Buying mid - high end regulator vs replacing it every few years

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

I set myself up with Edge/Hog regs so I could service them myself. The class up here in Chicago is a lot more than $250, closer to $600 iirc (also includes materials & required book). As part of the class, you'll be required to purchase some specialty tools. Other tools won't be required for the class but you'll likely want to make the investment if you're serious about doing it right.

I purchased mine 3 years ago and had them serviced at my LDS at the beginning of this season since I haven't taken the class yet. Best laid plans...

EDIT: class is currently listed as $400. I think the $600 figure I had in my head was class + book + required tools
 
I set myself up with Edge/Hog regs so I could service them myself. The class up here in Chicago is a lot more than $250, closer to $600 iirc (also includes materials & required book). As part of the class, you'll be required to purchase some specialty tools. Other tools won't be required for the class but you'll likely want to make the investment if you're serious about doing it right.

I purchased mine 3 years ago and had them serviced at my LDS at the beginning of this season since I haven't taken the class yet. Best laid plans...
Have you seen this thread? HOG REG CLASSES. Maybe I'll see you at one of these. I'm thinking of doing the class in Feb at Dive Right In. Though I wish we had an option closer to downtown.
 
Have you seen this thread? HOG REG CLASSES. Maybe I'll see you at one of these. I'm thinking of doing the class in Feb at Dive Right In. Though I wish we had an option closer to downtown.

DRIS is indeed my LDS and exactly where I intended to take classes - I just might see you there! Thanks for getting this back on my radar.
 
@Angelo Farina On top of that the parts are locked down in this country which is why you see a lot of people hesitant to recommend them.

Parts?

So, in the EU - say Italy or Germany - I walk into a dive shop and buy service parts just like hardware at the local Ace?

Pre flu my EU travels were frequent. I could have brought dozens each trip?

You quote EU prices as lower than the USA, with all taxes added on - gross vs gross price?

How about Turkey? My sometimes dive buddy is there now. Should I ask him to buy a few dozen service kits?
 
Sorry.
I did understand the original poster was coming from NA (Naples)...
Possibly instead is Namibia (Africa). In both cases not America, so I think he should not be bothered by what happens in US...

feet, Fahrenheit, and $. I'm going with NA being North America, specifically USA.

Parts?

So, in the EU - say Italy or Germany - I walk into a dive shop and buy service parts just like hardware at the local Ace?

Pre flu my EU travels were frequent. I could have brought dozens each trip?

You quote EU prices as lower than the USA, with all taxes added on - gross vs gross price?

How about Turkey? My sometimes dive buddy is there now. Should I ask him to buy a few dozen service kits?

yes-there are consumer protection laws in most EU countries that forbid the restriction of parts sales.
yes
yes. You saw Angelo quote 480 euro for a MK17, G260, R195, and SPG. The MK17 and G260 alone is 20% more than that in the US, not including octo and spg...
Unsure about Turkey, but likely
 
One of my colleagues asked me the very same question a few months ago.
I seggested him a medium-level Scubapro set: MK17, G260, R195 octopus and an SPG. It costed 480 eur.
He is very happy.
In a couple of hours I did show him how to dismount and remount it entirely and which parts need to be changed every two years (2nd stage seats, dynamic O-rings), how to chech the IP pressure using a cheap pressure gauge for tyres, and how to tune the IP and the cracking efforts.
Scubapro regs are built here in Italy, so there is no problems finding the parts for servicing.
It appears that shops all around the world can fix Scubapro regs, which is not so true for other brands. Furthermore these parts are available for decades: in fact I am yet using happily the 4 MK5+109 purchased in the seventies. Just rebuilt them entirely this spring during the lockdown..
So this is a long term investment, which pays in the long period. And which ensures that you have an high performance reg: usually you do not need such high performances, except in the case when you need...
Great advice and this is what I would advise as well.
 
