Which of these regs for stage/deco?

[chuckactor]

I am in the market for a new stage and or deco rego. My diving is primarily warm water caves. I'm on a budget but have found some great deals on some regs. The options I am looking at are (w/ shipping):

MK2/R190 $148
MK2/R380 $178
MK16/R380 $188
Apeks T20 $190? with Din and shipping

The cheapest reg is the MK2/R190, followed the MK2/R380, MK16/R380 and then the Apeks. The Scubapros I can get as DIN, the Apeks is yoke and has to be converted.

Originally I was just looking at the MK2/R190 but then I found the R380 version for $30 more. Or I can get the MK16/R380 for $35 more.

Does the R380 breathe better than a R190? $30 better? Is the MK16 diapragm first better than the simpler MK2? I'm really looking for reliability and something cheap and cheap to service. I threw in the Apeks because LP has them for $140 on sale. I would need to throw in a $35 DIN kit. I currently have dual ATX200 as primaries. I like the regs but the service on them is buck$. Will the balanced Apeks reg breathe any better than the SP stuff?

The price range really isn't that much between them.

 

[Scubaroo]

I was "admonished" on the weekend for using an Apeks DST on a sling bottle, as it is a diaphram regulator, not piston. I was told that piston regs can be hotswapped underwater if there is a problem and you are carrying multiple sling bottles, and diaphram regulators don't like getting water in them, so by using a piston regulator, you don't lose access to the gas in the bottle with the failed reg if you have another reg to swap it with.

The Apeks T20 uses a UST first stage, which is the unsealed version of the DST (diaprham), so it may be a concern. I've seen Apeks DST regulators recommended a number of times on this board for use with sling bottles, can somebody more experienced add some advice here on whether diaphram versus pistion should be a concern for a sling bottle regulator?

 

[100days-a-year]

I have Mk2 /R380s.They work fine to me breathe easy and are somewhat adjustable, in addition they can be configured to route the hose from the left or right.

 

[trymixdiver]

If your stages are going to be used for deep stops wouldnt you want to use a better performer than a reg your just using for shallow deco ?

i would assume a better reg for your stages and for deco regs i would get what my pocket book could afford.

Andy

 

[AquaTec]

Which ever reg you pick keep this in mind.
You will probably spend the better part of your dive breathing off your shallowest deco reg.

you could spend 60 minutes or more at your 20 or 15 foot stop. so get a reg that breaths easy, don't compromise there.