Problue Regulators?

[marleysretreat]

A buddy of mine has been looking for regulators and has told me a lot of people recommend the edge brand for economical yet reliable regulators. I was originally (and still am) looking at buying used gear since I do not have much money to spend. He suggested I might come here to get some additional research and opinions.


I looked into a local Edge shop who was recommended on here various times, Piranha Dive Mfg. Piranha Dive Mfg. (http://www.piranhadivemfg.com/) they carried the edge gear
but it is still a bit more than I had really anticipated spending. The Piranha shop sold a brand of regulator ProBlue. The owner spoke highly of them as well, and said they are made by the same manufacturers that make alot of other regs and rebrand them. He even said if I got them and did not like them I could credit them in for any other gear he has no problem. That seemed like a pretty strong endorsement and warranty, especially considering the shop is mentioned around the forum a bit.


I am wondering what direct experience people on here have with them. Ive went through a lot of the posts It seems there are alot of conflicting opinions as to you can't buy good used regs, or have to be in a certain price range to get a "good" regulator while others stand by older used regs and so on.


Anyone?

[herman]

I have bought some items form Piranha and they have treated me great, that said there are some issues with the regs he sells that you need to be aware of. Operationally they should be fine, the problem comes when it's time to have them serviced which you will want to do on some regular basis.....how often is a major debate but in any case sooner or later you will want/need service and that is where the rub comes in. Where are you going to get them serviced? Most dive shops will not service any brand they do not sell so odds are you will have to ship it off for service if you can find someone that will service them. This is true of both the Problue and HOG/Edge although you will find a few more shops that service them. Traveling with then, odds are you will not find a repair shop if you need one, just something to consider.

[marleysretreat]

Thanks for the tip. That is something to consider. I asked them about it and they said they could recommend several places to send them to, but I am wondering if that will be a pain.

I also have been reading about Subgear Cayman and Bonaire regulators which look like they are made by ScubaPro but I can't find any package deals on them for 1st, 2nd and backup. T
The reviews Ive read are awesome, and I would think since they are owned by ScubaPro they would be easy to service in the US?

Scubastore.com has the 1st and 2nd for sale for $260+$20 shipping, that seems like a great deal? Can't find many reviews of these regulators here on the forum though.

[herman]

Never heard of them until now. Doing a little research, looks like its another company purchased by johnson outdoors who also bought SP a while back. Odds are SP dealer will not service them but you never know until you ask. Just my opinion but I still suggest you find a better know brand. Here is a possibility Zeagle Envoy Rezort Regulator discounts on sale Zeagle (http://www.scubatoys.com/store/detail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=EnvoyRezortRegulator) Scubatoys is well respected as is Zeagle and there are a lot of Zeagle dealers around.

[oly5050user]

SubGear is a scubapro line ..created to fit a price point market.Any scubapro dealer can service it.

[halocline]

If you want to save money, buying used, with guidance, is absolutely the least expensive way to get a quality reg. I'd look for a MK5 or MK10 with a 109 (metal case) 2nd stage, or possibly a G250 or D300 2nd stage. You should be able to find one of those combinations for under $100, and you'll have a classic regulator that has been a mainstay of professional divers for decades. Regulators simply have not improved significantly; that's why there's so much hype associated with their sale. They are also designed to be completely rebuilt and last a lifetime if maintained well.

It is true that getting the reg serviced well is very important, and is an issue regardless of what reg you end up buying.

[buddhasummer]

Thanks for the tip. That is something to consider. I asked them about it and they said they could recommend several places to send them to, but I am wondering if that will be a pain.

I also have been reading about Subgear Cayman and Bonaire regulators which look like they are made by ScubaPro but I can't find any package deals on them for 1st, 2nd and backup. T
The reviews Ive read are awesome, and I would think since they are owned by ScubaPro they would be easy to service in the US?

Scubastore.com has the 1st and 2nd for sale for $260+$20 shipping, that seems like a great deal? Can't find many reviews of these regulators here on the forum though.

Sending regs to be serviced can be both a pain and expensive. I would recommend you buy a reg you can get serviced locally and if you travel dive one that has a wide network i.e Aqualung or Scubapro.

[XxMerlinxX]

Scubastore.com has the 1st and 2nd for sale for $260+$20 shipping, that seems like a great deal? Can't find many reviews of these regulators here on the forum though.

If you can do $250, LeisurePro has the Aeris AT400 Ion (http://www.leisurepro.com/Prod/AERAT4I.html?&&) on sale for $250. It's a great reg, scored perfect in some breathing tests a couple of years ago. I dive the version that has the swivel and can't tell enough people about it, lol.

[koozemani]

Keep in mind that even if you find a great deal on a first and second, you still need an Octo and spg. An Edge setup comes with the Octo and reg bag. Talk to some of the retailers, they may be able to work with you on price. What's advertised isn't always as low as they can go. If not Piranha(who I've purchased from in the past), maybe Jim Lapenta (who I've also purchased from), or DRIS(who I've also purchased from). All three will offer good customer service.

[Zung]

Scubapro bought the SubGear brand, then they rebrand their own mid range regs and sell them at a lower price, less the free part for life deal. If the Cayman is in your price range, go for it: basically, it's a Mk11 and a S600 with a slightly different cover.

Performance-wise, a French magazine did a test recently and reported they think SP slightly de-tuned the SG brand so they fare just a tad less well on the breathing machine than the higher end SP branded regs.
:D

[couv]

If you want to save money, buying used, with guidance, is absolutely the least expensive way to get a quality reg. I'd look for a MK5 or MK10 with a 109 (metal case) 2nd stage, or possibly a G250 or D300 2nd stage. You should be able to find one of those combinations for under $100, and you'll have a classic regulator that has been a mainstay of professional divers for decades. Regulators simply have not improved significantly; that's why there's so much hype associated with their sale. They are also designed to be completely rebuilt and last a lifetime if maintained well.

It is true that getting the reg serviced well is very important, and is an issue regardless of what reg you end up buying.

I concur with Halocline.

If you want to save a bit of money (no reason to do otherwise) without sacrificing quality, go with used gear. Contact the resident guru and ScubaPro tech, DA Aquamaster View Profile: DA Aquamaster - ScubaBoard (http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/members/da+aquamaster.html) Tell him about the type of diving you're going to do and hopefully he can set you up with a rebuilt so you won't have any worries.

[marleysretreat]

couv & Halocline - so even though the Subgear regs are basically the same regulators as the more expensive Scubapros you guys are recommending, not buying them or other comparable brands?

I would think that if they are scubapro owned they can be serviced by most scubapro techs?

[Zung]

Yep, I'm pretty sure a SP store has the obligation to service SP sourced Subgear stuff.


I think the confusion is from the fact that before being bought by SP, Subgear had it's own line of regs (and others stuff) sourced from the far east. These may be troublesome to service.

[couv]

I must admit, I'm not familiar with Subgear, Probule, etc.; for new gear it might be just fine.

However, when someone mentions saving money, my first recommendation is to buy name brand/popular model used equipment. If the buyer is not familiar with servicing his equipment, I still recommend buying it used, but freshly serviced by someone like DA.

Again, I'm not familiar with the regs you mentioned. Getting them serviced may not be an issue; but what if you're on vacation down in the Caribbean and it needs just a slight adjustment? The tech you find may not have some model specific tool or part required. With older and popular models such as the ones Halo mentioned, you increase the chances of getting it serviced.

c

[CMAN]

Subgear has three regulator sets. One is the "Aruba" (which is a Scubapro MK2 first stage and a Scubapro R295 second), next is the "Bonaire" (which is a Scubapro MK17 first stage and a Scubapro R295 second) and next is the "Cayman" (which is a Scubapro MK17 first stage and a R555 second). They all can be serviced by anyone that services Scubapro regulators.

[diversteve]

Scubastore.com has the 1st and 2nd for sale for $260+$20 shipping, that seems like a great deal? Can't find many reviews of these regulators here on the forum though.Although they have a (718) area code be aware that Scubastore.com is based in Spain. So there could be problems with warranty service. It's likely that Scubapro/Subgear warranty/service for products purchased through them are not covered in the U.S by ScubaPro dealer agreements - I'm not certain. You could ask in our ScubaPro forum (http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/scubapro/) - there are several active mfr's reps there.

[diversteve]

If you can do $250, LeisurePro has the Aeris AT400 Ion (http://www.leisurepro.com/Prod/AERAT4I.html?&&) on sale for $250. It's a great reg, scored perfect in some breathing tests a couple of years ago. I dive the version that has the swivel and can't tell enough people about it, lol.Plus about 25 others under $300 (http://www.leisurepro.com/Cat/Context_954/Regulators/1159.html#!ControlName=GCSearchMU&op=CatDisplay&Term=&SearchFlag=all&AdvSrchSortField=Relevance&DescSort=0&Context=954&Filter=price%3d%28200.0!300.0]&Page=1&CategoryID=1159). Some with their warranty but others with the mfr's warranty. I think they're now both an Aeris/Oceanic dealer and a Zeagle dealer so warranty/repair work should be covered by any authorized dealer.