Hey SCUBA gear heads - best regulator for under $1,000 = ?

[kelemvor]

@giffenk the hog regs were certainly the case when you could get a D1/Classic for $200 and couldn't DIY service for whatever reason. Those are no longer available.

The Deep6 DGX series is basically the same regulator and is $250 for the set. Parts to service that are $50. If you have to pay someone to do it, I've seen it as low as $60, or as high as $105 to service. I know that those regs can easily go 5 years between service so you may decide that at the end of the day you can sell those regs for $100 needing service, and pay $0-$50 to have a brand new regulator. The guy that bought the reg for $100 is probably going to DIY and he saved $100 on the cost of the reg so everyone is happy.

Huh.. I thought deep6 were much more expensive for some reason. Good to know.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Is this why the MK2, the lowest end SP piston regulator, is workhorse regulator for dive center since the 60's??

We have Atomic and SP regulators in our dive school training/rental equipment fleet and they are the best performing and most reliable regulators compare with the other brands that are diaphragm first stages. We are phasing out other brands from our regulator fleet.

I'm not sure that what's best as a dive center's fleet gear is best as the average diver's personal gear.

 

[tbone1004]

Huh.. I thought deep6 were much more expensive for some reason. Good to know.

the deep6 signature regs are significantly more expensive for a myriad of reasons. the dgx regs from Deep6 are essentially a HOG D1/Classic

The DGX series is $250 for a 1st and 2nd, the Signature series is $375

 

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

For dive center located in tropical setting, the demands on the regulator will only be the frequency of use. A piston will be able to handle it as well as a diaphragm. If you are doing cold water diving, going under ice or diving in muddy lakes, then diaphragm will be the better choice.

I am not sure if regulators are one area in diving where more cost necessarily translates into a better product. A lot of technical divers doing some of the most demanding dives prefer Hogs, Dive Rites and Deep6 while it is the newly certified and over excited types that buy those super-expensive 1600 USD regulators.

I have owned Atomic, Apeks and Dive Rite and if ease of breathing is the deciding factor then Z2 will win for sure. My apeks and present Dive Rite can be adjusted to deliver more air but they would be feel "mechanical" while Z2 were like super smooth Ferraris. Yet ease of breathing was never something on which I would base my purchase on. The deciding factor for me is reliability in cold water technical dives.

 

[halocline]

This. I have never owned piston regs, so bear in mind I am just repeating what I've been told here. As it was explained to me, a piston reg is like a Ferrari--when it's tuned, its performance can't be beat, but it tends to go out of tune quickly--whereas a diaphragm reg is a less finicky workhorse like a classic Honda or Toyota.

This is nonsense. Sorry...... No regulator is 'like a ferrari' or 'honda'. Regulators are very simple devices that only reduce pressure from the tank and allow divers to breathe it at changing ambient pressures. Cars are very complex machines that do all sorts of jobs and can be compared in many many different ways.

The truth is that there are excellent diaphragm regs, and excellent piston regs. Both can go several years between service. In terms of performance, the first stage's job is to provide stable IP to the 2nd stage regardless of depth, flow demand, and tank pressure. All really good ones do that to an extent that they are indistinguishable by most divers in most situations. The 2nd stage is where most divers will 'feel' differences.

One big obvious way that regulators are different from cars is that newer cars really are better; safer, longer lasting, more fuel efficient. (Maybe not as stylish...) while newer regulators offer essentially zero improved performance or reliability from their decades-old counterparts.

 

[Lorenzoid]

This is nonsense. Sorry...... No regulator is 'like a ferrari' or 'honda'. . . .

So it is false that a high-performance piston reg needs to be tuned often to maintain that level of performance for which one presumably spent a lot of money? That is indeed what I was told.

Never mind about the car analogies. If I hadn't made it, someone else would. Not one of these "which reg should I buy" threads seems to go by without someone trying to make the car analogy.

 

[Hoag]

The first reg that was recommended was the Atomic Z3.

For those needs? Atomic Z3. It breathes for you. 1000 USD is a bit too high and very few regs would fall out of that price range. If you are insistent upon spending more money to feel good about the purchase then you can get B2 instead but I would spend that money getting an identical second stage instead of a cheaper octo.

Personally, I would go for Dive Rites or Deep6 but that is because I like diaphragms.

I have never used one, so I can not speak to having any personal experience with one. This, however just showed up here on ScubaBoard in the classifieds. It might be a good buy. For $450 you have a lot of room to get it serviced and add new mouth pieces before you come anywhere near your $1000 budget.

 

[halocline]

So it is false that a high-performance piston reg needs to be tuned often to maintain that level of performance for which one presumably spent a lot of money? That is indeed what I was told.

Yes it is false. I have MK5s, MK10s, MK15s, and a MK25 going on five years between service. IP stability in those regs is very impressive. But then again, the old US divers balanced diaphragm design (conshelf, titan) also routinely holds IP after service for several years.

 

[beaverdivers]

I would recommend the Scubapro MK 25/ A700 or MK 25/S620Ti

 

[KeithG]

Yes it is false. I have MK5s, MK10s, MK15s, and a MK25 going on five years between service. IP stability in those regs is very impressive. But then again, the old US divers balanced diaphragm design (conshelf, titan) also routinely holds IP after service for several years.

I am curious. Why would a piston first stage need "often tuning" to maintain performance?

My Sherwoods are very simple. The only first stage "tuning" I am aware of would be to remove or add a shim if the IP drifted too high or too low. Essentially you are compensating for the spring providing too much or too little force. As it ages, I assume the spring may start to weaken and not provide enough force - so you eventually might need to add a shim. My 30 year old regs are still using the factory configured shims (2 of the allowed 3).

Maybe I am missing something?

I do realize that my regs are not Ferrari's. Do Ferrari piston regs have more fiddly bits?