DreadnoughtNH
Contributor
Any new regulator from the major brands will breath better than a beat up poorly maintained rental reg.
You can narrow down your choices by answering a few questions.
What kind of diving will you be doing (Cold water, warm water, salt, fresh)?
What kind of diving do you see yourself doing in the future (vacation recreational, tech, cave)?
And most importantly, what brands do your local dive shops service?
So much this!!!
But to answer the OP question directly, I have an AL Legend first stage and reg. It's probably overkill for the diving I'm regularly doing (travel, warm water), but it breathes SUPER easy, particularly when I set it to max flow. I tend to back it down to min flow to conserve air (yeah, I'm a gas hog), and it does have a tendency to wheeze slightly when I do that. But if you're looking for a good setup (and can afford the AL price), I think it's worth it.