Which regulator to buy

[fnfalman]

I notice that the exhaust valves vary between manufacturers. Some have wide T valves that seem to try to channel the bubbles away from the face. Is there any preference out there on exhaust options on brands. Any brands do it better than the other? What I noticed was Atomics have wider T's.

It's nice to have bubbles vented away from your field of view and that's where the wider exhausts come in. The Atomic M1 has an even wider exhaust.

---------- Post added February 28th, 2013 at 10:46 AM ----------

One more thing. Materials. Do they really matter? Sounds like a marketing gimmick. Sure, titanium is great but people have been diving with non titanimum for decades. My local LDS guy even said he is still servicing regulators 20 years old. It has been drilled into me to take care of my gear and it will be no different for my regs and that is why I prefer a sealed unit as a redundancy. Other than rinsing my gear will there be an instance where titinium will have a significant benefit? Also what about brass, tungsten and those other materials? Any comparison charts with pros and cons out there?

Unless you intentionally abuse or neglect your equipment, chromed brass will work just fine for decades to come. Titanium is nice for bragging rights and lightweight. Corrosion resistance is a bonus. Stainless steel handles corrosion just fine too but still heavy. Unless you plan on living under saltwater for days on end without facility to rinse off your regs even just once with freshwater, save the money and buy chrome plated brass. Or if you just want bragging rights, then shell out extra for titanium or stainless steel.

Yes you are right. From what I have read, it helps with corrosion from seawater. Brass and other coatings don't hold up as well. Although I did read that tititanium might not be able to handle higher blends of O2, so you need to be careful to make sure the manufacturer supports up to 40%. I thought this was odd since titanium seems more inert than the other metals and didn't expect the higher O2 to oxidize the titanium as much. But my chemistry is already rusty anyways.

I don't know about other manufacturers' titanium regs, but Atomic titanium regs are limited to 40% nitrox (which is what rec divers are limited to anyway) or 80% nitrox if it's a dedicated reg (that means you'd use it for nitrox only and no air). When you start doing nitrox dives greater than 40%, chances are the cost of a reg is the least of your concern (tech diving is extremely expensive with gears, trainings and gas m,ixes).

How does the warranty work when I buy from Northeast Scuba Supply? Do I need to send the reg back to them or can any authorized dealer service the reg and maintain the warranty. When I buy used, the warranty is normally out the door right? Sorry if these questions all seem dumb, but I tried reading the sites and they seem very vague on what/how things are covered.

If you were to buy from an authorized dealer then any other dealer can do the warranty work. The question is would they do it if you didn't buy it from them. They're not obligated to service your regs. If that's the case then you'll have to send it back to the manufacturer or one of their own service centers.

And yes, when you buy used, the warranty is usually out the door. Warranties are nice to have and that's about it. Regs are overbuilt because you would die otherwise. I'm not saying that lemons don't happen, but the probabilities are pretty darn low.

 

[USdiver1]

Unless you intentionally abuse or neglect your equipment, chromed brass will work just fine for decades to come. Titanium is nice for bragging rights and lightweight. Corrosion resistance is a bonus. Stainless steel handles corrosion just fine too but still heavy. Unless you plan on living under saltwater for days on end without facility to rinse off your regs even just once with freshwater, save the money and buy chrome plated brass. Or if you just want bragging rights, then shell out extra for titanium or stainless steel.



I don't know about other manufacturers' titanium regs, but Atomic titanium regs are limited to 40% nitrox (which is what rec divers are limited to anyway) or 80% nitrox if it's a dedicated reg (that means you'd use it for nitrox only and no air). When you start doing nitrox dives greater than 40%, chances are the cost of a reg is the least of your concern (tech diving is extremely expensive with gears, trainings and gas mixes).

+1

Speaking of chrome plated brass, Nitrox and vintage regulators, yes they can mix well.

Chrome plated brass lasts forever with minimal care - and in those instances where it begins to peel, it can be re-chromed. I dive with equipment that is pushing 60 years old on a regular basis, so I know from first hand experience that when properly maintained it lasts and safely functions today (I maintain my vintage equipment like I do my modern equipment - don't skimp on maintenance). I have even used my PRAM (Phoenix valve equipped Royal Aqua Master - US Divers / Aqualung) on 32% Nitrox with no ill effect. This is something that the original was never designed for, but with modern 0-rings, silicone diaphragms, hoses, mouthpieces, mushroom valves and regular maintenance it proved no problem.

As mentioned above, modern equipment is designed to work with Nitrox up to 40% O2, and if you exceed that amount, it's because you are engaged in technical diving, for which specialty gear and training is required. A recreational regulator first purchase need not and shouldn't be the same regulator you would use for prolonged deco stops on 100% O2.