Good regulators that are cheap?

[spoolin01]

I started with AL Titan LX adjustables, good reg. I then bought Dive Rite Hurricanes at above mentioned cheap prices. No comparison, much better. The hurricanes are top of the line tech regs from a tech based company, the beauty is they are completely backwards compatible for basic warm water diving. I looked at hundreds of regs before I went tech and stopped on the hurricanes. For recreational diving I recommend a set of hurricanes with a rite source. At the moment that will cost you US$568. This set up will give you great diving now and if you decide to take your diving further you can take these regs with you, no pesky free flowing yellow hose back up with the rite source. Nice and stream lined, relatively cheap and good quality gear.

The question of pricey dive gear always intrigues me. I confess I've had a 2nd hand Mares Abyss which was a POS, and a new base model AL Titan which has been flawless for 3 years. I've tried much older regs which breathed harder and newer low end rental gear which breathed fine. You can buy a Titan for $150, so what do you get with the Dive-Rite for the additional $250 that you are willing to pay up for? What is lacking in the low-end gear that most divers are going to care about?

 

[psychocabbage]

XS RG200 (aka Tri Metal)
XS Scuba RG200 SeaAir Tri-Metal Scuba Regulator

XS Scuba SeaAir Tri-Metal Regulator from LeisurePro.com
$359

Its what I use.. It won a ton of awards back when I got it. I wanted something that performed out of its class. That is value to me.

Of all the regs I have used, it breathes the easiest.

 

[torqd]

As has been pointed out by others, namely Nemrod and garyfotodiver, there is no advantage to a warranty if you don't use it. However, if there is a recall (and the regulator is registered) you may not get repairs made by the manufacturer if the regulator can be traced to a gray market dealer.

I have no problems purchasing from Leisure Pro, and I was only trying to share the information so that the OP could make an informed decision and purchase.

 

[Slonda828]

Like the OP, I have no intention of diving very deep or anything close to cold. My local dive shop recommended the AquaLung Titan. It's not cheap, but neither is a funeral. My regulator is the last place I'd try to save money.

Inexpensive does not always eqaul life-threatening. Look at any of the cheaper Scubapro regs that the military uses. They are great workhorse regs, and they are cheap. Ask Offthewall if you have questions, he's been doing this for a while. BTW the titan is a great reg as well. Just don't get into the habit of assuming that inexpensive equals dangerous.

 

[BlueC5Kitten]

Inexpensive does not always eqaul life-threatening. Look at any of the cheaper Scubapro regs that the military uses. They are great workhorse regs, and they are cheap.

Just make sure you have a Scubapro licensed shop nearby at which you can have it serviced. Having to ship it off and back for service can be quite cumbersome, and time consuming...plus who knows what happens in shipping transit to the unit.

Best thing I've found about Scubapro is that it is lifetime parts and warranty provided you get it serviced annuallly on-schedule....regardless of whether they still make the unit too!

 

[martzak]

Where have you been looking at the reviews? A search for xtx20 here on SB turns up some decent reviews. Don't limit your reviews to just the site your buying things from.

Absolutely...Keep in mind that the online store selects whatever reviews they want to post, so you may get a biased picture that depends on what the seller is trying to get rid off at the time. Always use several sources to check product reviews to get a more balanced view.
By the way, if you're gonna be diving in salt water, I would highly recommend an environmentally sealed diaphragm regulator. I'm sure I'm going to get bashed by some Scuba Pro and Sherwood enthusiasts for saying this, but the truth is you're less likely to end up with salt and crud in your regulator when using sealed diaphragm design. And so you may be able to get away with longer intervals between your regulator overhauls.
Also, despite of what some people may say regarding piston regulator high air delivery rate, almost all of the modern regulators can deliver more air than you'll ever need.

 

[OldNSalty]

As has been pointed out by others, namely Nemrod and garyfotodiver, there is no advantage to a warranty if you don't use it. However, if there is a recall (and the regulator is registered) you may not get repairs made by the manufacturer if the regulator can be traced to a gray market dealer.

I don't think this is correct. I can't imagine any business refusing recall work for any reason. There is simply too much liability in it should your equipment crap out because of a known flaw that they decided they weren't going to fix for you.

I am pretty sure recall stuff is honored regardless...

 

[offthewall1]

I have to ask... if AL Titans are so great... why do so many get brought in here for trade?

 

[Twistedarts]

one word, Sherwood.

 

[SkipperJohn]

one word, Sherwood.

Any one in particular?