First ever regulator

[pandaman]

Hi guys,

I am new to this forum and this is my first post here.
I am a vacation diver that has been using rental equipment since start diving; mostly dive and most likely will continue diving in warm water as I'm located in Southeast Asia.

With that being said, I have decided to invest on first regulator but quite loss as there are so many different options.

After some thinking and reading, these are the two configuration I'm considering, which are:

• Scubapro MK11 with C370
• Tecline R2 TEC with TEC2

Both brand are available in my location meaning I would have access to spare part and servicing and price for both of these is pretty close when it comes to full set with the octo and SPG.

Could I have some feedback and recommendations from those of you have used both. Some pros and cons would be much appreciated.
Recommendation on other brand with same or similar spec would be great as well.

Thank you in advance.

 

[Angelo Farina]

Hi guys,

I am new to this forum and this is my first post here.
I am a vacation diver that has been using rental equipment since start diving; mostly dive and most likely will continue diving in warm water as I'm located in Southeast Asia.

With that being said, I have decided to invest on first regulator but quite loss as there are so many different options.

After some thinking and reading, these are the two configuration I'm considering, which are:

• Scubapro MK11 with C370
• Tecline R2 TEC with TEC2

Both brand are available in my location meaning I would have access to spare part and servicing and price for both of these is pretty close when it comes to full set with the octo and SPG.

Could I have some feedback and recommendations from those of you have used both. Some pros and cons would be much appreciated.
Recommendation on other brand with same or similar spec would be great as well.

Thank you in advance.

First message should be posted in "presentations and greetings".
Of the two choices I would recommend the first one: Scubapro regs are supported for 40 or more years and parts and technicians servicing them are found everywhere around the world.
For recreational diving using just a single first stage, MK11 and C370 is an excellent choice.
However I would recommend three things:
1) Get the DIN version of MK11
2) Get another C370 as secondary air source, not a crap octopus (R095 or the like)
3) Evaluate an air-integrated computer (air pressure transmitter) instead of a SPG plus normal computer.

 

[FreqFlier]

As far as I know Tecline R2/TEC2 is pretty much Apeks DST/XTX (correct me if I'm wrong guys...).

I'd say both options are very close to almost identical (besides the actual weight - Tecline R2 1st+2x TEC2 2nd is about 330 grams heavier than SP MK11 1st + 2x C370 2nd). SP is better known, not necessarily a better reg. Boils down to the price you can get it for, then ease/price of maintenance, then esthetics....

 

[L13]

Great Choices! Both will make you happy. But @Angelo Farina Is right, get a second secondary matching the first. I would probably go with the M11/C370/C370 myself, assuming prices are similar.

 

[Valeriy Vakshul]

When I first chose, I took a regulator with a rotary turret and a fifth port, then I didn’t have to buy it. sidemount coming soon

 

[pandaman]

First message should be posted in "presentations and greetings".
Of the two choices I would recommend the first one: Scubapro regs are supported for 40 or more years and parts and technicians servicing them are found everywhere around the world.
For recreational diving using just a single first stage, MK11 and C370 is an excellent choice.
However I would recommend three things:
1) Get the DIN version of MK11
2) Get another C370 as secondary air source, not a crap octopus (R095 or the like)
3) Evaluate an air-integrated computer (air pressure transmitter) instead of a SPG plus normal computer.

Thank you for the recommendation. I definitely looking for DIN version, even though majority of the dive center using Yoke on their thank. Most likely will buy the DIN to Yoke converter just in case.
For the secondary, at first I was thinking of having the R195 but I heard that it is no longer in production and SP replace it with R105.

As far as I know Tecline R2/TEC2 is pretty much Apeks DST/XTX (correct me if I'm wrong guys...).

I'd say both options are very close to almost identical (besides the actual weight - Tecline R2 1st+2x TEC2 2nd is about 330 grams heavier than SP MK11 1st + 2x C370 2nd). SP is better known, not necessarily a better reg. Boils down to the price you can get it for, then ease/price of maintenance, then esthetics....

Upon reading this forum, I also came across the same information about Tecline being a "copy" of Apeks.

In terms of maintenance, I believe SP would be easier as more dive shop carry it compared to Tecline in terms of where I'm located.

Great Choices! Both will make you happy. But @Angelo Farina Is right, get a second secondary matching the first. I would probably go with the M11/C370/C370 myself, assuming prices are similar.

I wasn't considering C370 for the secondary until @Angelo Farina mention it. Will look into it in terms of the pricing if both primary and secondary using C370.

When I first chose, I took a regulator with a rotary turret and a fifth port, then I didn’t have to buy it. sidemount coming soon

That's a good point!

 

[amado_sarhan]

As far as I know Tecline R2/TEC2 is pretty much Apeks DST/XTX (correct me if I'm wrong guys...).

I'd say both options are very close to almost identical (besides the actual weight - Tecline R2 1st+2x TEC2 2nd is about 330 grams heavier than SP MK11 1st + 2x C370 2nd). SP is better known, not necessarily a better reg. Boils down to the price you can get it for, then ease/price of maintenance, then esthetics....

Yes. It's pretty much a copy of Apeks regs.

 

[L13]

If you can afford it, having both 2nd stages the same is a really good idea.

 

[ams511]

My question is what kind of diving do you want to do in the future? If you plan on doing nothing but warm water recreational diving then I agree with the crowd and recommend ScubaPro. As mentioned previously, they have a reputation of providing parts and service for a long time. Their regulators are solid and sold worldwide.

For recreational use I don't see the need to have 2 of the same second stages. If you can get another C370 for not too much more than go for it. If not the 095 or 105 is ok. They really don't breath bad when tuned properly. See if the shop can add the vivo vane to it if it doesn't come with one.

If you are planning on going tech or sidemount then the Tecline may be a better choice. For sidemount you would just need to add the hoses, another first stage and SPG. The R2 can be had with a fifth port and it has a turret that makes hose routing easier. The MK11 can also be used but the hose routing is not as clean.

As a new diver the equipment buying process is very confusing. Scubaboard is a US website and may not be the best source for information on Tecline products. As far as I can tell, there are no dealers in the US or Canada. The only info I can find here is that the company is Polish and the regulators are made in Taiwan or China.

 

[Jersey1971]

When I first chose, I took a regulator with a rotary turret and a fifth port, then I didn’t have to buy it. sidemount coming soon

As I'm learning backmount doubles now, I find the above advice helpful, especially the port on top of the turret. I'm using DGX D6 first stage, which has the features above. I find it very conducive to good hose routing without introducing any sharp bends.