On servicing your regs yourself, it's not just about saving money. It can also be about peace of mind. I have heard that the most common time for a reg to give you trouble is just after it has been serviced. I experienced this twice before I decided it was worth it to service my regs myself. And it so happened that I took the class (HOG) at the very dive shop that apparently didn't give my regs a thorough servicing one of those times. The service class instructor was likely not the one who had serviced my regs; rather, it was more likely some relatively inexperienced shop employee, who maybe didn't take the time to properly cycle them to "set" the seat after tuning them. If you service your own regs, you can take as much time as you wish to assure yourself that they behave properly before you take them out diving, and if they do act up at some point, you can fix them without a trip to the dive shop.
 
Hi everyone,

I’m not new to scubaboard, but first time posting. I’d like to get your opinion on purchasing a new regulator, as I feel my LDS have bias opinions.

Background: I’m a recreational diver who dives about 15 - 20 times a year in 70+ deg F water, with max depth of around 80 - 90 feet. I’m looking to purchase a new regulator set, since I’ve been renting and I no longer want to share the same regulator with bunch of other people before me (I used to value convenience of rental, but covid19 changed my mindset). Most mid to high range regulator set (1st and 2nd stage primary) costs around USD $400 - 800. My local LDS charges $100 for service labor, with parts costing extra if I don’t have those lifetime warranty brands.


My thinking is:

Option 1 - Get a good regular set, such as Atomic Aquatics B2 ($750), Aqua Lung LEG3ND ($700), or Oceanic Delta 5 eDX ($510), and suck it up with the yearly service fee (or b-yearly for some brands like Atomic). Most of the mid to high end regulators are cold water ready, environmentally sealed, and come with balanced 1st and 2nd stage. Supposedly breathe better in deep water, but since I don't have a set, I can't compare it to rental.

Option 2 - Get a budget regulator set, such as Oceanic Alpha 10 + SPX ($200), Cressi XS2/AC2 ($200), Mares Rover 15X Regulator ($210), or Mares Prestige 2S Regulator ($185)

Most of the budget regulators have non-balanced piston 1st stage, have basic functions. They’re the ones you normally see at the dive shops for rental. I can practically buy a new set every 2 years, which nowadays is the normal service internal if I follow the proper cleaning procedures after every dive. Pretty much they’d be “disposable”, use it till it breaks or every 2 - 3 years.

Option 3 - Get a EDGE/HOG regulator and service myself with their service kits. However, my understanding is that you’d have to attend a mandatory training class in person. The class costs about $250. With the current pandemic, many shops/instructors are not offering that option right now, and even if they do, the nearest dive shop/instructor that offers that class is 8 hours away.

(Note - all the regulators I mentioned above are for references only, using current online prices, and not necessarily my pick list.)

I’m leaning toward option #2, as based on my current needs, there’s very little difference between a $200 regulator and a $700 regulator (I think), and I breathe fine with the rental regulator.


What do you guys think? I’d love to hear your opinions and your reasonings behind it.
Since you are only doing up to 20 dives a year I suggest option #4:
Buy a mid range set and an IP gauge. Learn how to take good care of your regs and how to test the IP. Then only service as needed, maybe every 5 to 10 years....
 
feet, Fahrenheit, and $. I'm going with North America
Sorry again.
I am not used yet to managing all these abbreviations used here on Scubaboard.
It did take 2 months before understanding what is meant by LDS, CCR and others.
Off Topic question:
are all these abbreviations peculiar to Scubaboard, or people abuse so much of them also in real life in US?
I apologize for my misundersting, I know very well that in US purchasing parts is not so trivial as here.
However it is quite easy to order them online. Or ask to some members of Scubaboard to ship them to you, such as @buddhasummer or others.
Regarding the Scubapro kit I recommended to my colleague, here is it on Ebay, at 492 eur included VAT and shipping: RO1 13 Scubapro Erogatore MK17 Evo G260 DIN300 + octopus R195 kit completo | eBay
It even includes the BCD hose and a bag...
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

Back
Top Bottom