What Reg to get?

[jonb347]

Im somewhat new into diving and I am finally getting my own gear. I have a knighthawk bc and need some reccomendations for a regulator. I'd prefer to buy a good used one and have it checked out but don't want to spend 300+. What regs should I be looking at? Thanks guys!!

[Kryssa]

Decided I'm not qualified to answer this one :P

[Malpaso]

What did you use for your certification? Did you rent? Did you use different makes/models? That was the way I decided, was by using different rental ones in the pool and the open water. Most things in life you try before you buy, no?

I ended up with an Aqualung Legend LX Supreme, but only because I liked the Aqualung regs better than any other that I tried. Had I not tried various ones, I would have probably purchased an "economy" model, not knowing any better, not liked diving with it, and not known there was anything better (for me) available.

[Scuba_Noob]

Often it depends on the temperature of the water you're diving (some regs work the best in warm water). BUT mostly it depends on what regulator is the most comfortable for you. What did you dive in training? Ask your LDS what they'd recommend (they'll try to sell you something, but try to filter that stuff out). Plus your LDS probably stocks regs that are made for your environment.

I dive an Aqualung Titan LX, which worked well in 5 degree Celsius waters up to 28 degree Celsius water (41 and 82 degrees Fahrenheit respectively).

Just remember that this is one of the most important things keeping you alive underwater, and $300 isn't that much for scuba :(. And if you buy used, you're going to have to get your regs serviced anyway (probably $50).

[Paladin]

I have dived US Divers/Aqualung Regs for almost fifty years and really like them. I currently dive a Conshelf 14 (one of the last ones made) and it is perfect for me. That said, I have recently been introduced to the Edge/HOG line and find I cannot say enough good things about them. I bought my son an Edge and he totally loves it. Zeagle is another good choice. If I were in the market for a new reg, it would probably be an Edge or a Zeagle.

[NJDiver_Chris]

You can always check out ebay, just make sure to ask a lot of questions and get it serviced when you get it

[Agility]

To start with you might want to have a look at Comparative Gear Reviews (http://scubagearreports.com/index.php/gear-reviews/279-gear-reviews.html)
I got my first 1 year old Apeks XTX 200 with XTX 40 octopus and SPG for €250 and revision cost me another €70 which would bust your budget.

IMHO the regulator ist the most important part of equipment so you have to be comfortable with it and have absolute confidence in its performance.

[herman]

Nothing wrong with good used gear, the issue for you is making sure it's good. Honestly brand is not of much importance these days as long as it's one of the major brands. You will want to stick with a major brand so you can find parts and service. Avoid any old brands like Dacor, not before they were bad but services is near impossible. Pretty much any reg of equalivant price point (low end vs low end/high end vs high end) will perform so close to the same, you need a machine to tell the difference. Now how good the tech who tuned it is a totally different matter. Anyone who says a brand X breaths badly and a brand Y is great is either fooling themselves or had a poorly tuned reg, neither is the fault of the reg. Do a search on used equipment, there are plenty of discussion on it.

[DivemasterDennis]

Everyone has their favorites. I have several different brands, but as a new diver, and for my wife, I chose a Sherwood Oasis. Durable, simple, reliable, comfortable, and certainly a local shop near year will service Sherwood. Just another option to consider.
DivemasterDennis

[SnorkelLA]

I'm also currently diving an AquaLung Titan LX that I got a whole set, (AquaLung Titan LX, Aqualung octo, Suunto SPG) for $350 with 9 dives on it. Nice durable regulator that performs good in cold water, but once you take it to depth the performance changes, and since my thread I made on it I've dove 2 more in the same conditions (to any of you who may have been involved in that discussion) of the same year and model make, and I got the same result: less performance (very very very light performance drop at around 40ft, the further you go the greater the performance drop). Topped out at 74 REAL FEET- not the "add 10 for cold water" rule and that's about where it got to the point (on all 3 regs, all different setups, tuned and serviced and owned by different people) where it was too iffy to comfortably go lower with the dive

EDIT: Just to clarify, these were all AquaLung Titan LX regs from the exact same model year (I think somewhere around 2006, it was when the first stage was labeled "Aqualung Titan", and the primary second stage only had "LX" on it)

[Rescue Diver68]

Get something that you can get serviced locally. I am partial to Apeks/Aqualung and feel I have purchased the best regs for me and I can get them serviced at my local dive shop. I recommend a balanced, environmentally sealed Apeks/ Aqualung.

[nomro]

I'm using a Scubapro MK11 with S600, if you are diving in cold water I would recommend Scubapro MK17 with S600 or G250.

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I'm using a Scubapro MK11 with S600, if you are diving in cold water I would recommend Scubapro MK17 with S600 or G250.

