Oceanic ZETA @$250.00 new in store

We are starting to look at regs and computer setup as we are getting 2 of everything as we go. (18 dives) Ran across the Oceanic ZETA at what seems to be a good price. $250. I believe these are being discontinued. Opinions??

We are also considering AL and SP though they are about 2x the price.

I have a CDX5 Delta 3 and a CDX5 Zeta and I love the Zeta. It took three trips back to my LDS to get tuned, but ever since that, it's done about 12 dives without hitch. No free flow, the best air delivery I've seen (on about 6 regs I've used).

When you want air the Zeta delivers without hitch, meanwhile if you aren't huffing and puffing it only delivers what you need. All regs are pretty much demand based, but this one requires no adjustment. I've taken it down to 110' and it breathes just as easy.

It has a different design than a traditional reg which seasoned scuba divers are not keen on, hence why it didn't sell too well, but according to a customer service guy I spoke with at Oceanic, a lot of the Oceanic staff dives with it and they love it.

My air consumption is really good considering I'm a 170lb male. My g/f used to end dives with 1200+ PSI but now we're just about even. All this happened when I switched from the Delta3 to the Zeta so the rumors about people consuming too much air on the Zeta or false, either that or they're just sucking in way too hard because the Zeta will deliver (which is nice if you're doing something physical underwater), work, chasing something, etc...

The Zeta is a servo assisted valve mechanism that will breathe different than any of the Scubapro or Aqualung regs (demand). Essentially it is an Omega Regulator folded back on itself into a smaller package. Although I have only used one once, it had some sort of hesitation before it provided air. That is not to say that they are all like that. I have an Omega that breathes amazing. It is free of adjusments, and pneumatically balanced. You shouldn't have a problem getting parts as it uses the same kit as the Omega and those kits have been around forever. It terms of getting them to breathe right, it can be a little tricky, but as mentioned they will be worth it.

rescuediver009:

The Zeta is a servo assisted valve mechanism that will breathe different than any of the Scubapro or Aqualung regs (demand). Essentially it is an Omega Regulator folded back on itself into a smaller package. Although I have only used one once, it had some sort of hesitation before it provided air. That is not to say that they are all like that. I have an Omega that breathes amazing. It is free of adjusments, and pneumatically balanced. You shouldn't have a problem getting parts as it uses the same kit as the Omega and those kits have been around forever. It terms of getting them to breathe right, it can be a little tricky, but as mentioned they will be worth it.

Click to expand...

That hesitation is not normal, trust me. I've breathed several regs from traditional Oceanics, to several ScubaPro MK series, to Cressi's, to Aqualungs, to Dacors, and the Zeta breathes easier than any of them and has no hesitation whatsoever.

I do recommend you buy from your LDS because it'll likely need some tuning once you get your octo hooked up; mine did, but now I consider it the single best scuba purchase I've made. I think I paid $280 for mine from my LDS about 6 months ago; on clearance sale. They've tuned it for free both times and now it's perfect. It takes a couple adjustments. The first time it was pretty good but when it got in water it free flowed slightly. The second time was because I changed octos, and honestly it was the octo that was adjusted not the Zeta.

I agree, definetely trust the guy who has less than 50 dives and tried every reg known to man.....

underachiever- Although this is positive feedback, take regulator opinions carefully. I still recommend the zeta reg as it breathes nicely, however in comparison to the Omega, I found that it was different. The aforementioned hesitation is not a bad thing, just something you may notice, and as honest as I was it was this only one time I tried one.

I have been trying not to say anything, but....

I can't afford to waste time constantly getting my reg adjusted. My Zeta was constantly in the shop. When its time to dive, I want and have to count on and trust my reg. I am not going to be happy if I have to thumb the dive, take the reg to the shop and tune it!

I can adjust it myself, but I can't stop in the middle of a class and take it apart. If I am on an expensive and far away vacation, and I lose a dive due to a quirky reg...bad news.

It was impossible to tune correctly. I hated it. It injects air into your head, no matter the cracking pressure. And it takes nothing to make it freeflow. It has no subtlety. If you increase the cracking pressure, then you have a hesitation before it rams air into your throat.
There is a reason that they are being discontinued and sold for $250. The constant service and adjustments make them completely unaffordable.

An instrustor friend of mine thought that she would really like the small design. She bought it and tried like crazy to make it work. She refused to resell it because she wouldn't do that to a friend. I told her about mine and she said that it was exactly like hers. It blows.

Now, do you want to know how I really feel?

Moving on to Aqualung at my LDS. Legend LX vs. Titan LX

Thanks for all the help. Ain't this fun trying to figure all this out??!!