1992 US Divers Micra and Sea2--replace or keep?

[JCR]

Just getting back into diving after a long absence. We do only warm water recreational diving that requires travel. We went to the LDS to ask about changes in equipment and if we should upgrade BCDs and regulators. We were shown a slew of equipment, but then that is what a dive shop is supposed to do, sell you stuff. They suggested there were probably enough changes to consider new regulators.

Our 1992 vintage US Diver Micra and Sea2 regulators worked fine for us -- we have actually had them serviced regularly, but we are wondering if newer regulators offer enough advantages to think about upgrading. Those advantages being ease of breathing,suitability for travel, minimizing jaw fatigue, and durability.

If we decide to keep what we have, are there upgrades or modifications that would offer better breathing performance?

Thanks
JR

 

[CaptBill]

Just getting back into diving after a long absence. We do only warm water recreational diving that requires travel. We went to the LDS to ask about changes in equipment and if we should upgrade BCDs and regulators. We were shown a slew of equipment, but then that is what a dive shop is supposed to do, sell you stuff. They suggested there were probably enough changes to consider new regulators.

Our 1992 vintage US Diver Micra and Sea2 regulators worked fine for us -- we have actually had them serviced regularly, but we are wondering if newer regulators offer enough advantages to think about upgrading. Those advantages being ease of breathing,suitability for travel, minimizing jaw fatigue, and durability.

If we decide to keep what we have, are there upgrades or modifications that would offer better breathing performance?

Thanks
JR

Let's take the last first. Your regs are 17 years old and still working good. I'd call that durable.
IMHO I beleive Jaw fatique is more related to a poor mouthpiece. I also never had that problem with my Sea2 reg set.
Travel can be a hassle if you want to take all your gear. There are smaller, lighter regs that may help you there. The heaviest piece of equipment I take with me is a BC. There are newer BCs just for warm water that you might want to look in to.
Ease of breathing is the biggest question. Yes you can buy a reg that will breath much easier than what you're using. The only way to see if that is what you want is have the LDS put some regs on air so you can try them. See if the difference is what you're looking for. Bring your old set with you to compare.
Tell the LDS where to send my commission

 

[deepstops]

Those Micras were top performers in their day and will stand-up well to most regulators out there today.

 

[ZzzKing]

The regulators they are trying to sell you now will not be any better than what you already have in terms of performance if your current set is properly tuned. The heaviest regulator I travel with is a US Divers Conshelf XIV. It is maybe a pound or two heavier than my brand new Aqualung Mikron. Not a significant weight savings in my book and certainly not worth $400 or 500. ( I won the Mikron in a raffle. I wouldn't replace my Conshelf with it.) Breathing off a reg in the store won't give you any idea what the regs will breathe like at depth. If you really want to spend money on one, see if you can rent it first. I believe jaw fatigue is directly related to scuba equipment companies and their dive stores need to market cheaper plastic second stages.

Take the money saved on a regulator and buy a travel BC. There may actually be enough change to justify a new one of those. Mine is an Oxycheq Ultralight plate with an 18# Razor wing but there are a number of really compact and lightweight BCs available. Just get one that has as little padding as possible. Zeagle makes a nice one. Oceanic does as well. DSS makes an excellent ABS plate with small wing for travel. There was a good thread within the past couple of months about small travel rigs. Do a search. Good luck and don't get taken to the cleaners.

 

[c-snake]

Have those regs serviced and enjoy them.

The only thing I can think of to look out for, is cracking aroung the hose fitting on the plastic second of the Se2.

 

[ZzzKing]

Lightweight BC thread:

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/bu...ht-systems/287599-lightest-dry-weight-bc.html

 

[Damselfish]

I agree you are more likely to gain from a new BC than a new reg, assuming the regs aere working and servicable. Though you don't mention what BCs you have.

Have you actually tried your old BCs yet, or at least inflated them and left for awhile? Old BCs that have been sitting around for years, you might just discover they don't hold air anymore.

 

[scubafanatic]

...why not delay a new reg purchase until you've taken them on a dive trip where you can give them a reasonable workout, see how they do, THEN if they're not as good as memory serves, consider replacing them ? Also, the dive shop that's trying to sell you new units, well, see if they'll loan/rent you one of the latest and greatest regs...and switch back and forth between them on your next trip.....back to back comparisons in real world conditions are the most revealing. Popular reg 'upgrades' these days are those new MIFLEX HP and LP hoses and SEACURE mouthpieces.

 

[JCR]

Thanks for the replies -- very helpful perspectives. My wife is the one with the jaw fatigue trouble with her Micra. She is inclined to get something new, I am inclined to maybe put new Milflex hoses and the Seacure mouthpieces on what we have. If I carry the regulators, then she is more willing to go with what we have. If she has to carry her regulator, then she is inclined to get something lighter since the first stage of her Micra is heavy. I think for our first trip, we will keep what we have for regulators, but she might overrule me.

She has an Infinity BC and mine is a Zeagle Concept. Both of them have been serviced every year, just as our regulators have even though we have not used them since 96. In trying things on, she prefers something like a Zeagle LaZer, Sucbapro Ladyhawk, or the Dive Rite BPW setup because it is less bulky. She tried a variety of other BCs for women, but she was happier with something that is not jacket style. Me, if I can get a less bulky BC, I would be happy too, but the default is that I keep what I have, but something like a BPW or a travel bc would be nice!

Thanks
JR

 

[deepstops]

The Zeagle Concept was a very nice back-inflate BC. I just recently sold mine even though I switched to a BP/wing system back in 2000.