Which regulator to buy

[oceanrealm]

Hello everybody.
I guess it will be one of the eternal questions posted here:
Which regulator to buy?

I am thinking about buying Mares Proton XL or Ice.
I need a reg for diving in cold water. I live in California, Bay Area and often go to Monterey for diving.

Thanks everybody for recommendations.

Peter.

 

[Gator Diver]

Get your LDS to give you a trial run and see which
you like better

 

[oceanrealm]

Sorry for stupid question -
LSD - is Local Dive Shop? or somethng else?

Thanks,
Peter.

 

[rgerman95]

LDS = local dive shop.

Just for your information, the other abbreviation you'll see lots around here is LP, which is short for Leisure Pro, a New York-based internet retailer. The discussions about the LDS vs. LP go on and on and on and on and on.
:fork:

 

[ScubaRon]

If I remember well Monterey Bay diving doesn't get much colder than high 40's F, so you don't really need a specific coldwater reg.

The Mares' you're looking at are excellent regs. The Proton Ice' all metal housing is nice in preventing cotton-mouth, but I have heard that it is somewhat "heavy" in your mouth.

If I were you I would also look at the ScubaPro MK25 (with S600 or X650 2nd stages) and the Aqualung Legend series. They are top notch reg's that IMO breath better than the Mares. I personally use an Aqualung Legend LX Supreme and can highly recommend it for any diving.
ScubaRon

 

[Welshman]

My wife's got a Proton V16 - very good but as already suggested go to your LDS and get to try a few regs out.

 

[Aquanaught]

Check this website out. If you want to go or already dive with Nitrox than think twice before you buy a Scubapro MK25 Titanium/S600. There are more tests made there. Just check it out if you like to.

http://www.divernet.com/equipment/0202divertests.htm#titan

 

[paulwlee]

Monterey is not cold water in the regulator sense, only in the exposure suit sense.

One thing to keep in mind is that 'cold water regulators' often have tradeoffs that result in poorer performance. These are most true for models with 'ice', 'arctic' etc. in their names.

I would suggest Atomic regulators. I have a B1 and absolutely love it. Depending on the budget, you can get the Z1, B2, M1, or T1. They all have identical performance, and vary in material and some features. The T1, although made of titanium, is OK for use up to 40% Nitrox, but it is really overkill unless you have money to throw away.

I specifically recommend the B2 or the Z1, depending on the price point.

I have also heard that Apeks regulators are really good, too.

If you are on a budget the Oceanic Alpha 7 seems to get great reviews.