Which regulator...

[frederjj]

I am fairly new to diving but am looking to buy my own gear. So first step is a reg. I learnt and rented Oceanic gear so i am familair with them. So i dont plan on diving it enough or do i have the funds to spend 500+ on just a regulator so a delta4/fdx10 is out of the question. with that said.

my two choices are:

Oceanic Alpha 8 PX3 (Diaphragm)
or
Oceanic GT3 CDX5 (balanced piston)

can anyone sway me one way or another... i can find both of them for under $200 (non authorized dealers but offer similar warranty)

oh i also live near Tampa, FL so i dont believe i need to worry about freezing water.

basically i'm a poor college student that is tired of renting but doesnt have lots of money to spend...

any opinions wanted and appreciated.... and if you have a better suggestion then these for under $200 please feel free to add it to the mix.

 

[Dive Right In Scuba]

I would go with the GT3 over the Alpha 8....both are great regs but for about the same price.....go with the GT3.....

The place you are buying from is going to tell you about recalls, give you a lifetime warranty on parts??

 

[squidster]

Get the Balanced piston with gt3 second good regulater,scuba pro mk 11 diaphram is a good reg for the money and its balanced.
oceanic ,scuba pro has life time parts program.

 

[Stu S.]

Hey, Fred.

Any of the Alpha 7 or 8 regulators are excellent. My daughter and I have been using these for a couple of years. The ones with the piston first stage may cost a bit less, and are what we use. Diver's Direct and Leisure Pro have them on sale right now. We bought one from each store. Diver's Direct is here in Florida. We got the fully factory warranty on that one. The LP warranty worked fine for me when another item needed help.

If you think money's tight as a college student, imagine being the father of two college students. I've been diving since I was your age and used a lot of regulators. The Alpha regulators are excellent regardless of price. If you spend way above your budget, and put that regulator on a precision testing machine you may have something "better". So what.

Happy diving!

 

[Dive Right In Scuba]

As you have heard its a very solid and durable reg....Forgot to mention I use the Alpha8 for my rentals because its a great reg and extremely durable......

 

[frederjj]

Thanks everyone i'm actually planning on making a trip over to divers direct soon to purchase the alpha 8... now its time to start finding other stuff... computer.... b/c..... the list never ends...