Scuba Pro - Black Tech and X-Tek Gear

[michaelallen1978]

yes thats why my email has gone to a VP SC Johnson

 

[Hepcat62]

I should preface this by saying that I LOVE my Scubapro regulators, and I think that their "recreational" options are at least nice and relatively well made, even if they're not what I prefer to use. I'm definitely NOT a ScubaPro hater...

Its not to late for me to switch gear

That's good to hear... A 90lb wing is - to be frank - not going to do you any favors. If I wanted to bring something that required 90lbs of lift to the surface, I certainly would not want that lift strapped to my back. I'm diving dry with double steel 100s, an AL80 deco bottle, and a scooter clipped off comfortably w/ a 40lb wing. 90 is simply ridiculous, and that's a lot of material to have to migrate air around within.

Truth be told, having seen them in person I'm not a fan of any of the ScubaPro wings. The fact that their 90lb doubles wing has single-tank cam band slots on it is, at best, an indication that somebody over there is missing the point. The lack of a 40-50lb wing anywhere in their lineup is problematic - a 30lb wing is definitely undersized for steel doubles, but a 60lb wing is definitely larger than necessary for a lot of people. I won't even get started on the bungies, or the dual-bladder setup...

Their plates look "okay", although they have so many holes and slots that I'm honestly struggling to attach a purpose to all of them. Why do you need four holes for the top bolt AND a slot (rather than a hole) for the bottom bolt?

The "pure tek" harness is what it purports to be, and looks to be just fine. Their "Form" harness looks like they took every other manufacturer's bad idea about a deluxe harness, and combined it into one. Honestly, the Knighthawk harness is significantly less cluttered than the Form harness...

 

[James R]

My other issue is that unless you are in really tight with your shop it will be a pain to get kits for those regs should you want to service them yourself. Now that may be ok for you but I want regs that if I need to I can tear down and fix in the field should an issue arise. It's why I'm switching all my regs over. I have a ScubaPro Mk16 with an R190 octo as stage reg. Simple, reliable, and yet getting kits for it involves me begging one place and another outright refuses to sell them to divers. I just don't want to jump through hoops anymore like I also have to with my Oceanics. I can get kits but it's always with looks that are not appreciated.

And with 10 regs currently in my personal inventory I am not of a mind to pay someone to service them when I am perfectly capable of doing it myself. The money you've spent and are not seeing anything from to date is money that could have had you diving now. New stuff is always a crap shoot and ScubaPro is no different from many other lines. Look how long it took for the replacement for the Nitek to come out. I knew one instructor that waited for months after plunking down 1400 bucks or more. Ended up going with something else. I'm just saying that you could have gotten a BPW and regs for about what you paid for your regs alone and been diving. And later when the new gear was out and available and proven you could have moved into it. But you would have been diving and gaining experience. Not having to call your dealer only to be told "not yet". I apologize for my earlier post but stuff like this really bugs me.

Maybe it's because I have to choose carefully and don't have a lot of extra cash to spend on stuff. But I have found that going beneath the names, marketing techniques, and looking at the guts of the gear and what other divers who are really diving it say means that I have been able to get gear that is just as reliable, just as well made, and that I can service myself for a fraction of what I might have spent. And get it when I want it with no more than a delay of a couple days. As a result I am diving more and spending less, with no frustration.

I have a question for you. If the OP bought regs from you and then in a year serviced them himself and happened to meet you at a dive site the next week, would you dive them? I bet not. I wouldn't (no offense to the OP intended here). My point being that not everyone should service their own regs. I don't understand why so many people feel the need to constantly push this self-service mantra on people who probably don't have the tools much less the training or experience to do it properly.

For you, me, and others that have the tools (or access to them) and training to service and tune a reg, sure, but how many divers in 100 do you think actually fit that scenario?

Look, I am all for a good deal on solid equipment. I don't believe in paying for a name either. Also, I wouldn't have a problem using a HOG reg. That said, I've personally tried a HOG vs a Mk25/A700 back to back - both were serviced and tuned by an extremely skilled tech that trained a bunch of us - and I have to tell you the MK25/A700 breathes easier. This was a consensus of three people, not just me. Maybe the HOG wasn't quite tuned right (I doubt it, personally), but to say that they are equal - in MY OPINION - is a reach at best. The MK25/A700, for me anyway, is superior in every way.

 

[ianr33]

Just be sure to put some good thick bungees on the wing.

 

[cbrich]

At best HOG regs are equal to Dive Rite regs since they both come from the same chinese manufacturer. The last time I checked Dive Rite regs cost about the same as HOG regs. But comparing them to a MK17/A700 or MK25/A700, is reaching way out there. I too have compared a HOG reg to SP, and there is noticeable difference. I will stick with Scubapro.

To the OP, the black tech regs are very nice, but also very expensive. I know of a dive shop, that has 2 black tech regs. I will agree with the few, the 90 lb wing is way too much, don't even consider using it with a single tank. The 90 lb wing will "taco" around a single tank, it's really neat to see tho. What are your reasons for looking at the 90lb wing? Scubapro has a 60 lb wing in doughnut and horseshoe confirguration for doubles, and a 30 lb wing for single tank. The SP backplate is a rebranded Halcyon backplate.

I know, I will get some heat for mentioning this, but the Halcyon Infinity System is awesome, and in my opinion money well worth spending.

 

[michaelallen1978]

I was just looking to keep everything scubapro but i am all ears for something else for the BCD.

I wanted something with Horseshoe Wing, double bladder. for redundancy. I think i am switching to OMS

 

[SeaCobra]

I have a ScubaPro MK10/G250 that i bought new in 1986 (may have been '88) that is still going strong, service kits are readily available and it breathes like a champ. When I bought it, it was expensive, but 20 years later seems like it was a pretty good investment. So, the real value in a ScubaPro reg comes today and tomorrow as they do not have planned obsolescence.

Currently I am diving Atomic regs on my doubles, when I got those they sold for about $700 apiece. Why pay so much for my scuba regulator? Simple, I am worth it.

Jeff

 

[packeteer]

take a look at Zeagle gear. I wouldn't bother with redundant bladders. Use a dry suit or SMB (just like everybody else in the world)

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[beendiving]

I have been fortunate enough in 21 yrs of diving to have been able to try Dacor,Oceanic,Seaquest,Zeagle and tried a Hog reg (thought it was ok) but after diving my MK25 s600 I will probably stay with Scubapro!!!

 

[michaelallen1978]

Thanks Everyone I am staying with Scubrapro when it comes to my Reg's The MK25/A700