Buying 1st and 2nd stages seperately?

[Duca]

I'd like to hear your thoughts.... My LDS had a "demo" Zeta 2nd stage for sale at a great price. I asked about getting a first stage with it and the sales person (who admitted not knowing what the owner actually intended be done) suggested that she could "discount" the price of that demo 2nd with the matching first (presumably also a demo) and came up with a price of about $550. I know that I canbuy a used 1st stage for significantly less than $350, even after I get it serviced/checked out (either a sea quest from an XR2, or one froma Scubapro D400)

Here's my questions:

1. What percentage do the 1st and 2nd stages represent in a normal package price? (50/50, 25/75, ???)

2. Is there a problem with mixing 1st and 2nd stages from different companies or even from different packages w/i a company?

3. If you said "no", or a qualified "no," to question #2: Would either of the 1st stages I mentioned above be better or worse with the Zeta?


Obviously, I am new to diving. I am still trying to decide how much cash I am willing to put out to support my LDS over internet buying. Was this price on the 2nd stage just a ruse to get me to buy the whole package?

 

[The Chairman]

Hey Duca,

Well, I am not familiar with the Zeta... price wise. However, I love my Cousteau first and Micra Second, and they cost me $350 new for both. They breathe well, and have yet to let me down.

 

[Duca]

Thanks ND.
Did you buy them seperately? What was the price breakdown?

 

[OceanSpirit]

Hi,
I posted the same question as your Q2 a while back. The thread ID is:http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?threadid=2980.

There were some interesting and informative replies.

I have always tried to champion Oceanic regs on the board as I feel that not only do they perform excellently in each price bracket but also that because the service parts are free for life and this makes them a very attractive buy.

The Zeta reg is good for general recreational diving but I would not be happy to use one in cold or silty water. I use a Delta 3 1st and the excellent DX4 2nd with the enviromental kit. All told this retails for about £250-£300. Most 2nd stages are available as octopuses and their price will be a good indication of the % split of a setup. They will be slightly more expensive due to different colours/ hose length etc but not much.

Hope this helps.

 

[wheezy]

If you are going to buy used, why not buy from Leisurepro.com or Diveinn.com???? same price/// but from brand new....

 

[The Chairman]

Sorry Duca,

I did not have it broken down when I bought it... it came as a "set". The Aqualung has the same liftime warranty on parts as well. That being said, I am not sure how cost evvective this is. The seals for both stages of my Micra/Cousteau is less than $25 retail. Mostly, I have seen shops do far less than what you are paying for, and really they only replace a few critical O-Rings. I have taken the time to learn how to do my own regs. I bet you I won't have my regs free flow becuase I took a shortcut!!!

:tease:

 

[Duca]

I finally got to talk to the guy who runs the shop today and he cleared up a couple of things for me... got me pointed in the right direction, without any high pressure sales attitude. I still have to decide what to buy, but I feel a lot more knowledgable about my choices.

 

[TexasMike]

Two of our members here (Corsair & Seawolf) have purchased what they call the "Franken-regulators", essentially Apollo first stages (with the bio filter option) and Atomic 2nd stages. Both like them very much.

As to prices, I don't know, but they are very nice people and would be willing to answer your emails.