your opinion on the best Regulators for Tek diving

[mafiajoe]

Another Apeks fan here.Been using Scubapro,Mares and an old Spiro for the whole of my diving career.You cannot compare.Whenever I switch to my stage mounted Scubapro I panic because it feels like it doesn't work

 

[Red Sea Shadow]

Whenever I switch to my stage mounted Scubapro I panic because it feels like it doesn't work

Same here. And that's why I enjoy the air breaks

 

[tflaris]

ScubaPro mk25 S600

 

[ajduplessis]

ScubaPro mk25 S600

Ditto. The MK17 G250V also get great reviews from Tech divers

 

[stargost]

More definition is required. I will guess shallower than 328'/100 Meters, above freezing, and a 300 Bar DIN connection is a reasonable criterion.

Cut 3: It is unlikely to have made it past Cut 1, but eliminate regulators that are very new to the market or are not produced in the large numbers. The idea is to let the real world prove all the different aspects that make a good purchase rather than some dork with a financial incentive or a desire to justify a poorly researched purchase.


Let us know how you vote with your money and why.

Akimbo,
Your "Cut 3" is not favoring HOG reg. Is it true, or somehow the exception which confirm the rule ?

 

[*dave*]

Apeks Tek3 have been working well for me, but retail is pretty high on them and there is the potential issue of interchangeability, as mentioned previously.

 

[eliminator]

I'm a fan of the DiveRite stuff. Their regs are simple and robust, plus they have a free parts program if you stick to the schedule. Or, you can even buy the parts and service them yourself.

Better yet, you can always find great deals on the regs, which matters when you have 5+ sets of regs. I'm almost done the full transfer from Oceanic to DiveRite, with only 2 first stages left to go.

The HOG regs are the same OEM compay from what I can see, but I'd pay a couple of extra bucks to get the DR branded versions.

 

[Texas Torpedo]

I really like how the Poseidon XStream 90's breath, but obtaining parts and service still leaves much to be desired in many areas.

 

[scuga]

The HOG regs are the same OEM compay from what I can see, but I'd pay a couple of extra bucks to get the DR branded versions.

Any reason aside from Brand Loyalty (which is fine by me) for you to say that?

 

[Akimbo]

Akimbo,
Your "Cut 3" is not favoring HOG reg. Is it true, or somehow the exception which confirm the rule ?

As for cut 3, a lot more goes into the "best" criteria since virtually all regulators on the market deliver more than adequate breathing characteristics. Nothing proves the quality of a design and the manufacturer's ability to consistently produce it like time and volume. Availability of parts, service experience, and reliability are best measured over a long time with a large statistical sampling. Reliability of the company is also a factor. Has the company earned such a large demand that it will be purchased and stay in production even if the owner gets hit by a bus?

There have been innovative products in almost all industries that did not survive financially. Unfortunately, innovators don't always have the myriad talents and resources required to stay in business as long as you might like to maintain your purchase.

IMHO, there is entirely too much intimidation surrounding diving regulators in order to sell higher margin products. Selling because it is an object of desire is fine with me. Selling the high end because customers are afraid less expensive products will kill them borders on unethical. My hope was to suggest a methodology to evaluate a purchase and minimize personal bias.