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I'm pretty sure the Pegasus has been discontinued for at least a few years now. At least it's no longer listed on the mares.com U.S. website. Not sure if that matters to you. The replacement model is probably this one: Mares Hybrid Pure BCD with MRS Plus Weight Pockets And it's $50 less. And has 9lbs. less lift. Or this one: Mares Hybrid BCD with MRS Plus System which has 42lbs. of lift. For warm water diving that's likely more than you need but it will also function in single tank cold water diving should you do that.
What other brands can you obtain easily in your area?
Most people learn in a jacket because most shops use them in their rental fleet for convenience. Get a size that basically fits, throw some weight in the pockets and teach the class. For new divers, they're pretty comfortable also, all that padding etc. Some people later buy a better jacket because they learned in one. Also the mfr's intend them for that - one of them (Mares?) even offers a base model with a rental barcode stamped on the shoulder for inventory mgmt. purposes. They're also the cheapest so easiest to replace your rental fleet every year or two - most popular locations that's about as long as rental gear holds up.
Jackets do one thing really well - float you very high at the surface. So if that's where you plan to do all your diving - get one.
Back-Inflate models work better for actual diving. The idea is that the optimal diving position is horizontal. So having all the floatation on your back helps you to trim out more easily into this position while actually diving. A further problem with some jackets is that the trapped air bubble moves around as you dive - sometimes from front to back in those models that have that feature. If you read the ads carefully, you'll see that some jackets have bladders, channels or other devices designed to control the bubble so that it doesn't do so at an inappropriate time.
Back-inflate isn't without its problems either. Some people will find that at the surface they push you slightly forward so you may have to kick a little to maintain an upright position. One way mfr's compensate for this is by providing rear trim pockets. On my BC for example, I dive with 12-14 lbs. of weight in tropical water. I can easily put all of it in the front pockets but I find a 60/40 split is optimal both for diving and at the surface. For me having the trim weight low near the bottom of the tank works - others find that either higher pockets or sometimes securing it near the valve works best.
It all just depends on your specific weighting/characteristics in the water. No one here can accurately predict that so I suggest that you ask a local shop/instructor to help you fine tune whatever system you wind up with. DM's at dive destinations also do this routinely for free when asked. Or might suggest something based on how they see you once in the water.
Regarding DIN vs. Yoke - something like 98% of all rental tanks are Yoke in most dive destinations. It's not better but it certainly holds up to rental abuse better.
If you drop a DIN tank hard enough, you can deform the entire valve end. Screwing a round DIN reg into a now oval shaped opening - you can see the problem. Also the act of screwing a DIN reg onto a rental tank has inherent problems, someone could cross-thread it or if there's any sort of sand/grit caught in the threads, screwing a harder regulator body into is destroys the tank threads over time. DIN is optimal if you plan to own your own tanks since it's generally a more secure connection since the o-ring is fully captured - otherwise I suggest you get Yoke.
I've seen exactly two Yoke O-rings blow out in 33 years of regular diving - once at the surface on my tank and once while another diver was at a moderate depth. He still had enough air to safely surface including doing a 3min safety stop. Plus that's what your buddy is for. Drop a Yoke tank on it's end, pick it up and go dive it. I've had one fall off a truck bed and land solidly on the yoke on rocks, I couldn't even find any new scratches on it so I went diving...
At the depths you were diving during class, I suspect that whoever posted above that your regulator needed servicing was closer to the real reason for the hard breathing. While a balanced regulator is a good idea, you really only start to notice the difference below 100' or so.
Since there's a cost to the shop to bring any rental gear out of service for repair - some are reluctant to do so unless absolutely - and usually visually like in obvious air leaking - necessary before they do. Also you make the assumption that the technician him/herself is competent - or wasn't in a hurry. Rental regulator tuning isn't rocket science but it does take some experience. My point is don't base your decision on your limited rental experience.
A piston technically flows more air than a diaphragm. But both have been around over 50 years. I doubt you could tell the difference between most comparatively priced models anyway. Some - like Atomic sell a $400 regulator and a $1600 regulator. Even on their website, they mention that they breathe identically - the entire difference in their line is the metal used. So buy what you like - and can get serviced locally since with some brands you'll be doing that annually to maintain warranty coverage. And your local dealer needs to be affiliated with the brand so they can get parts, participate in the infrequent recalls, etc. Plus some brands only allow certified techs to work on their gear - Aqualung is one example.
