Are HOG regulators good or problem?

[blue steal]

Have my D1 first stage and 4 of the original second stages for well over a decade with no issues. Bought a zenith second stage and don’t care for the rubber purge but functions well. Over 400 dives on them.
I buy the kits and service them myself now.
Very easy to service.

 

[Aqua-Andy]

I've been diving HOG regs since Chris ran his first Black Friday sale, first stages were $75 I believe and seconds were $50. I have three singles sets, a set setup for doubles, two stage sets and a spare first and second that I've never needed. I've taken the service class and service them myself. After around a year with my first set of HOG regs I sold off my Scubapro regs and haven't looked back. The only improvements in regulator design in probably the last two or three decades has been in the marketing department opposed to the engineering departments. The HOG regs are based off of a tried and true design that just works.

 

[rsingler]

Classic 2nd case bosses where the barrel aligns are rather thin. Some discretion is advised when changing/tightening hoses and during service to avoid slightly deforming the plastic boss and ending up with a canted barrel and asymmetric lever contact with the diaphragm. Slightly, but not markedly improved with the D3 version.
Not my favorite compared with Deep6.

 

[Aqua-Andy]

Classic 2nd case bosses where the barrel aligns are rather thin. Some discretion is advised when changing/tightening hoses and during service to avoid slightly deforming the plastic boss and ending up with a canted barrel and asymmetric lever contact with the diaphragm. Slightly, but not markedly improved with the D3 version. Not my favorite compared with Deep6

I would like to see the improvements Chris made with the Deep 6 series of regulators but I can't afford to buy new regulators every time he decides to change brands.

 

[rsingler]

I don't know the particulars myself, but that may have been part of the reason he formed his own company - an inability to make what he felt were necessary improvements under someone else's management.
In any case, the differences are real, if subtle, and the OP asked, so no point in pretending a weakness doesn't exist.

 

[OTF]

rsingler's advice is good, he knows what he's talking about. HOGs are great regs. deep6 2nd stages are a little bit improved over HOG but very similar.

I have a HOG 1st and 2nd. I like 'em. Lots of dives with no issues, easy to DIY service and to get parts for. As long as HOG and Deep6 are making high quality reasonably priced regs I see no reason to go with any of the more expensive big brands (except in the case of stuff manufactured in first-world countries, but that is becoming exceedingly rare these days).

 

[Tracy]

I have had a set of d1/classic doubles regs for the last 10 years. The first stages were flawless. Absolutely excellent regs. The classic second stages were garbage. The tolerances were horrible and I threw them away. I put apeks tx50 second stages on them and dove them regularly for a decade.
My understanding is the zenith second is much better, but I don't have real world experience with it.

 

[boriss]

I have several D3/Zenith and use one set on my deco bottle. They work fine, but there's definitely a difference in WOB compared to my Apeks XTX50's. I feel the difference when switching to deco. Is it a make or break difference? No

 

[Baydoun]

I've been diving D3/Zenith and D3/Classic 2.0 for over a year, including the rentals i used when i first started and have had 0 issues. I have not tried many regs so i can't say much about how they compare the more expensive stuff other than poseidon xstream, but those breath very differently from anything else anyway.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I have several D3/Zenith and use one set on my deco bottle. They work fine, but there's definitely a difference in WOB compared to my Apeks XTX50's. I feel the difference when switching to deco. Is it a make or break difference? No

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That bulging enviro disc is a problem waiting to happen. I would check the IP. If it's good and not creeping, what is most likely to cause that is a leaky diaphragm on the 1st stage.
OR someone took the envirocap and seal off when the reg was not pressurized and screwed it back on.
Leaky diaphragm will also result in champagne bubbles between the cap and diaphragm retainer (chrome part) and between the chrome part and the body.
Keep using it like that and the seal at some point is going to blow out.
In order to get a good seal the reg needs to be pressurized before the cap and seal is put back on.
You never remove and replace the seal on a HOG 1st stage that is not pressurized.
That seal is so deformed that it probably isn't sealing and you are getting water in the balance chamber.
Won't hurt the reg if you are diving fresh water. If you are using this in salt, it will corrode the hell out of everything under the cap.
I would not use that reg until you get it looked at.
How do I know?
Well, I wrote the first draft of the service manual for the D3 and taught the reg tech class for 10 years. And I've probably serviced 200 HOG D3 1st stages and seen much of what can happen with regular wear and tear and with abuse and poor care.