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And you can try to ask the guys in this page https://www.facebook.com/DiveEgypt

[Scuba_Noob]

...but once you take it to depth the performance changes, and since my thread I made on it I've dove 2 more in the same conditions (to any of you who may have been involved in that discussion) of the same year and model make, and I got the same result: less performance...

Sorry for the tangent. I own an Aqualung Titan LX and have used a few to greater depths. My LDS and the university scuba club only use Titan LXs and no problems that are similar to yours, regardless of depth. It might be a problem with the used gear or an error during servicing. Or you might have the knob on the side set up wrong (to control how easy it is to breathe). Either way, you should really get the problem completely fixed or not use the reg at all. (Is this the thread? http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/regulators/422443-difference-between-aqualung-legend-lux-supreme-aqualung-legend-lx-supreme.html (http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/regulators/422443-difference-between-aqualung-legend-lux-supreme-aqualung-legend-lx-supreme.html?)). It's a problem with that specific reg, not all Titan LXs. At the very least, send it to Aqualung or speak to an Aqualung tech/rep and see what they think.

Back on topic, pick a regulator that suits you and that your LDS knows how to service well (i.e., if they carry ScubaPro, it may be best to buy ScubaPro).

[ams511]

Because you already own a Knighthawk BC I assume you can get Scubapro serviced where you are at. I am not sure where you are at or what kind of diving you are doing so it is hard to make specific recommendations. If you dive cold water then I would recommend Apeks DS4 XTX, ATX, or TX50 or a Scubapro MK-17 with a G-250 or S600 second. You need to remember an annual can cost you $100 or more for parts and service (depends on where you live). If you dive warm water the above are still excellent choices but you dive almost anything. On ebay, Sherwoods go cheap and they are fine regulators for most diving and cheap to service.

[Jim Lapenta]

I'm just a bit confused by your requirements for a reg. Do you mean you want to spend 300 total? That's what I'm getting from the post and a complete reg set is going to be hard to do even used once you figure in the cost of a service on an out of warranty reg. Even something simple and realtively cheap like a Sherwood Blizzard with octo and guages is going to run close to 100 for the first service at many shops. So that leaves 200 to purchase one. Looking on ebay there are plenty in that range but closer inspection of them and reading the details shows many that are different brands cobbled together so you may have to take them to different dealers, a lot of Dacors which are hard to get parts for, and others that just seem to good to be true.

Where if you went with a new reg you could not only be assured of it working, but it would also have a warranty. I sell Edge Gear and we have some new regs out now. The Edge Epic and EXP. Both balanced diaphragm 1st stage regs and both with adjustable primaries. One retails for under $240 and the other for less than $320. Add an octo for another 90 bucks and a compact spg and you are around $400 for the EXP for a complete set and under $500 for the Epic. Again now you have a new reg, with a warranty, and with a two year recommended rebuild and a recommended annual inspection.

Now if I were to do the service on these it would run you $35 for the annual and $90 for the rebuild for a total maintenance cost of $125 every two years plus shipping. Not bad when you consider even with so called free parts programs shops around me charge 30 - 45 per stage labor for annual service. Making that 180 - 270 to maintain over the same time period.

[SnorkelLA]

Often it depends on the temperature of the water you're diving (some regs work the best in warm water). BUT mostly it depends on what regulator is the most comfortable for you. What did you dive in training? Ask your LDS what they'd recommend (they'll try to sell you something, but try to filter that stuff out). Plus your LDS probably stocks regs that are made for your environment.

I dive an Aqualung Titan LX, which worked well in 5 degree Celsius waters up to 28 degree Celsius water (41 and 82 degrees Fahrenheit respectively).

Just remember that this is one of the most important things keeping you alive underwater, and $300 isn't that much for scuba :(. And if you buy used, you're going to have to get your regs serviced anyway (probably $50).

They are great regs, all we're tuned to maximum on the dial. All different individual regs, but all in the same model year. I think it's from a few years back, but while the problems at depth were a bit different in how severe, all definitely got worse at depth. All were serviced by different shops. All were tested at the same dive sight. The water was admittedly cold, about 43F


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[beaverdivers]

Stay with Scubapro. You can get an excellent used Scubapro reg for under $300.

[jonb347]

wow im blown away by all this info...thanks guys. im gonna go do some more research and check out what the dive shop has...feel free to keep chiming in!

[Colliam7]

I . . . need some reccomendations for a regulator. I'd prefer to buy a good used one and have it checked out but don't want to spend 300+.There are multiple brands of regs, with product lines that include a) low end, b) low end / high end, and c) high end models, as Herman pointed out. Across 'major' brands, it is hard to say that one reg is better than another, when comparing the equivalent models.

