Please advise regarding Regulator Setups

[Protondecay123]

Thanks for responding in advance, but I’m wondering how many regulator setups most posters own. Do you have separate setups that you use locally, traveling, doubles, tec, etc? Or run with one setup to do it all? My situation is that I have recently got back into Scuba Diving after a long lapse and have one Poseidon Xstream Deep set up that I’ve been using this winter. But a local Diver has a Scubapro Mk25 Evo first setup with G260 second that Is new, never used or warranty registered from a LDS for half of retail more or less. His selling point is that when I travel to different parts of the world Scubapro is going to be easier to get service if needed. And that I don’t necessarily need the Poseidon setup for warm water recreational diving. Thanks again.

 

[swimlikethefish]

@tbone1004 could advise you on poseidon regs. The mk25 g260 is a great reg set too. It really comes down to how much money you have that is burning a hole in your pocket. I would safely dive the mk25 down to 40f below that under heavy usage you might get some freezing. The pro to the mk25 is the 5th port on the bottom, makes hose routing nice.

If you have patience you can find mk25/s600's or mk25/g260's for sale in the classifieds, Craigslist, or eBay for sub $300. Just food for thought.

 

[Bigbella]

I would disagree with that assessment of Scubapro and their ready availability of parts and service overseas. I have used Poseidon everywhere since the 1970s, and have never had an issue with service. The parts are far simpler to come by than in the past, especially during those dark days of Parkway, when their distribution model was based on a Soviet breadline . . .

 

[lexvil]

To many but I can still count them, at least the ones set up and ready;
Two Atomic “T”s for travel
Two Atomic M1’s for local cold water
Three Atomic “Z”s one on a pony and two just sitting there.
Zegal flat head 6 which I got really cheap and am using locally because it’s so heavy I can use it as ballast.
Scuba pro MK 5/109
Argonaut Kraken DH
USD DH
May be more if I start opening boxes.

 

[jgttrey]

I think ease of service while traveling is not a material consideration.

First, really what are the odds that you're going to need service in a place where you can get it in such a short time frame that it doesn't interrupt your diving? Even in some place like Cayman, with great infrastructure, I would not bet on getting a turn-around on regulator service in a day or two. I guess if I were going somewhere for a month or two, that might be different, but not on a normal vacation Plus, any place with that much support would also have a set of regs you could rent if need be, or second stage you could swap out for the trip, or whatever.

Second, the fact that one brand might, on average, be somewhat more available in certain destinations doesn't really provide a lot of comfort. In other words, what is the likelihood that if you happened to be in some place where you could get service, it would make a difference that you had SP versus something else? 60% likely versus 40%?

Better to buy what you want (whether SP or not). If you have a failure, rent the replacement. Or, if you're unwilling to do that or you are going some place where the availability of extra gear might be an issue, bring a spare 1st/2nd stage. Just swap out the failed component, keep diving, and service the busted unit when you get back to your LDS.

I have never been persuaded by the "I can get it serviced anywhere" pitch. Even at my LDS, it takes days or weeks to get stuff back, which is why I service it myself now.

 

[tbone1004]

Answer to the poll is too many to count, but it is somewhere over 2 dozen.
Apeks DS4's on the onboard CCR bottles
Scubapro MK10 firsts with 109 seconds for deco bottles-5 sets of those
Poseidon 2960/3960's with Jetstream seconds for stage bottles-10 ish sets of those
Scubapro MK25's with Jetstream seconds for sidemount/doubles *3 sets of those
Kraken Double Hose for single tank backmount
Poseidon Atmosphere FFM for IWR and working dives where I need comms.

whew

Now. Your buddy is correct that Scubapro is likely easier to service globally, but there are a few caveats. If you have any interest in DIY service, you can take the course from Poseidon and buy parts directly from them. They are the only major reg manufacturer that has this. Scubapro explicitly forbids it, even if you are trained, you must work for a dealer. Grey market parts are obviously available, but it's something to consider. DIY servicing Poseidons is quite easy with very few specialty tools required, all of which are available inexpensively from Scuba Clinic Tools
Tool kits

