Which regs are the cheapest for annual service?

[Ricky B]

Of course, the price will vary by shop and location, but I assume some manufacturers charge more for their parts than others, and some regs may be more complicated to service than others.

So do some regs/brands have a reputation for being more thrifty in the maintenance department?

 

[Fishpie]

To some extent reg design plays a part.....unbalanced flow by piston 1st stage and unbalanced downstream 2nd stage require less parts than diaphragm or balanced piston regulators.
Sherwood ,AquaLung and Oceanic/Aeris are less expensive than Apeks, Mares and Scubapro.
Cost of parts is much less than the labor to install.

 

[Rich Keller]

Learning to do the service yourself would be the cheapest way to go. I would go with older regs you can get off ebay like the Scubapro MK3 1st & R108HP 2nd and the US Divers Conshelf 12 or 14 or Aquarius. They are cheap, easy to service and the parts do not cost much.

 

[reefrat]

In theory a good unbalanced piston first stage with a mid -range balanced second stage should be the best compromise of performance and economical servicing- something like an Aqualung Calypso first stage with a Titan LX second, or a S/Pro MK2 with a balanced second stage, maybe the Edge Epic EXP?
Some shops charge more than others- Scubatoys has a service that is reasonable and I have used them a few times with good results.
It seems to me that we are hearing more and more about this topic and maybe economy of servicing is going to become a more prominent selling point for regs in future?

 

[Jim Lapenta]

The Edge Epic and EXP are two separate models. And both are actually balanced diaphragm regs. However both are easy to service. The other item to consider is that most regs do not need to be rebuilt on an annual basis. The recommended rebuild on Edge and HOG is two years. There is a recommended annual inspection. But not having it done is not going to affect what I for example charge for the rebuild. A rebuild with parts including servicing of the hp spool, a first stage, and both seconds is around 150.00. Divide that by the two year interval and the cost is 75 per year. With the annual inspection at 35.00 you still end up at less than 100 per year. The only additional cost for most of my customers is return shipping and what it costs to send to me. There are exceptions. If you are doing 300 + dives a year or don't take reasonable care of your gear you may need a rebuild sooner. But that would be with any reg.

Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk 2

 

[ams511]

The cost of a regulator service is comprised of labor and parts. The labor cost usually depends more on the dive shop than the brand. Most dive shops charge one price regardless of brand. The cost of parts vary from brand to brand but most are within a few dollars of each other. Parts for Sherwoods are probably the least expensive and parts for Poseidon's are the most expensive. If you are going to rely on a dive shop for service then I would recommend a brand with free parts for life.

 

[rjk75]

I agree with the previous posters: if you can do-it-yourself, then that's the cheapest way to go. I would also add that if you have a reg that is durable and forgiving, then helps as much with minimizing annual ownership costs. (My old Sherwood Brut comes to mind.) Get a few basic tools, an IP gauge, and some repair manuals and the knowhow.

 

[kelemvor]

I just had my scubapro regs serviced. If you meet the criteria for their parts for life program then you only pay labor on service. I paid $120 total to have two firsts and two seconds serviced at a local shop.

If you can't qualify for the program (or a similar one by another company) I thought I had read that the HOG regulators were cheap to service. Someone else will have to confirm or deny since I don't own a HOG.

 

[Rich Keller]

$120 seems high but since I do my own service I do not know what the current rates are. The free parts for life programs are a marketing gimmick, the parts to do the 2 1st & 2 2nd stages I just worked on a couple of weeks ago cost me less then $5. I have no experience with HOG regs but my understanding is that after you take their course on how to service their regs they will sell you the parts but I do not know what they charge.

 

[Kharon]

I service my Cressi regs myself. Cressi posts complete service instructions and it's not rocket science. Annual service of regs, BC's, and all the other things( computers etc) is simply a cash cow for dive shops and total bushwah. I'll keep my money (thank you very much) and spend it on trips.