What's the most solid reg for the best price?

[halocline]

The Mk2 is bulletproof and cheap to service, however it's unbalanced so the deeper you go, the harder it gets to breath. Not bad if he's only going to do shallow reefs, but what about that one time during the trip you hit a wreck at 100' or so? Might as well get the Oceanic GT3 CDX5 DVT(my god that's a long name) since it's so cheap and balanced, so it will breath the same at 100' as at 20'.

Sorry, but this totally false. Balancing a reg has nothing to do with how it reacts to depth. You're confusing "balancing" with "depth compensating" which all regs must do or they would not work.

Balanced 1st stages hold a constant intermediate pressure regardless of tank pressure. The SP MK2, as an unbalanced piston reg, will drop about 15 PSI throughout the tank range. Most divers would notice nothing until the tank falls well below 500 PSI, at which point the reg will become noticeably stiffer breathing. Since the OP mentioned safety, it's worth mentioning that if your BF is an occasional diver and might not pay attention to his SPG as well as he should, the increase in breathing effort will provide a good reminder that it's time to head for the surface. This quality, along with the MK2's total reliability, make it an ideal pony or stage reg if you ever head in that direction. I've had my MK2 down to 130 ft and it performed just fine.

I'm not knocking the oceanic, although I personally think that the DVT is a bad idea and an example of gimmick marketing in the scuba industry.

Anyhow, I'd go with a MK2/R190 (or 290) for $125 if you can find one. There's nothing wrong with buying a used one IF you know someone that is a competent and reliable tech to service it.

 

[ivobj]

I Love my MK25/S600...

 

[Couv]

Mattboy hit the nail on the head as usual. My vote is for the SP MK 2 too.

Here is my usual cut and paste advice below to explain why:

For the short version, just skip to the bottom.

Shortly, you will be swamped with advise about buying a regulator, mostly by people who own a brand and are very fond of it. One thing to keep in mind about regulators is that most are great at what they do. So how do you separate the wheat from the chaff? That won't be easy, but it will be fun and entertaining. Soon you will find out there are quite a few gurus on this board in each section. It's helpful to pick out a few of them and read lots of their post and you will be off to a very good start. In the regulator section I can highly recommend the post of (in no particular order) Awap, DA Aquamaster, Captain, Pescador775 and Luis H ©Õhere are lots of others but that will keep you busy for a while.

At any rate, you want a regulator brand that has a good track record for keeping parts available for each model. Of course unless you intend to DIY, you also want a regulator that can be serviced by your local dive shop and lots of locations in the world. The two best companies in both regards are Aqualung and Scubapro.
My recommendation for the average recreational diver, i.e. not freezing water, 150 feet or less, is a simple non balanced piston 1st stage such as the Scuba Pro MK 2 (or Aqualung Calypso, Mares R2, Sherwood Brut, Oceanic SP4 and a few others.) This simple design is usually inexpensive, nearly bullet proof, easy to get parts for and easy and inexpensive to service. It is also easy to DIY because it requires only a few o-rings and a seat. Yes, the unbalanced design will increase the breathing effort at low tank pressure, but I view this as a good thing especially for new or inexperienced divers. See this thread: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/regulators/87374-scuba-pro-r190-2.html

Additionally, if/when one wants to start more advanced diving where high concentrations of oxygen will be used this type regulator can be moved to that application.

For a second stage I like an adjustable and balanced unit. This provides the ability to have the regulator tuned to minimum inhalation resistance with the option of the diver increasing the resistance it if he/she finds the need to. Having said that, a straight forward classic downstream design with a simple to replace set of o-rings and button soft seat can be highly recommended as it is a tried and true design, parts are usually available and almost anyone can service them.

It is a good idea to have the same manufactures 1st and 2nd stage to make getting service less complicated.

For more demanding diving and high end/higher performance (higher price) regulators see the following link for DA's excellent advice.
<http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/regulators/181745-advice-regulators.html>

Now, if you have read through my entire boring post or have done the sensible thing and just skipped down to this part, the best advice would be to contact (send a PM) someone who rebuilds regulators like DA Aquamaster and see if he has a rebuilt ready to sell.

Good luck,

Couv

 

[lowviz]

...At any rate, you want a regulator brand that has a good track record for keeping parts available for each model...

Yeah, Poseidon. Curious, why no mention of Atomic?

 

[Couv]

Yeah, Poseidon. Curious, why no mention of Atomic?

From what I understand, both are great regulators, but I did say:

...unless you intend to DIY, you also want a regulator that can be serviced by your local dive shop and lots of locations in the world. The two best companies in both regards are Aqualung and Scubapro.

No slam to Poseidon or Atomic.

c

 

[NorthWoodsDiver]

I own almost a dozen of these (in DIN) so I think I can recommend it:

Scubapro MK17 S600. Regulators Regulators, Scubastore.com, buy, offers, scuba

notice, that site allows you to buy just a first and just a second stage if you prefer different combos. a mk17 is only $160 new!!!

 

[lowviz]

From what I understand, both are great regulators, but I did say:

...unless you intend to DIY, you also want a regulator that can be serviced by your local dive shop and lots of locations in the world. The two best companies in both regards are Aqualung and Scubapro.

No slam to Poseidon or Atomic.

c

Oh. Looking at getting an Atomic. Thanks.

 

[ZzzKing]

I agree with some of the comments above get YOURSELF a backup reg, something you would use and let him BORROW it when he dives with you.

This has been my method of acquisition for gear for my wife and I must say that it has been very effective in helping me put together a lightweight, warmwater rig to augment my heavy drysuit rig. And, best of all, I'm "doing it for her". An added benefit will be in 5 years or so when I can let the little girl use it to go diving with Daddy.

 

[Couv]

I own almost a dozen of these (in DIN) so I think I can recommend it:

Scubapro MK17 S600. Regulators Regulators, Scubastore.com, buy, offers, scuba

notice, that site allows you to buy just a first and just a second stage if you prefer different combos. a mk17 is only $160 new!!!

! is correct, $160 for a MK 17- hard to argue against that.

 

[Ragnar]

! is correct, $160 for a MK 17- hard to argue against that.

No kidding. And for those into Apex how about a DS4 for $146, that's a smoking deal too! Apeks DS4 First Stage. Regulators Regulators, Scubastore.com, buy, offers, scuba