Newly Certified Advice on Equipment

[Thalassamania]

Hog regs are about the best value I know. I especially like the fact that they are willing to let you take a class and repair your own. Tec style BP/w is a good way to go ... HOG and a lot of other folks make a good one, but if you go for HOG regs and BP/w setup, maybe you can get a better deal.

 

[kwinter]

I didn't know that Scubapro dropped their "parts for life" program. That's good info to have. I always recommend to newbies as well as old farts that parts for life is an important part of the decision on regs. I'm sure there are still companies that offer it. Otherwise I also recommend the HOG regs since their service kits are readily available and very reasonable. I also would recommend that whatever reg you decide on, get it in DIN with a yoke adapter if you ever imagine yourself getting into the tech realm.

 

[freewillie]

I dive Atomic regs, so can't advise on scubapro. I did use some Scubapro regs as rentals on vacation once and didn't notice any significant difference from Z2.

I dive the Zeagle Stiletto and just love it. Light enough for travel on vacation dry weight just over 7 lbs. But over 30 lbs lift for cold water diving. I dive full 7 mm with hood, gloves, and booties. Generally use 20 to 22 lbs weight and Stiletto plenty lift. Is also very comfortable, soft back pad, and conches down with great fit.

Welcome to the addiction. Only problem is not only burning desire be under water all the time, but the constant need buy new gear!

 

[Thalassamania]

Parts for Life was a program designed to cough up about five bucks worth of parts to force you to come back into a ScubaPro shop on a yearly basis. Trust me, they always made up the lost five bucks.

 

[Phil_C]

I don't know HOG regs, but as I am now in the market for a second reg and first stage for a second cylinder I will have a look, but for my two pennyworth I went with Scubapro, a MK25/A700 setup and I do really likel it. It breathes real easy, and feels very well made. I also went with a Scubrapro BCD, a T Black - again bullet proof in terms of build quality, but it is very heavy and bulky. The fit is fine and very comfortable but the pockets are difficult to access, particularly if you have a lot of weight in the intergral pockets.

I travel a lot, and am almost always flying business, so the weight is not a major issue, but this certainly would not be an easy BCD to travel with otherwise.

Jim - thanks for the comments on BC/W I have been thinking about an alternate BCD for travel and something which can 'expand' with time might be good. BTW I have just completed both CMAS 1* and CMAS 2* programmes this year at the grand old age of 49 ! so there are a few of us late bloomers out there, hopefully there are many happy years diving ahead.

 

[temet vince]

Check out HOG regs and Back Plate and Wings.

This.

 

[USFpsychDiver]

I just got certified this year at age 55; never too late (well, maybe too late to learn cave -- we'll see). I live in Florida & do warm water recreational dives. After much research I ended up getting a Zeagle Express Tech BC and am quite happy with it. I like mininmalist and configurable and versatile and the Express Tech is all of those. Plus it's made locally and I like to support local industry. Finally several highly experienced members of this board sang its praises. Oh, and one more thing: it's inexpensive.

It does require some tweaking and additional parts to be usable -- it doesn't work well as shipped (eg a crotch strap isn't supplied but is neccesary to keep it from riding up). Pockets, weight system, padding, etc, are all optional add-ons. Ultimately I think these are benefits; takes more work to get it set up but once it's configured the way you want it it is the way you want it, not the way the designer thought it should be. Compact and light makes it a good travel choice.

 

[Insta-Gator]

Hello SKB0203. Nice to see another Georgia boy getting wet. Our son lives in Pooler so we're down your way several times a year.

Want some professional equipment advice?

"The higher priced equipment is the most reliable. At 60' underwater, do you really want to be concerned about your equipment? BTW, the manufacturer brands that we carry are the best in the industry. We purposely chose XYZ as our primary supplier because we believe in their equipment."

There you go, that should save you a trip to the LDS. Now, listen to Jim and your dive master buddy. Use the force of OCD to your benefit. Most expensive isn't necessarily the best. Even if it's better, is it 2X better?

Happy diving. Be safe.

 

[SeaCobra]

Remember, we are talking about life support equipment, so money should be in the equation. Even if it is 10% better, it would be worth it. I have been a certified reg tec with most of the major players since about 1986. In the reg market you have 2 basic categories; the old school proven regs like ScubaPro and Apeks and you have the new imports coming in like the Hog regs.

As a technician my experience has been regs like ScubaPro, year after year after year are easy to service. The imports are fine for the first couple of years, but then seem to develop minor issues that take a significant amount of time to solve. The chrome plating is not as well done, the plastic housing are not quite as thick.

When you are looking to buy your life support equipment, do not buy a reg because it is cheap. Buy the one that best suits your diving needs. Whether it is ScubaPro or Hog, enjoy.

 

[NAM001]

IHAVE TRIED SEVERAL REGS BUT THE MK25S600 IS THE BEST BREATHING . sorry for the caps, regi have used. i have at least 3 of them. when i got mine i did as much reaserch as i could with a small prior knowledge database. i picked this one becaue of i think ridels test results that with many others said that it showed no degraded loss in breathing till nearly 200 ft where many others would start to breath hard at as shallow as 100 ft. i got the mk25s with the fins on them lools like a air cooled engine cylendar head. the advice on gettting a bp/w is sound. it costs no more for it than a good jacket bc. and is much less restrictive and bulky when using it. You can tayor build it for yourself. i have a dss bp/w (deep sea supply) and have never regretted it. untill you get to fine details which are more preference thn not i would say any bp/w maker is pretty well equal. after a lot of use you may get some strap cutting from chaffing the dss has its awn design for it. you may want to put a feeler out about pro's and con's of various bp's as the wings are pretty welll a non issue except for the horse shoe vs donut shape.

Hello all I just earned my PADI open water certification in Mexico this month at age 53 Im addicted for sure. we live on the Ga coast and travel to Florida many times a year. Most of my diving will be in warm water. A dive master friend suggested a tek style bcd as it can grow with me as my skills and needs grow. I have the basic gear. I just purchased an atom 3.0 dive computer. Seeking advice on the bcd and regulator. Im looking at a scuba pro mk25/s600 regulator and possibly a zeagle stilleto or ranger bcd to start with. Any suggestions are appreciated.