stage with a CDX5. Or, maybe I'll use one of my double hose regs. But I have been seriously looking at that HOG setup. $350 for the complete setup is pretty sweet!

Richard

 

[Atomic_Diver]

I really like my Atomic M1 since it pretty much is good for anything cold, ice, deep, caves, drift, EANx up to 80% w/o O2 cleaning, so long as its dedicated to EANx from the first use, or interchangeablely from Air to 50%, and Its an Extremely Easy Breather....

 

[WeldonDowd]

I am buying regulators right now too and figure like this: In the unlikely event that you have a regulator failure overseas or somewhere where they don't have parts for your particular brand simply rent a reg for $20.00 and go diving. I'm not paying twice as much for a regulator on the chance that parts are available wordwide or one that my local shop likes because he sells. And Atomic Diver hit the nail on the head with that free service for life hogwash your LDS tells you when they sell you an overpriced reg. I probably dive some of the same waters as you do, OP, as I am one state below you. I am getting a balanced diaphragm first stage, with balanced adjustable seconds. Take a good look ant HOG and Edge before spending too much. Most of the recommended regulators people are suggesting are made by Ocean Divers Supply anyway. Unless your rich of course and then buy Atomic's most expensive reg.

 

[MinisterDblue]

Thanks guys for your imput.... what exactly is the diaphragm????

 

[Nemrod]

So I'm in the market to buy a regulator. What is a good brand to buy? There's so many to choose from. Much info of why a brand is better than another would be helpful....

Just pick one, after you own it next time you will know more about what to look for. This is one of the most asked questions. There are so many cars to choose from. I drive a Jeep Wrangler, I think Jeeps Wranglers are best. Do you drive a Jeep, if not, why ask what regulator somebody else might like?

I like Voit regulators best, like this:

Or just get an Aqua Lung Titan LX and be done with it.

N

 

[oldmossback]

I'm in Arkansas and dive the local lakes and diving the oceans in the Southern Hemisphere.

MinisterDblue, what or where in the Southern Hemisphere have you been diving?

 

[MinisterDblue]

I have dove in Belize and Costa Maya... I hope to Cozumel, Hawaii and Australia sometime soon...

 

[SkimFisher]

Nothing is "crap". It's all designed to be life-support gear. Some are nicer than others. Some will breath better (for you) than others. Some are made from different materials. I don't listen to anyone that says any piece of gear is "crap". That's just ignorance talking.

Even the most generic regs will keep you alive so long as you take care of them.

But, having said that - if you're taking your diving to the limit you obviously want the best. But to say another reg is "crap" because it's not the right tool for the job is, well, crap.

On the other hand. Atomic regs are recommended to me over Zeagle almost 90% of the time. No one has ever said anything bad about Zeagle regs. But Atomic always seems to win that conversation (albeit, not by much).

 

[Wayne at DiveSeekers]

While we're on the discussion, I do a lot of diving (rec & Tec) and the majority of it here in the NE and I swear by my Atomic M1's. Our shop has SP, Oceanic, DiveRite, Sherwood etc.. and my vote is the same...M1's (Great Hose Routing, Reliability & Performance).

If you are merely looking at price point the DiveRite RG3000 w/Environmental kit or the Oceanic CDX5/GT3 are not bad options.

A lot of good products out there so you have to think about the following factors Price Point, Servicing, and a Company that you believe in.