Any recommendations for a lower price good beginner reg?

[Maliphane]

I dove a Mares Dual 15x before I got my own gear and was really impressed. It was a nice, easy breathe. It's also cold water EN250A rated so you can dive it anywhere. It won't break the bank.

 

[L13]

As long as at least the 1st or 2nd stage is balanced (I prefer both), you will have a good beginners regulator. Since you live in the US, I would recommend you go with something like the Deep6 or DGX basic reg sets. Although almost anything sold at your LDS will be good enough, it will likely be more expensive for the equivalent value. If you were in the EU, I would recommend a ScubaPro Mk11/C370 but the US markup on it is huge.

 

[Tom_Ivan]

Don't be scared of 2nd hand gear. Check out the classified section here on scubaboard.
Dive gear can last a long time!

 

[LandonL]

@MarkPorter What kind of diving are you planning to do?

 

[berndo]

Best bang for the buck is to get an old G250/MK20 or MK10 from ebay for around a 100 bucks or under and get it serviced. They are as good as any reg you can buy new today.

 

[formernuke]

Deep 6 and done

 

[andrewmcc]

If you get used, check on the price of service. Call your LDS and get an estimate. It may be more than you expect.

 

[berndo]

Deep 6 and done

The guy is looking for budget kit. You can get a reg, bcd, fins and probably a computer for the price of one new regulator with gauge from whatever brand.

 

[The Chairman]

If you get used, check on the price of service.

Indeed. Before I rebuilt my own regs I brought in an Aqualung Micra and Cousteau had been given. $200 later, I'm at 60' of my first dive and started to inhale water with every breath. I opted for my second, to finish the dives. On the surface, the diaphragm was bad and I had to replace it. That was another $20 or so. Why didn't they replace when they had it? They didn't want to go over $200!

The Deep Six are inexpensive, not cheap but NEW. It's easy to learn how to rebuild when the time comes as it's not rocket science. Parts are inexpensive and available. Or you can send it back to Deep Six and have it factory rebuilt very reasonably

 

[berndo]

The Deep Six are inexpensive, not cheap but NEW.

And then after 5 dives they're not new anymore.
I have box full of regs... some I bought new and some used. Several are from the 90s. No difference except the price I paid.