DC2 vs DC3

Hi all,

I am looking into buying a new regulator and wanted to inquire about the differences between the DC2 and DC3 first stages. As I understand it, the DC3 is the same as the DC1 only without the swivel function, which is not recommended for diving with two tanks. I can also see the DC2 has two high pressure ports. Where I live there is a pretty big price difference between the DC2 and DC3, and as I do not have a need for a second high pressure port, I was wondering what I'd be missing if I decide to save some $ and go for the DC3.

MrBlond:

Hi all,

I am looking into buying a new regulator and wanted to inquire about the differences between the DC2 and DC3 first stages. As I understand it, the DC3 is the same as the DC1 only without the swivel function, which is not recommended for diving with two tanks. I can also see the DC2 has two high pressure ports. Where I live there is a pretty big price difference between the DC2 and DC3, and as I do not have a need for a second high pressure port, I was wondering what I'd be missing if I decide to save some $ and go for the DC3.

Click to expand...

I have 2 DC3 and the Oceanic FDX10 (basically a DC2), and both are great regs. What do you mean the DC3 is not recommended on doubles? The DC3 is focused more towards the tech crowd than the DC1, because it does not swivel.

Check out Post #2 on hose routing for the DC3, this is how I have mine routed.

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/hollis/285691-dc3s-doubles.html

I did not say the DC3 is not recommended for doubles, I said the swivel function does not work well with doubles.

When I visited the shop, the DC3 was actually the cheapest of the three, followed by the DC1, and the DC2 was the most expensive one. As for the DC1, I can understand it costs more due to the swivel function and the extra high pressure port, but I could not understand why the DC2 costs more than the DC1, as they have the same amount of ports, the DC2 lacks swivel, and the DC2 actually scored lower than the DC1 on the Scubadiving magazine computer tests.

Therefore, I was wondering why the DC2 is so expensive, and what exactly I'd be missing if I go for the DC3, which, to me, seems like the perfect solution (as I have seen in other posts that the DC3 is identical to the DC1 only without swivel, and in my eyes, if the DC1 scored higher on computer tests than the DC2, the DC3 should score the same high scores). I was also wondering why the hollis gear website advertises the DC2 as "Compact & streamlined forged design provides the ultimate control over the internal air path for superior air delivery" (while it seems the opposite is actually true judging by Scubadiving mag computer tests) and if anyone has experienced this superior air delivery using the DC2 that they did not experience using DC1 or DC3.