Wolfinger's "Regulator Savvy" versus Harlow's "Regulator Maintenance and Repair"

[fjpatrum]

So you want to know more about regulators and what makes it possible to breath underwater? Either of these two books, Pete Wolfinger's "Regulator Savvy" or Vance Harlow's "Regulator Maintenance and Repair" will make that possible. Both are excellent books designed to teach someone the theory behind regulators and how they function as well as provide a good generic "course" on maintaining and repairing regulators.

I bought "Scuba Regulator Savvy" about a year ago on the advice of a shop owner to whom I had expressed an interest in learning more about my regs and how to service them. Available from Scuba Tools the spiral bound version is about $30 with the loose-leaf ring bound edition around $50. I opted for the cheaper version. At nearly 200 pages packed with diagrams and information, I believe it is worth the price. The book is printed on quality paper and has a sturdy spiral binding that stands up well to abuse by my 2 year old as well as me banging it around on the bench with tools and equipment.

The book is broken into 2 sections, each with about 9 or 10 chapters. The first section is "How Regulators Work" and gives all the details about what makes a reg deliver air to you. The second section "Regulator Adjustment Logic" tells all about how to fine tune your regs and gives some troubleshooting advice and test data analysis/explanation.

Overall I found the book to be excellent but a little "dry" for reading and occasionally difficult to read without going over it a couple of times.

Harlow Vance's "Scuba Regulator Maintenance and Repair" I purchased recently based upon recommendations here on Scubaboard. Available at Airspeed Press Homepage - Books For Serious Divers, this book only has one price and binding option. For about $50 you get 250 pages of easy to read uncomplicated information about regulators.

The Harlow book isn't broken into sections but gives a basic step-by-step flow to carry the reader from no understanding to complete understanding of how regulators function. At the end of the book Harlow provides schematics for about 20 common first stage units and another 15 or 20 second stages.

While either book is an excellent choice for understanding regs and being able to service them, they seem to be written with two different audiences in mind. The Regulator Savvy book is written for the professional. It is targeted to those who need a full in-depth understanding of regulators and the testing process for them. The Harlow book, in contrast, is written with an eye toward the DIY diver who wants to service his or her own equipment. As a result, the Harlow book is, in my opinion, much more straight forward and significantly easier to read.

I'm glad I have both books, but if I had to choose one, I'd go with the Harlow book (often called the "airspeed press book") as I believe it gets the same information to the reader in an easier to follow style. The added benefit of schematics for a bunch of specific stages, rather than generic diagrams for different types makes it a clear winner for anyone who happens to own those particular regs.



EDIT: Could a mod correct my spelling of "Wolfinger's" in the title? I seem to have transposed some letters.

[TSandM]

Editing done!

Thank you for posting the review. I'm sure a lot of us have wondered whether there is any reason to own both. I have the Harlow book, and can confirm that it's very accessible information, even to the technically rather untutored.

[jcfahy]

Good review. I own both books and agree with your assessment. Thanks

[knotical]

Although I generally agree with fjpatrum’s assessment, my experience was sequentially the opposite. i.e. Harlow’s before Wolfinger’s.
Reading either one first will probably make the other easier to understand.
I did find that several times as I went through Wolfinger’s I found myself saying “oh, now I understand”.

If you want to buy only one, your background and learning style might suggest which fits you better. As an engineer, I prefer Wolfinger’s.

With either one (or preferably, both), it makes sense to get the manufacturer’s servicing documentation for whatever regulators you are working on.

[herman]

I have both and my take is similar on the 2, however I really like the 2 together. RS is more technical as oppose to M&RSR is more hands on. The combination of the 2 gives the reader a very solid base from theoretical to practical. The hands on aspect is fine for the occasional rebuilder but when the problem regs come along, the more detailed technical information is what is needed to work out the problem. If you intend to service your own regs, get both. Both are less than the cost of 1 regs service

[couv]

I'll throw my usual cut and paste advice on this thread as I concur with the OP; however, don't forget one of the most valuable resources available to the DIY reg tech (and probably a few LDS techs) is right here on Scuba Board in the DIY section. I've gleaned a wealth of information from the Usual Suspects who post there.

******
Servicing your own regulator:

Welcome to the DIY club. Start your knowledge search with a service manual or two. Both service manuals usually discussed here are great: Vance Harlow's "SCUBA Regulator Maintenance and Repair" SCUBA REGULATOR MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR by Vance Harlow

and the Scuba Tools book, "Regulator Savvy" Scuba Tools are well worth the money.
I own both and recommend getting one of each; but if you're dead set on getting only one, then Vance's is a little more suitable for the DIY guy while the ScubaTools book is more suitable for the shop worker. ScubaTools has some pretty handy tools too, so if you do order from there save a few dollars on shipping and get the bullets, spanners, and regulator specific tools that you'll need. Then, get a few old regulators like the ones you'll be servicing from eBay or Craig's list and practice. After just one or two seasons of servicing your own gear, you'll have recovered your investment. While you're waiting for your books to come in, page through a few of the manuals found here:

www.juhahaanpera.com/regulatormanual.htm & www.frogkick.dk/manuals

******

Good luck,

Couv