First reg, need to buy two, rec diver

[Murphy in NC]

First of all I want to thank everyone on this forum.
Its been a huge resource.

So I have tried many rentals and have decided that on my trip next month I will rent BC's (so we can try different BC's) however I want to purchase a reg, will feel better knowing its my own equipment and some rental regs have been less than optimal.

So I don't just need to buy a reg; I need reg, octo, gauge and hose to BC.

I know I want balanced, I would prefer a swivel somewhere on the first or second stage as I do have occasional jaw problems (a little TMJ) however definitely not a deal breaker. My son won't need this however I would want to buy two of the same.

Would like a name brand, I have no desire to dive in the cold and plan on staying in normal rec depths so I don't need the best however I don't want the cheapest, I want very good that fits my needs

Need to buy soon, so do you all have any suggestions?

Thanks again, there is a lot of knowledge on the forum and a huge resource for those who are newer to the sport

 

[northernone]

Glad to hear you and your son are diving together.

Put 10 divers on a boat for same dive and you'll likely have 10 different favorite reg sets. If you've tried many, pick one you dove and you like. It sounds like your needs in a regulator set is very much perfectly in the middle of the common market. Beyond horribly poor designs and ultra expensive you won't go wrong.

A swivel or 90° can be added to any reg.

Hopefully the next reply has more specific helpful recommendations
Regards,
Cameron

 

[tdallen]

What are your plans for servicing? If you want to get them serviced locally then that will guide your choices.

 

[tilikum]

Many on the board swear by Deep6.

 

[Akimbo]

It is been hard to buy a bad regulator for a long time thanks to the required compliance with EU standards and most also test against the more demanding US Navy requirements.

There is one advantage for new divers using regulators with unbalanced first and second stages (that still meet EU standards), besides being less expensive. High performance balanced regulators allow you to breathe a tank down to virtually empty with almost no warning. You will sense progressively increased breathing resistance on an unbalanced between 300 and 500 PSI. The difference can be 20-30 breaths allowing time to safely surface or find your buddy's octo versus 1-2 breaths.

I suggest that you rent a unbalanced regulator and intentionally breath a tank down to empty in a swimming pool shallow enough to stand up in. They would probably let you do it in a dive shop but a pool is better. First, it is a good experience to know what it feels like. Second it will either reinforce that spending more money is better overall or not. Getting distracted, loosing sight of your buddy, or forgetting your training shouldn't be a death sentence.

ANY regulator on the market today has safe breathing resistance down to 165'/40M.

Put 10 divers on a boat for same dive and you'll likely have 10 different favorite reg sets.

Or 20 if you're on a tech dive boat.

 

[Ready4Launch]

First of all I want to thank everyone on this forum.
Its been a huge resource.

So I have tried many rentals and have decided that on my trip next month I will rent BC's (so we can try different BC's) however I want to purchase a reg, will feel better knowing its my own equipment and some rental regs have been less than optimal.

So I don't just need to buy a reg; I need reg, octo, gauge and hose to BC.

I know I want balanced, I would prefer a swivel somewhere on the first or second stage as I do have occasional jaw problems (a little TMJ) however definitely not a deal breaker. My son won't need this however I would want to buy two of the same.

Would like a name brand, I have no desire to dive in the cold and plan on staying in normal rec depths so I don't need the best however I don't want the cheapest, I want very good that fits my needs

Need to buy soon, so do you all have any suggestions?

Thanks again, there is a lot of knowledge on the forum and a huge resource for those who are newer to the sport

I do think there are more regs more expensive than this, but maybe not many. It is pricey. Yet, if it's in your price range, I'd stop searching and just get the Atomic ST1.

 

[rsingler]

Here's a suggestion -
Come back to this thread after a trip to your local dive shop.
Tell us what they recommend and why. You'll then get lots of advice about what your shop told you.
Folks are a little reluctant to give you their personal rec directly, because that opens the door to lots of counter opinions by others.
There have been good comments so far:
1) most everything works "well enough" these days due to International standards
2) choose what can be serviced locally

Not sure you should choose an unbalanced setup to tell you when you're low on air. That's a pretty dated technique.

I'd say, keep an eye on your gauges, and choose balanced regs so you can get the very last possible breath comfortably on your ascent to the surface on that dive when you forgot to check your gauges and you're now starting to panic. Don't add air hunger to your list of worries as you exit the emergency.

Scubapro and Atomic, definitely. But can be pricey. Lots of just as good equivalents. Aqualung seconds pick up sand in the adjustment sleeves a little too much for my comfort. As above: can you get your choice serviced easily?
My preference is for a sealed first stage whenever possible. Not for anti-freeze protection, but to keep salt and sand out of my first stage. Easy to just rinse off, especially on a dive trip where the dive operators offer to keep your gear down near the boat for you, and don't rinse them well (I always take my regs up to my room anyway).

 

[tbone1004]

if you can swing down to Greenville at some point before your trip I'll be able to show you a bunch of different stuff if you want to check them out. Unfortunately my @Deep Six regs aren't here yet, but I have similar ones that you can look at.

Why the request for name brand? Problem with new name brand regs is the depreciation on them as well as the up front cost is absolutely massive.

 

[RainPilot]

I've been super happy with my Deep 6. @cerich has also stated that if you aren't happy for any reason he will refund you on return. No risk purchase that you will be very happy with.

The price point is also really nice.

 

[rsingler]

Two sides to that discussion, I think.
If cost is a significant factor, I'd agreed that you can save a LOT of money with other brands.
On the other hand, can you get your reg serviced on a trip to Mexico; to Indonesia?
And then there's plastic. I'd stack the old Scubapro G250 case polymer against anything out there. Can't say the same for the occasional cracked HOG case, or any of a number of other manufacturers. I'm sure Deep Six is great. But the new buyer is asking, and that's my 2 cents.
Want the best of both worlds? But a used "brand name" reg on EBay that has perfect pics and a good reputation seller, and take it to your shop and have it serviced. The shop wishes you'd bought it there, but they hope for your repeat business. Yeah, you can get burned...
I dive a T3 that I bought for $700. That kind of thing comes along every month or so. I'm jes sayin'.