In general, you probably can stay away from the high end models in the various brands, because you seldom need the features that are provided, for recreational diving, and the cost / value proposition isn't that good. For example, you probably would not find an Apeks XTX200, or a Zeagle Flathead-7 to be a reasonable purchase, new or used.

Do you plan to dive cold(er) water? If so, you will want an environmentally sealed unit, which generally puts you into the mid-range (low end / high end) models. Therefore, an Apeks XTX20 is not something that you would find useful.

Do you have a particular LDS that you prefer to use? If so, what brand lines do they carry (and, therefore, routinely service)?

Do the LDS happen to have / carry any used regs that you might be able to pick up for a reasonable price?

I dive Zeagle (50D, DS-V, Envoy), Apeks (ATX 100 and 200, Tec 3, and ATX 50/DST), and Mares (MR12) regs, because that is what we stock, and for which parts kits are readily available. I am very happy with the model(s) that I have in all three brands, and would recommend any / all of them. But, I have used Dive Rite regs, Scubapro regs, Sherwood regs, etc., and have not found a reg brand that I particularly dislike. I find the Zeagle first stages particularly easy to service (for me, at least), I find the Apeks first stages to be very sturdy / bombproof. Right now, my favorite, simple recreational reg setups are a) a (used) Zeagle DS-V with two (used) Mares second stages, and b) a used Apeks ATX 200.

Buying used regs requires a bit of care, as prices vary, and you can easily get lulled into buying something because it fits your price range, but not your needs. Having said that, you can probably find a used first stage, two used second stages, and (at least) a SPG, and have the stages serviced, for ~$300, IF you are willing to do homework beforehand, and be patient. The homework is deciding on 2-3 specific brands / models, determing what the best online new price would be, then looking for those on eBay and Craigslist at a price no greater than 50% of that best new price. I see some used regs on eBay recently that have sold for prices that are absurdly high. But, there are still good values to be had if you look for them, and that is where the patience comes in.

[ECpirates96]

By the time you buy used and have a set serviced you will be over your budget. Just buy a set of HOG regulators and get a set of used gauges here or the bay.

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[Fishpie]

You can easily buy a used set on eBay and have it serviced for well under $300.
US Divers Conshelf's are always available for less than $150....and that's with the Octo and full gauge set.
They are a very well respected regulator that's easy and cheap to service.

[SnorkelLA]

Can't go wrong with a HOG. They are DIN though, so be sure to find an adapter that will work for you. Tech divers all over the world swear by them, and quite literally stake their life on them. Got a chance to use my buddy's on a 98ft dive a few days ago before ordering them. Water temp was extremely cold, horribly so. About 39F. On these regs the adjustment wheel actually DOES SOMETHING! Fully opened it's almost shoving air into your lungs, even down at 98ft. Give it a small turn the other way and you're set. These things are built like tanks, too. They are dirt cheap as well. I was using my Titan LX on my setup, and halfway through he let me breathe off his secondary (also a HOG D1, with a yellow soft cover) and it breathed very well, I switched back and forth between the two regs constantly, and I felt like I had to PULL the air out of my Titan, but the HOG remained good. I won't buy anything else from now on. Oh, and OP make sure if you DO go with the HOGs that you get a GOOD DIN-YOKE convertor. The one on my buddy's worked fine, but there are mixed reports of minor leaks on well-worn tanks.

EDIT: Sorry if I wasn't clear, OP- he had ordered the "singles" kit and it came with a DIN-Yoke screw-on convertor. It worked fine for him but there are mixed reports of using them on well worn tanks where they may have dents and dings on the head, causing an improper seal. My buddy and I use our own tanks when we can, but the dive shop we had to get them filled up at said they couldn't fill our DIN tanks, so we had to rent some of their Yokes. Don't know why they couldn't fill them. I've never in all my days come across a shop that said they couldn't fill a DIN tank

Chris, you run a real class act with HOG. Keep up the good work and you'll always have a lifetime customer with me.

[richkeller]

I have dived US Divers/Aqualung Regs for almost fifty years and really like them. I currently dive a Conshelf 14 (one of the last ones made) and it is perfect for me. That said, I have recently been introduced to the Edge/HOG line and find I cannot say enough good things about them. I bought my son an Edge and he totally loves it. Zeagle is another good choice. If I were in the market for a new reg, it would probably be an Edge or a Zeagle.

+1 I have done the same thing with old scubapro R108HP, R109, MK3 and MK5 regs. These regs can be found cheap on ebay or craigslist and a scubapro shop should be able to return them to like new condition if they are in reasonable shape to begin with. If you want something newer you can not go wrong with a HOG reg.