Which Reg to get?

[noj3333]

I really like my MK25/ A700/ R195 setup...

It's expensive if bought new, however I bought everything used, and paid about 40%-60% off full retail. Keep an eye on the classified section... you could get that set up for maybe $400-$600 USD.

 

[scubafanatic]

Technically you are right, i dont have much of a reason to get a new one other then my personal desire.
Which is also why im so picky about choosing a new one, going a step down from my current reg will be a stupid thing to do.

I understand the appeal of user adjusted 2nd stages how ever i never felt the need for it with the Abyss , the Vortex design worked well for me.

Another consideration is how good/skilled your reg tech is. A fancy new reg, poorly set up/tuned could well be a step backwards from what you have now. I'd rate my top-shelf units (Apeks XTX 200 / Atomic T2 + T3's / Scubapro MK 25 EVO/S620TI) as top performers, pretty equal to each other.

 

[scubafanatic]

By the way, has any one got a chance to try out some Halcyon Reg's?
I was told they buy the stuff from Scuba Pro and rebrand the plastics but im not sure if thats true ...

Yes, Halcyon regs are 100% rebranded Scubapros, with a 50% markup for the "H".

 

[Mr. Sunday]

Halcyon regs are getting a cosmetic face lift as of this last DEMA and the old ones are all on sale. I just picked up a Halo (G250v) and absolutely love how it breathes paired to a mk25.

H-75p (MK25) for $237 Extreme Exposure
Halo (G250v) for $202 Extreme Exposure
Aura (R290/380) for $144 Extreme Exposure

 

[NAM001]

Hello everyone!
Been thinking of upgrading my Regulator for a while now and with this upcoming black Friday i might get a good chance to do so.

Whats very important to me about a Reg is the ease of breathing, with my current one (Mares abyss navy 22x) i can breath very easily no matter the depth / air pressure.
I also like how sturdy it is and never seemed to flutter, its an absolute work horse.

Would love to hear some recommendation's from you guys, specifically about Scuba Pro / Mares / Aqua lung reg's (easy to service them here).
Sadly i do not have the opportunity to try out myself as i have no accesses to such gear around here, none of my dive buddies have the reg's in question and in the dive clubs they only have cheap rental gear.

My dives are mostly warm water but it does get cold during winter (15-30 Celius) , only salt water dives.
I need something sturdy and reliable that wont fall short of the Abyss navy 22x.

Also as a little side question - Is putting up the money to have a Reg with a swivel worth it? it seems pretty comfortable, but not sure how effective it really is as i never got to try it.

Thanks and have a great day!
- Shachaf

When I first looked for a reg i went to some dive place that did independant comparisons on equipment. that month was regs. I had been away from diving to 20+ years and wanted to get bck into ti again. Long story short teh regs were prety much the same performance wise for rec diving. the main difference was the depth where they started to pull hard. . the scuba pro MK25 did not start to pull hard till past 200 ft. others was noticable at as low as 100 ft. I have no idea now what pulling hard means. whether it was breathing deep double time or normal breathing. I did know that if i ever had to share air,,,,,,I did not want a hard breather when it came to critical demand situation. I later found out that the high air delivery on demand is a trait of piston regulators as opposed to diaphram regs.

As to your hose question i use a 7 foot long hose.

 

[JackD342]

I later found out that the high air delivery on demand is a trait of piston regulators as opposed to diaphram regs

Not sure what you meant here. Are you saying the pistons are the higher Work Of Breathing? If so, I think the trait you are looking for is balanced. Many (most?) pistons are unbalanced, but not all are. I am not aware of a diaphragm design that is unbalanced. My understanding of the EU CE testing standards is that they only evaluate performance with an Octo to 60 feet, and feel you should have a redundant source for deeper dives.

 

[Scared Silly]

The main reason i wish to Upgrade is that my reg is getting old , it has never given me any problems what so ever and even if i get a new reg it wont be discarded, will be adjusted for my pony. I guess i just want that shiny new reg feeling, which i haven't had in a long long time.
I was also thinking of possible new technology and stuff of the sort that might have come out by now, but i haven't seen a really big difference tbh.

I am using a reg that is older. I rebuilt it and replaced a bunch of bits that made it as new. Putting an MR22 on a pony is over kill. An MR12 would be what I would use. There has been very little change in regs over the past 20 years. Much of it is cosmetic bling that really makes no difference. There are new mfg like Hog which have good price point but there is no new technology. I would say save you money and spend it actually diving.

 

[cerich]

their model [snip]is for self-service and never planning to establish a dealer network.

.

that's good to know. I didn't

 

[JackD342]

I am using a reg that is older. I rebuilt it and replaced a bunch of bits that made it as new. Putting an MR22 on a pony is over kill. An MR12 would be what I would use. There has been very little change in regs over the past 20 years. Much of it is cosmetic bling that really makes no difference. There are new mfg like Hog which have good price point but there is no new technology. I would say save you money and spend it actually diving.

Most Mares first stages use the same valve parts inside, and should be getting upgraded over time when serviced if done properly. An MR valve that is about 8 years old or more is probably on a 2nd generation of conical seat, and a 3rd generation of poppet. So those old versions are not quite as old and outdated as you might think.

 

[NAM001]

Not sure what you meant here. Are you saying the pistons are the higher Work Of Breathing? If so, I think the trait you are looking for is balanced. Many (most?) pistons are unbalanced, but not all are. I am not aware of a diaphragm design that is unbalanced. My understanding of the EU CE testing standards is that they only evaluate performance with an Octo to 60 feet, and feel you should have a redundant source for deeper dives.

Higher air delivery of air not higher work to breath. as far as your last statement about EU testing i have no clue what that is about. I will guess that the 60 ft bench mark is a testing thing only. the article i read took all the regs deeper till they started to breath harder and did not find where the SP MK25 breathed any different than on land. I think they stopped at 220 feet the rest all developed to some noticable degree a reduced air flow or more effort to breath before that. That is what made my choice what is was. I self concluded by the info thta if i had to share air at one hundred feet I would not want to get it from someone that used a reg that started to pull harder at 125 ft. panic at 100 is double te air demand for 2 people so its like supplying 4 divers breathing normal. Of course this is not very techincal but say the reg was years old and never rebuilt and was unknowingly only working to half capacity could I still bring someone up sharing air. Scientific or not that made my decision to purchase. I ve been using them since 2003 and i probably have 6 of them. they all work flawlessly.

We have in our club a reg maint guy and that is where i got told that piston regs all in all deliver higher flow rates than diaphram regs. and that I would be hard pressed to demand over load a piston reg.