Need advice on Aqua Lung, Scuba pro or Cressi

[BadabingM3]

Hi folks, I'm Rob and new to this forum. Forum log in name is a bit gay but couldn't think of anything at the time. (Been certified Open Water for about 15 years now and normally dive durring the Summer in the Keys and Med off of my home town in Italy. I'm currently deployed in Afghanistan, (US Military stationed in the UK) and when I get back I'm headed to Sharm, Egypt for a Red Sea dive trip. My equipment is 15 years old, in good shape but looking for new stuff. Hope you guys/gals can give me some advice on your experiances with some of the brands I'm looking at.

The regulators & First Stage set up I'm looking at are;

Aqua Lung - Legend
Scuba Pro - MK25/S600
Cressi Sub - MC-5 or 9 Titanium
Mares - Any high end Regulators

I want something that will breathe easy at all depths, I'm not a Ice diver (to dam cold), never have tried the breathing adjustable type regs but open to ideas and something that has a life long warrenty and will last another 15+ years. Thanks and be safe!

Rob

 

[Couv]

Hello Rob...Welcome to Scuba Board,
Thank you for your service to this country.

15 year old equipment is new equipment as far as I'm concerned. I would have it serviced and dive it. Spend the money on diving. Most of the knowledgeable folks on this board are diving stuff much older than that. However, from your picks, the SP and AL would be the ones I would go with. I say that as I am not sure Cressi or Mares are going to be that easy to get serviced world wide. Again, spend the money you save by not buying titanium on dive trips.

Here is my usual cut and paste advice on buying a regulator:

You want a regulator brand that has a good track record for keeping parts available for each model. Of course unless you intend to DIY, you also want a regulator that can be serviced by your local dive shop and lots of locations in the world. The two best companies in both regards are Aqualung and Scubapro.

My recommendation for the average recreational diver, i.e. not freezing water, 150 feet or less, is a simple non balanced piston 1st stage such as the Scuba Pro MK 2 (or Aqualung Calypso, Mares R2, Sherwood Brut and a few others.) This simple design is usually inexpensive, nearly bullet proof, easy to get parts for and easy and inexpensive to service. It is also easy to DIY because it requires only a few o-rings and a seat. Yes, the unbalanced design will increase the breathing effort at low tank pressure, but I view this as a good thing especially for new or inexperienced divers. See this thread: Scuba Pro R190

Additionally, if/when one wants to start more advanced diving where high concentrations of oxygen will be used this type regulator can be moved to that application.

For a second stage I like an adjustable and balanced unit. This provides the ability to have the regulator tuned to minimum inhalation resistance with the option of the diver increasing the resistance it if he/she finds the need to. Having said that, a straight forward classic downstream design with a simple to replace set of o-rings and button soft seat can be highly recommended as it is a tried and true design, parts are usually available and almost anyone can service them.

It is a good idea to have the same manufactures 1st and 2nd stage to make getting service less complicated.
For more demanding diving and high end/higher performance (higher price) regulators see the following link for DA's excellent advice.
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/regulators/181745-advice-regulators.html

Good luck,

Couv

 

[OldNSalty]

Rob,

I agree with everything that Couv said. I like Auqualung but really, either way and you would be fine. Also, the old stuff is great-what kind is it?

 

[JWard]

I love my AL LEgend regs. They really shine below 100 feet. Air delivery is effortless and you can't overbreathe them.

That being said, I bought them in 2002 to replace a set of regs from 1987. Even the shop said there was very little difference in the regs. I can tell the new ALs breathe better, but the old regs were great.

So all-in-all I got newer, slightly better regs. If yours are like my old ones, have them serviced and spend the rest on diving!

 

[BadabingM3]

Thanks fella's for the reply.

My old set is a SeaQuest and just basic Recreational gear. I ended up doing most of my dives in Cape Hatteras when I lived in Virgina and most dives on the wrecks were 90+ feet. They worked ok but at times seemed a little restricted in breathing. Anyway, I'm building up a spare set so the old gear will be my back up. I think I may be going for the Aqua Lung Legend as it has a self sealing 1st chanber which I hope will reduce the possibility of any corrosion in there through out the year. My SeaQuest 1st stage on one service some years back had some salt contamination in it so hopefully the Legend will be a bit better at preventing that. Thanks again for the inputs.

Rob

 

[paddler3d]

You're stationed in the UK. Check out Apeks while your there. I love my Apeks over my SP any day. Apeks is distributed here in the US through Aqua Lung. The 50 series (TX,ATX,XTX) 2nd stages, are real popular with the tech folk. I've got the ATX 100 with the FST 1st and the XTX 200 with the FSR first. I've been diving the ATX as my primary for 3 years and it smokes my SP reg (G250 with MK25 first). The reason I like my Apeks more is that I've had the SP free flow at depth in cold water and my dive buddy has had his set up, which has the MK25 as it's first, free flow in cold water. They have this T.I.S. system which they claimed made it suitable for cold water use, but it a load of crap. I turns out that people pack with spring with silicon grease to prevent freeze, which depending upon who you listen to recommended or not. SP it self isn't 100% clear on it.

You'll never go wrong, performance wise, with an environmentally sealed, balanced diaphragm 1st stage in cold or warm water. A bit more to service? Sure. But that is just my $.02. You're looking at the Legend anyway.