which brand/reg?

[smartalec_87]

i am new to diving and have about 20 dives. i do most of my diving in monterey so it is a little cold? i have a few newb questions. when is it tconsidered cold water diving? if u use a cold water reg in warm water is there any disadvantage? i plan on doing a lot more diving and maybe becoming a dm so i am diving often. i was looking at the mares stuff. what do you guys think? aqua lung? atomic? aeries? thanks for your in put.

 

[CODMAN]

Alec, I'm no pro, but here is my take on it. Take it for what it's worth...

1- If you really are going to be diving a lot (DM), invest in a good quality reg. It will last you a long time and follow you as you progress (You won't need to upgrade).

2- Cold is relative. But some manufacturers define it as below 10 to 15 ºC. Up here in canada, we sometimes dive 4ºC water which is pretty darned cold. We regularly dive 15-20ºC water and I don't have a specifically "cold water reg" for this. It works fine. No, to my knowledge there are no disadvantages to using cold water regs in warm water, except they are usually heavier.

3- Mares gear is top notch. But so is gear by most of the major manufacturers you mentioned! If you stick to the high end regs, you're pretty sure you'll be getting a good quality reg for your needs. If your LDS lets you try stuff in a pool, do and make your own mind up which one you prefer. A very important aspect in my Oppinion is service! Especially if you are diving a lot. Get a reg easily serviced by your LDS (that they are an authorised dealer of). That way service costs and delays will be kept at a minimum.

Well, that's my view of it. Hopefully, others will correct me/ give their oppinions if I've boobed in my post.

Hope this helps!

 

[smartalec_87]

thanks for the info. i heard that the older mares regs had a problem with the seats in the reg or somthing like that. then i looked at the new catalog and it says they know have "tri-matterial valve" was that to correct the problem?

 

[Scuba-Jay]

A

1- If you really are going to be diving a lot (DM), invest in a good quality reg. It will last you a long time and follow you as you progress (You won't need to upgrade).

2- Cold is relative. But some manufacturers define it as below 10 to 15 ºC. Up here in canada, we sometimes dive 4ºC water which is pretty darned cold. We regularly dive 15-20ºC water and I don't have a specifically "cold water reg" for this. It works fine. No, to my knowledge there are no disadvantages to using cold water regs in warm water, except they are usually heavier.

What he said....

As per a reg suggestion I am a loyal fan of atomic. IMO they are the best regs on the market. If you are going to buy a top end reg, buy THE top end reg...

 

[scubapatton]

If you are thinking of going to DM, here is food for thought.... Most shops (probably not all though) really advocate owning the same manufacturers gear that they sell. Now you could go with whatever is in your budget, personal preference, etc, but once you sign on to a shop, you may find yourself needing some new equipment. You may get some good deals through the shop once you are a DM for them, but it is something to consider at least.

The shop I work for sells Mares, Tusa, AquaLung/Apeks, Sherwood. I started with a Sherwood Maximus (under-arm hose setup) which was great for being low profile for me. I recently got a new reg though - Apeks XTX200 and am migrating the Maximus to my Pony Bottle setup. I bought my wife an AquaLung Legend ACD.

Monterey is not too cold - I would say just on the border of cold. I have dove there a number of times and am actually from the Bay Area. The AquaLung Legend series has a cold water and non-cold water set up, but honestly, the ONLY difference is like a 1/4 turn on the inside of the reg. That and the cold water has a silver ring, the non-cold water a gold ring on the outside. That geing said, once you know which directio to turn it, etc, and as you get more diving & diving equipment experience, it would be a VERY minor task to re-set the reg as needed for Monterey vs warmer water diving.

The regs that get the most acclaim in magazines are Atomic, AquaLung/Apeks and ScubaPro. There are many other manufacturers out there, but some of them are just smaller shops that don't get the smae acclaim, but are no lower in quality - eg Sherwood, Oceanic, Tusa, Mares.

Your best bet is going to be trying out a few of the brands at shops in your area - write down the model names and then research the heck out of them.

I do love my Apeks and AL though.


Hope this helps...

 

[Piro]

for my reg i dive a Z2, depending on how advnaced you decide to get you could get and Atomic M1, for up to 80% Nitrox out of thte box!!!

I too am loyal to teh Atomic, i have two a Z2 and a B2, i havent used my B2 yet but i cant wait,

 

[John_B]

for my reg i dive a Z2, depending on how advnaced you decide to get you could get and Atomic M1, for up to 80% Nitrox out of thte box!!!

80% Nitrox is not likely to be an issue. Recreational nitrox is 40% or below. That's just marketing speak for functionality that will probably never have a real world use. Tech divers that do deco will have deco specific regs that will do 100% O2, not an M1 with exotic metals. FYI.

If I was going to buy an Atomics reg I'd check out the new ST1.

John

 

[CODMAN]

Alec, Mares has been in the business a long time. To my knowledge, the tri-material valve was an upgrade to improve function on the regs, not to fix a design flaw in all their regs. To boot, Phil and Zak, the Mares reps from Mares USA, are always on this site helping out. And they give great customer support (check out the Mares section). That's worth a lot in my oppinion.

Cheers!

thanks for the info. i heard that the older mares regs had a problem with the seats in the reg or somthing like that. then i looked at the new catalog and it says they know have "tri-matterial valve" was that to correct the problem?

 

[keyshunter]

Alec, Mares has been in the business a long time. To my knowledge, the tri-material valve was an upgrade to improve function on the regs, not to fix a design flaw in all their regs. To boot, Phil and Zak, the Mares reps from Mares USA, are always on this site helping out. And they give great customer support (check out the Mares section). That's worth a lot in my oppinion.

Cheers!

I don't know about the other Mares first stages, but the MR-12 first stage, which is otherwise excellent, has had seat problems for a long time. I hope that the new seat finally solves the problem.

 

[smartalec_87]

the rason i was looking at the mares is because they all are metal which seems to make since as far as heat distribution and durability. and i am looking for a high end model that can take me far because i dont want tto buy one for a while.