Scubapro, Oceanic or Cressi??

[richie75]

Hi guys,
I'm looking at getting a set of regs and was hoping for some advice. Initially I was looking at a Cressi setup with Ellipse (Steel or titanium - depending on specials) regs, then I saw a second hand but VGC Scubapro S600 (w/Mk25). It looked great and has great reviews. Then I started looking at the Oceanic Delta 4 FDX10, which is a good price and appears to have fairly good reviews. As far as my backup, the Oceanic Alpha 8 Octopus seems simple and great for the purpose.

First up, what are your thoughts on my three choices? And is there any issues mixing manufacturers equip, eg Scubapro reg with Oceanic occy?

I live in the southern part of Australia so the water temp can be less than 12C but up to about 18C. I also have a tendancy to go north to warmer waters for dive trips, temps up to 24C or so. In total I've only done about 50 dives so I'm still a 'beginner', but hope that with my own gear I will dive a whole lot more.

Much thanks for any advice
Take care
Richie

 

[fishin42]

IMO I owned a Cressi MC9 ellipse balance for only a year and it had to be serviced after 50 or so dives and again just over 100. Could not believe the poor quality. Not gonna buy another cressi.

 

[sardiverdan]

Well for what its worth you can't go wrong with SCUBAPRO. I am sure you will have 100 people respond with a diffrent answer because this question comes down to personal choice. I have used SP for many years and I have never had an issue with them. Some things to keep in mind, some setups are not interchangeable so be careful. Some are balanced while others are not. For instance I would not want to put my SP second stage on one of my Kirby Morgan first stages. Another thing to keep in mind is the ability for your local dive shops to rebuild these regs. Not all dive shops can repair all regulators and trust me one of my setups has to be mailed off for service and that is a pain. I have dove off of the fremantal/perth area and sydney so I know the SP would do just fine. For the most part many regs are about the same with a few bells and whistles that the other may not have. It comes down to how much you would like to spend on the purchase and on the upkeep. For me, all of my tech gear runs Scubapro, the other regs I have I use for normal diving

 

[ajduplessis]

Scubapro MK25/S600

 

[ozziworld]

I would go with the Scubapro, Second choice Oceanic. Don't have much feedback on Cressi

 

[NC Wreck Diver]

I am a devoted ScubaPro user for my regs. I have three total. Here is my set up on doubles, with an isolation manifold and DIN ports:

1). MK25-A700 is my newest (2010). It's great.

2). MK10-G250 is now my Octopus. This regulator is 20 years old this year. I have used it for my primary until getting the A-700. I've always kept it clean, and had it serviced by a ScubaPro Authorized Dealer. It bench tests to factory specs.

3). MK2Plus-R295A is my reg for my pony bottle. Bought last year, it's clearly not as smooth as my regs listed in #1 & #2, but it's really good, and cracks well. The shop needs to tune it to my likes, since it can only be done by a LDS during service. I can adjust the first two myself at anytime (V.I.V.A)

 

[Belce]

It is impressive that a mechanical system would continue to test to factory specs after 20 years.

That is why I chose Scubapro myself and bought an A700/Mk25 as my first reg system last year.

 

[Wayne at DiveSeekers]

Of the three choices you have stated, my vote would be ScubaPro MK25/S600 then the Oceanic FDX10, Delta4. I am a dealer for both but we tend to do more with the ScubaPro. Great reg, and reliability and I prefer the hose routing options on the MK25 1st stage. My preference is to keep manufacturer with manufacturer that way when you go to have it serviced you don't have to worry about if a shop is one and not the other.

 

[savholic]

Don't own scubapro but I heard they are very good; I do have the Oceanic CDX-5 DVT Neo and my Gf has the Cressi MC-5 ellipse steel....both are very good regs. ease of breathing and great build quality on both....so you can't go wrong with either of the 3 brands.

 

[richie75]

Thanks for all the advice guys, looks like I should be ok with any of these setups. Actually looking at a scubapro s555/mk17 at the moment, bit cheaper than the s600/mk25, and might be just as good for my ability
Thanks again for the advice
Richie