What other brands can you obtain easily in your area?
Most people learn in a jacket because most shops use them in their rental fleet for convenience. Get a size that basically fits, throw some weight in the pockets and teach the class. For new divers, they're pretty comfortable also, all that padding etc. Some people later buy a better jacket because they learned in one. Also the mfr's intend them for that - one of them (Mares?) even offers a base model with a rental barcode stamped on the shoulder for inventory mgmt. purposes. They're also the cheapest so easiest to replace your rental fleet every year or two - most popular locations that's about as long as rental gear holds up.
Jackets do one thing really well - float you very high at the surface. So if that's where you plan to do all your diving - get one.
Back-Inflate models work better for actual diving. The idea is that the optimal diving position is horizontal. So having all the floatation on your back helps you to trim out more easily into this position while actually diving. A further problem with some jackets is that the trapped air bubble moves around as you dive - sometimes from front to back in those models that have that feature. If you read the ads carefully, you'll see that some jackets have bladders, channels or other devices designed to control the bubble so that it doesn't do so at an inappropriate time.
Back-inflate isn't without its problems either. Some people will find that at the surface they push you slightly forward so you may have to kick a little to maintain an upright position. One way mfr's compensate for this is by providing rear trim pockets. On my BC for example, I dive with 12-14 lbs. of weight in tropical water. I can easily put all of it in the front pockets but I find a 60/40 split is optimal both for diving and at the surface. For me having the trim weight low near the bottom of the tank works - others find that either higher pockets or sometimes securing it near the valve works best.
It all just depends on your specific weighting/characteristics in the water. No one here can accurately predict that so I suggest that you ask a local shop/instructor to help you fine tune whatever system you wind up with. DM's at dive destinations also do this routinely for free when asked. Or might suggest something based on how they see you once in the water.
Regarding DIN vs. Yoke - something like 98% of all rental tanks are Yoke in most dive destinations. It's not better but it certainly holds up to rental abuse better.
If you drop a DIN tank hard enough, you can deform the entire valve end. Screwing a round DIN reg into a now oval shaped opening - you can see the problem. Also the act of screwing a DIN reg onto a rental tank has inherent problems, someone could cross-thread it or if there's any sort of sand/grit caught in the threads, screwing a harder regulator body into is destroys the tank threads over time. DIN is optimal if you plan to own your own tanks since it's generally a more secure connection since the o-ring is fully captured - otherwise I suggest you get Yoke.
I've seen exactly two Yoke O-rings blow out in 33 years of regular diving - once at the surface on my tank and once while another diver was at a moderate depth. He still had enough air to safely surface including doing a 3min safety stop. Plus that's what your buddy is for. Drop a Yoke tank on it's end, pick it up and go dive it. I've had one fall off a truck bed and land solidly on the yoke on rocks, I couldn't even find any new scratches on it so I went diving...
At the depths you were diving during class, I suspect that whoever posted above that your regulator needed servicing was closer to the real reason for the hard breathing. While a balanced regulator is a good idea, you really only start to notice the difference below 100' or so.
Since there's a cost to the shop to bring any rental gear out of service for repair - some are reluctant to do so unless absolutely - and usually visually like in obvious air leaking - necessary before they do. Also you make the assumption that the technician him/herself is competent - or wasn't in a hurry. Rental regulator tuning isn't rocket science but it does take some experience. My point is don't base your decision on your limited rental experience.
A piston technically flows more air than a diaphragm. But both have been around over 50 years. I doubt you could tell the difference between most comparatively priced models anyway. Some - like Atomic sell a $400 regulator and a $1600 regulator. Even on their website, they mention that they breathe identically - the entire difference in their line is the metal used. So buy what you like - and can get serviced locally since with some brands you'll be doing that annually to maintain warranty coverage. And your local dealer needs to be affiliated with the brand so they can get parts, participate in the infrequent recalls, etc. Plus some brands only allow certified techs to work on their gear - Aqualung is one example.
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