Which Reg to Buy?

[ams511]

What??? A hole in the bottom doesn't make a reg any more tech than it having a swivel turret.

I'm IANTD & TDI trained & I've never heard of any tech school that says a hole at the bottom makes a reg more tech suitable.

SangP

Sang, all he is saying is that you get better hose routing by having a bottom port. Also Dive Inn no longer ships to the USA anymore.

 

[SangP]

Sang, all he is saying is that you get better hose routing by having a bottom port. Also Dive Inn no longer ships to the USA anymore.

Ah, I see. Perhaps with a singles setup it would be better but doubles I don't see that being a benefit over my DS4 or FST.

I wasn't aware that DiveInn doesn't ship to the US :depressed:

For my type of diving, I make my purchase on these requirements:

1. Proven reliability & ease of breathing
2. Ease of repair/parts availability & model longevity

I'm not knocking on Hog regs but they are relatively new & I'm not sure about parts availability or longevity.

SangP

 

[ams511]

Ah, I see. Perhaps with a singles setup it would be better but doubles I don't see that being a benefit over my DS4 or FST.

I wasn't aware that DiveInn doesn't ship to the US :depressed:

For my type of diving, I make my purchase on these requirements:

1. Proven reliability & ease of breathing
2. Ease of repair/parts availability & model longevity

I'm not knocking on Hog regs but they are relatively new & I'm not sure about parts availability or longevity.

SangP

For singles you get cleaner routing if the long hose comes from the bottom port. Although with miflex hoses the benefit is probably reduced.

DiveInn stopped shipping to the US, Canada, and Australia people are very upset over this.

From what people say:
HOG regs breath as well as other top of the line regs
Hog regs are well built
They are also heavy so jaw fatigue may be a problem

You have the ability to buy parts kits from the retailer and hog offers training to service their regulators.

Currently HOG Regs are about $130-140 for a first and $100 - 120 for a second. They sold alot during the Black Friday sale when they were $150 or so for a first and second.
So I expect to see more reviews in the future.

 

[SangP]

Although, the prices of the Hogs are very affordable and I do belive that reg prices should be around that instead of the ridiculous $500++ that a lot of regs go for, Hogs aren't that readily available here in Singapore.

I don't doubt they are well built n if I was in the us n was in the market for a starter reg kit a hog would rate very high indeed : )

SangP

 

[Cruiser24]

If you are considering tech n want an affordable setup that you can use for both tech n rec I would recommend this in a heartbeat!

I prefer a DS4 if you prefer an XTX 2nd stage then this is what I would get:

or if you have more $

In any case, you would still have to get a tech hose setup of either 5 or 7 foot long hose n a 2' necklace from either TDL or scubatoys.

SangP

many thanks for your suggestions sangp. i noticed u r quite a supporter of apeks

m based in singapore too so m curious how do u go about with the warranty and servicing of regs bought online? sori m a noob in this area

 

[Bronson]

I have 3 sets of Scubapro mk25/600's including one that it titanium. These are used in both cold and warm tropical waters. One is set up for tech diving with 7' hose (bottom hole). Knowing what is know now, I have avoided the titanium set as it is not value for the money to me (twice the price) for what i use them for.

 

[SangP]

many thanks for your suggestions sangp. i noticed u r quite a supporter of apeks

m based in singapore too so m curious how do u go about with the warranty and servicing of regs bought online? sori m a noob in this area

I did guess you were from Singapore or around this region.

Servicing & isn't an issue as I either service my own or get a friend to do it for me as his day job is servicing dive equipment and high altitude sky diving gear for the military and he has his own workshop.

I'm really not a supporter of any particular brand but rather what works best for me. Scubapro is a really nice reg but the prices n support here SUCKS! Imagine being told that you'll get free servicing for 5 years when I got the regs but when I asked bout O2 cleaning I was told to go elsewhere. What's the point of buying from an lds n not being able to get servicing or parts... real expensive parts too.

Legend regs are the best breathing regs I've ever used but cus most of my friends use apeks its easier for us to just get service kits in bulk.

I never considered Mares, Aeris, Cressi cus I've always considered them more rec than tech regs.

Email me at 55fathoms@gmail.com if you want to talk shop.

SangP

 

[SangP]

I have 3 sets of Scubapro mk25/600's including one that it titanium. These are used in both cold and warm tropical waters. One is set up for tech diving with 7' hose (bottom hole). Knowing what is know now, I have avoided the titanium set as it is not value for the money to me (twice the price) for what i use them for.

Ti... ouch! Why did you decide to that other than for the weight? Although, scubapro has really great regs with fantastic corrosion resistance that's better than apeks, their the 2nd stage is ridiculously expensive @ sgd $400 or usd $250! Furthermore, when I first got my scubapro they only had the MK25 n refused to bring in the Mk17. I gave up on the local distributor after that n the servicing issues.

SangP

 

[Scott L]

What??? A hole in the bottom doesn't make a reg any more tech than it having a swivel turret.

I'm IANTD & TDI trained & I've never heard of any tech school that says a hole at the bottom makes a reg more tech suitable.

SangP

I agree. Define the bottom of a reg anyway. Case in point, the very techie Apeks TeK3...

Apeks Products

 

[SangP]

I wanted to get the Tek3 initially but when I found out that it comes in a lefty & righty with ports only on a particular side, I balked. A FST is a more practical reg considering that I could use it for single & doubles, cold & warm n not have to worry that I brought 2 lefties by accident LOL!

SangP