DIR- GUE Importance of having matching primary and backup regulators?

[SaltyWombat]

My primary second stage is a G260, but my backup (necklace) is a budget R095. Both Scubapro, in case that wasn't clear.

How important does the community feel it is to match the primary and backup regs? That would mean me buying another G260.

 

[OrcasC205]

Are you comfortable breathing through the R095 in a high stress and potentially deep situation when you need to donate your G260 to your teammate? Do you have plans to use a DPV where you may need to adjust the regulator to avoid free-flowing in current? I don’t think there is a standard answer to your question, but those are a couple of the factors you should consider.

 

[MichaelMc]

Your alternate regulator should be of high quality, as the times you will use it are often times of stress. Budget and high quality usually don't go together.

There is more than one model of high quality regulator.

 

[brsnow]

I run 2 atomic z2. OCD, would drive me crazy if they didn’t match.

 

[rjack321]

My primary second stage is a G260, but my backup (necklace) is a budget R095. Both Scubapro, in case that wasn't clear.

How important does the community feel it is to match the primary and backup regs? That would mean me buying another G260.

The R095 is about the minimalist (performance) backup you can have. Its a traditional octopus, except in this case the OOA diver is getting the higher performing G260 and you take the octo, which is reasonable for modest rec diving.

Its not uncommon to use an unbalanced 2nd as a backup, like the R195 for much more serious non-rec dives. But that is sort of the floor performance wise with its larger diaphram, viva knob and overall easier breathing. Bottom line, I would use an R095 but on my single tank setup and not for any especially serious cave or deco diving. I would want something a bit better.

 

[Pearlman]

My new 2nd stages… just arrived. The C370 is going to be the secondary reg as it’s extremely lightweight and should be very comfy hanging down from the necklace. Also it’s tiny size makes it good for a stage bottle reg in the future.

I made sure all my 2nds are balanced with adjustable cracking knob.

Proof that I dont have OCD…

 

[Jacob BV]

Another factor for me is the ease of servicing. I service my own regs and all my second stages are the same which definitely makes the day go faster.

If it breaths fine for the depths/times you are doing I don't see a reason why you need to go out today and fix this, but maybe there's enough reason to stay looking out for a good deal 2nd hand over the next year.

 

[leadduck]

Top shelf balanced primary regulators have adjustment knobs for resistance and a dive/pre-dive Venturi switch. That's not necessary but nice-to-have for a little more convenience, with the drawback that you need to take care of it: Forgetting to set it will result in freeflow or hard breathing. For an octopus that you want to donate quickly in an emergency to a stressed diver, I prefer reliable average performance out-of-the box over the bells and whistles. There's nothing wrong with a G260+R095 octopus set. It's not low quality just because it's cheaper.
Also think about the Mares Octopus MV aka Dacor Viper. It's compact, works well and can be used from both sides, thereby avoiding one frequent mistake by inexperienced divers in a stressful emergency. Nothing wrong with it being cheap.

 

[PfcAJ]

A simple, unbalanced backup is super reliable. This is what you want.

Keep your regs as is.

All of my backups are R190-type regs.

 

[PfcAJ]

R190 doesn't even have the possibility for this to be a problem.