Another interesting thing to think about is that if you are travelling abroad and have an issue, are you really going to pay through the nose for some random tech to expedite your service and trust that it was done right? The cost to do that is going to be comparable to just carrying a spare regulator with you. I don't advocate for servicing abroad being a factor, but rather that people purchase doubles regulator sets when purchasing new, or even just keep a cheap spare first stage with you.
This one is $60, is comparable to a Scubapro MK2 and is easy/cheap to service or replace. That is a LOT cheaper than that rush service is going to cost you.
DGX First Stage Regulator w/OPV and HP Port

Now, should you buy the MK25/G260? That's up to you. It's a phenomenal regulator. You may find that the MK25 has better hose routing for you to use with your Xstream second stages, or that you just want one because it's pretty. By all means, grab it. I listed a bunch of use cases above where I have different regulators but it is more because I'm too lazy to move hoses around and I got great deals on all of those regs than something that really warranted having them. It is all up to you on how you want to spend your money and what gives you warm fuzzies when travelling.

 

[Protondecay123]

I think ease of service while traveling is not a material consideration.

First, really what are the odds that you're going to need service in a place where you can get it in such a short time frame that it doesn't interrupt your diving? Even in some place like Cayman, with great infrastructure, I would not bet on getting a turn-around on regulator service in a day or two. I guess if I were going somewhere for a month or two, that might be different, but not on a normal vacation Plus, any place with that much support would also have a set of regs you could rent if need be, or second stage you could swap out for the trip, or whatever.

Second, the fact that one brand might, on average, be somewhat more available in certain destinations doesn't really provide a lot of comfort. In other words, what is the likelihood that if you happened to be in some place where you could get service, it would make a difference that you had SP versus something else? 60% likely versus 40%?

Better to buy what you want (whether SP or not). If you have a failure, rent the replacement. Or, if you're unwilling to do that or you are going some place where the availability of extra gear might be an issue, bring a spare 1st/2nd stage. Just swap out the failed component, keep diving, and service the busted unit when you get back to your LDS.

I have never been persuaded by the "I can get it serviced anywhere" pitch. Even at my LDS, it takes days or weeks to get stuff back, which is why I service it myself now.

I’ve wondered about that conventional wisdom as well. But obviously inexperienced. Thanks!

 

[Protondecay123]

If you have any interest in DIY service, you can take the course from Poseidon and buy parts directly from them. They are the only major reg manufacturer that has this. Scubapro explicitly forbids it, even if you are trained, you must work for a dealer. Grey market parts are obviously available, but it's something to consider. DIY servicing Poseidons is quite easy with very few specialty tools required, all of which are available inexpensively from Scuba Clinic Tools
Tool kits

Another interesting thing to think about is that if you are travelling abroad and have an issue, are you really going to pay through the nose for some random tech to expedite your service and trust that it was done right? The cost to do that is going to be comparable.

Thanks @tbone1004 for those two points!

 

[Joris Vd]

Context: I only dive doubles and I have what my girlfriend would call a 'regulator problem'.

The stuff I actually use:
I have two aqualung legend first stages I combine with two balanced adjustables.

The useless stuff:
The first first stage I bought was a mares 15x which I combined with my mother's old scubapro 108 and on the second valve her old mk2 and 108.
So I also have a double scubapro g250 with mk10 setup , two mk5's in din with two 109's I take out when I dive warm or need a conversation starter.
I also own two poseidon cyklon 5000 firsts with metal seconds, cause I love the look of them.
I also have a cyklon 300 which I only bought so I could swap out the plastic cyklon barrels above for metal ones.
A friend of mine is crazy about Mares, so I ended up buying two mr 22 first stages just so I could service them. They have not seen the water yet.
They are the old heavy bulky ones.


Those are all my regulators that are currently serviced or in use.

Now if I had to buy a completely new set to my liking I would probably buy an mk17/g260
.
Or if I could shape matter and time to my liking:
An all brass scubapro g250 with a poseidon mk3 xstream first stage, that has CE approval, because to me, that sounds like perfection, in my opinion, the g250 is the perfect balance of engineering and simplicity, if only it came in bras....

 

[jgttrey]

The only scenario where I would see it maybe mattering is if you were a DM that planned on a relocating every so often - a year in the Red Sea, a season in Indonesia, then the Caribbean, or whatever. In that scenario, maybe having a regs with a big market share around the world would be a small advantage. Otherwise, nope, doesn't move the needle.