Buying first reg.

[dbteel]

Okay I'm ready to buy my first reg. I've studied the scubalab reports, queried several diveshops and numerous divebudddies, tested a few setups and now I would appreciate your opinions.

I am relatively new diver but hope to be doing it for a good long while and want equipment that will last. I will be diving three seasons a year - in the NE as well as the caribe and hopefully some other exotic warm places I will likely stay a recreational diver but may pursue some additional certs in rescue, cavern, mixed gases, etc. Cost is a consideration but I am willing to pay more if the benefit is worthwhile.

My question is: what are your suggestions for regs given these parameters. My short list currently includes the Mares Abyss; Scubapro MK20/G250 and the Aqualung micro titan. There seems to be a lot of talk here about Apeks - will have to check out more thoroughly. Also, I was informed to avoid Tusa as they are hard to get serviced-True/False??

BTW - reg. setup will be used with either Mares Dragonfly or Scubapro Classic Plus BC.

Thanks for your input!!

 

[OceanSpirit]

Hi there!

Buying your first reg is always a difficult decision making process. You will have loads of advice, so expect a whole bunch of replies to this! I would say that your best bet is to beg, borrow (but NOT steal!) as many different types of reg to try out. Remember that reviewers opinions are based on their personal biases and should be taken with a degree of caution. One thing to remember is that when we were all doing our first course, we didn't have a clue what reg we were using (well I didn't, I had enough on my plate controlling my bouyancy), but did we notice what a difficult or easy breathe it was? I doubt it. I know several people who are 'fair-weather' divers and are perfectly happy with 'club' regs and others that won't use anything that costs less than a small fortune. For what it's worth, I use Oceanic Deltas with the DX4 1st stage and love 'em. Servicing is cheap as all servicable parts are under warranty and that's for life.

 

[Heads Up]

I agree with what Oceanspirit says about trying before you buy. Do your local diveshops have 'training tanks' where you can test the kit? People have different needs and choice of regulator if personal so take your time. I dive with the Scubapro Mk20 / R380 kit in the UK and Red Sea and find it great for my needs, but I know other people who find it hard work to use as opposed to the Apeks range. Personally, I prefer Scubapro.

Good Luck

 

[Aardal]

dbteel....

Since is your first regulator, I do recommend that you do rent/test out the regulator setup first. You can read reviews all day and go and buy the regulator you might think is great bc of what the reviews say but it just comes down to personal prefrence. I suggest buying a regulator that will fit you needs down the road. That way your not constantly buying a new regulator set everytime you advance yourself to a new level. I personally dive the Apeks TX50 with Apeks TX40 Octo. Good luck and let us know what you decide.

Dive Safe....

Aardal
eace:

 

[dmentia]

...because from my own recent experience, I can say that all you read that makes a reg sound good doesn't matter til you try it. I ended up getting a Dacor Viper because of a great price, and the things I read that sounded good. There were a couple of negatives that I figured I could live with, because of the good things I read. As it turns out, the negatives aren't even a problem at all, and the positives from the review were way overstated, or subjective. I am not happy with my reg, and would have noticed within 5 minutes of using it in a pool the things that were disappointing.
dmentia

 

[100days-a-year]

dbteel,Good luck with this one.Personally dive Mk20/g250 for years(rec,deep,penetration and 0 vis)Easy to use,simple,lasts forever,is capable of actually doing Technical dives,is easy to take apart underwater,large infrastructure(try finding an Apeks or Posiedin dealer in the plces you dive)still beats almost anything on ease of breathing.This reg will still be with you 10 yrs and many cert's down the road.If you look inside most other high performance regs,you'll find they are knock-offs of this design.

 

[tgreaves]

If you on a budget.. Check out the Scubapro mk2/r190.. If you have some money.. Check out the Scubapro mk20/g250-hp.. I have both and love them.. I use them in 35F-45F temp water..

 

[large_diver]

db,

A Fellow New England diver -- cool.

I would echo the comments about Apeks. I'm not sure about shops on the Vineyard, but East Coast Divers on the Cape (Hyannis) carries them as well as North Atlantic Scuba in Marshfield and Divers Market in Plymouth. Run a search using "Apeks" on this board -- it will turn up lots of comments. They have come highly recommended to me by a few tech divers I know as well.

I would also echo the "try before you buy" sentiments. I have taken a long time to choose my first regulator -- I have rented an Atomic B1, Mares, Scubapro, Oceanic Delta 3, among others. I will try to rent an Apeks as soon as the water warms up around here before making my final decison this spring.

Good luck.

 

[Tavi]

dbteel,

When I first started looking into regs I did a lot of research.I made up my mind that I was getting a Mares Abyss. Before I got around to buying, I started hearing a lot about Apeks. I looked up everything I could find on them. I tried the Abyss.I tried some others also. I bought the Apeks Tx-50 with Tx-40 Octo. I'm happy with it.

My first choice for a BC was the Seaquest Pro QD. I liked the Mares Dragonfly too.I had heard a lot about the Zeagle Ranger. I tried them all. I LOVED the Airtrim on the Dragonfly! for some reason me and the Zeagle didn't get along at all.The Pro-QD was nice. Then my wifes instructor said "here try this" and handed me a Dive-Rite Trans Pac II with Rec-Wings. I love it, It's the most comfortable BC I've tried. And it can change with my diving.

I guess my point is, what I ended up buying, isn't even close to what I had planned on buying in the beginning. Take your time and try all you can. Cause, once you buy it you'll be diving it for a while.

Good luck, Happy Hunting,


Tavi:tree: