which reg - oh the agony!

[buff]

"I hate this process...Bob"

Oh yeah, how I hated looking over diving equipment-the torture of it all!

All those are good choices IMHO.

So, what about the price? Ask Yooper what he paid for his new ATX50 with DS4 first stage. Without a doubt that is what I would get-the price is just too fantastic to believe-$225.00.

Maybe Yooper could score you the same deal. That is what I would do-perhaps even in place of my Odin-I can't believe I said that!

Get the Apeks then we can move on to the next essential purchase - the dry suit......and you thought the regulator decision was hard?

 

[bluce]

okay here's a question...I can't ocean or even pool test the regs around here. Will breathing through a regulator attached to a tank on dry land give me ANY valuable information to help me decide? Obviously says nothing about depth, but how about general characteristics? ... Bob

 

[Lost Yooper]

You can tell the difference between a bad reg and a good reg's breathability on dry land. The higher performance regs "feel" about the same. Mostly, you would get a sense of the ergonomics of the regs (weight, mouth piece size and shape, etc).
I live way up here in the boonies and have bought all of my equipment completely blindly, but based on years of research. I picked out a group of divers who knew more than most and learned from them. It was a gamble, I guess, but it worked out splendidly. Of course, I would recommend getting wet with the regs you want, but sometimes you just have to hope for the best.


Good luck.

Mike

PS. I'm getting a sense that you are really agonizing over this one .

 

[bluce]

Mike...thanks. About 25 years ago when I lived in Hawaii I dived quite a bit with a Calypso J, only reg I ever owned. Except for rentals and a 1 minute breath off of a friends Poseidon (that was nice!) I have no regulator experience. A little over a year ago a friend of mine talked me into getting back into diving as I am still an avid swimmer and snorkeler (tech snorkeler of course!). So I got recertified. I bought a BC (god knows why) and a wetsuit but not the regulator. I have been renting regulators. Got tired of the inconsistent performance from rentals and decided to buy. Boy did that open a can of worms. I knew I wanted a smooth breather (who doesn't) and the bubble interference thing seemed to matter to me for some reason. To make things tougher, I live near two dive shops so I have LOTs of great brands to pick from. Even if I limit my choices to Scubapro, there's the G250HP, S550, D400, S600. What to do, oh what to do! I'm sure I will be happy with whatever I end up getting, none of the choices are bad ones. And I am very thankful for all the sage advice by folks on this forum. I will certainly post my purchase when I make it. ... Bob

 

[Blargh]

Originally posted by Lost Yooper
I just ordered an ATX50/DS4 for $225 from my favorite Apeks supplier. I seriously doubt you can find a better combo for any money, much less for just over $200.

Mike

GRRR... I'm buying that for 275 GBP!!!!! And thats considered cheap....

 

[large_diver]

Blargh,

Don't feel bad -- most retail shops in the US are much more expensive than what you're paying. Both of my local shops sell the Apeks TX-100 for $575-600, and that doesn't include the octo!

-LD

 

[Lost Yooper]

Bluce,

Of those four SP's, the only one I have heard a lot of bad things (more than the others anyway) about is the D400. I can't remember what all the problems were off the top of my head as I wasn't paying much attention over the years. I suspect you would be happy with any of those you mentioned. The G250 is the reg by which all others are compared to -- the bench mark.

Blarge, some people just get lucky, I guess. Normally, I'm not one of them .



Mike

 

[bluce]

Mike, thanks. I believe that the D400 is now out of production but will continue to be supported. So I will choose among the other three. I am leaning towards the S550 because...it is less expensive than the S600 and has one less knob to mess with. It is (I believe) lighter in weight than the G250 or G250HP. It is also cheaper than the G250HP. The prices, as listed in the SP catalog are:

S600/MK25 - $670
G250HP/MK25 - $550
S550/MK25 - $520

*MK25 is the chrome plated brass, not titanium or ultra light

The other brands that I considered are, Apeks (of course) and the Oceanic Alpha 7.

Bob
ps...I am hoping to buy tonight - this forum should be relieved!!