Scubapro vs Mares Regulator Self Service

[Interceptor121]

I have two regulators that I use to teach
The first is a Scubapro Mk25/S555 and the second is a Mares R12
Obviously there is a world of difference in performance between the two however my question is about servicing the equipment myself.
I have schematics of both regulators and so far I have serviced my mares kit only once because after taking it to the shop I experienced a load of free flow issues with the octopus and despite taking the regulator back to the shop this went over and over again typically after 10-20 dives. At that point I decided not to service the regulator and just to check it and clean it myself until it gives me problems at that point I will service it in full.

Last year I got the scubapro kit as a gift. At the dive shop in Sharm I can find scubapro service kits on sale however there is nobody doing the service or selling the tools to do it myself.
It costed me £100 to service the regulator in UK
I am now thinking: should I procure those tools and train to maintain scubapro (besides they don't even reply to my emails on the subject) or sell the regulator and focus on the Mares gear that I can mantain myself with standard tools?

 

[redacted]

While both these regs are a bit on the complex side, they are easily serviced (even without the "proper training"). The only special tools I have found I use for my Mk20/S600 are a yoke nut socket (no problem with DIN), a pin spanner for the ambient chamber, and the Mk20/25 assembly tool. That tool is handy to install and hold the bits in place to install the piston. I assume you have an IP gauge. PM sent.

 

[Interceptor121]

How about all the other tools mentioned in the service manual (multi tool, first stage handler, blah blah)
Are those "optional"? It seems that if you try to open the second stage without the multi tool you can easily ruin your equipment?

 

[Texfrazer]

The multi-tool you are asking about can be substituted for by the pin-spanner that awap mentions in his post.

 

[redacted]

The multi-tool you are asking about can be substituted for by the pin-spanner that awap mentions in his post.

I even rigged a strap wrench as a work around for the pin spanner for the ambient chamber but it's performance was marginal. I used soft jawed pliers (a rag will do the trick) to overcome that silly Scubapro splined nut and a pair of bent nose needle nose pliers where you have to engage 2 holes. Down side is these homemade workarounds are liable to do more cosmetic damage than a proper tool.

I never really found a 1st stage hanle to be necessary but finally made a couple from old leaking hoses (HP & LP). I use a simple vise with padded jaws to hold the 1st stage for working on the yoke/DIN retainer.

 

[Interceptor121]

I do not have a workshop with a vice and i like the idea of being able to manage the first stage without it. For what concerns the multi tool is $6 more than a pin spanner so as I don't have any of those tool I would rather buy the whole lot
Now going back to the original question would I spend some $130 for the tool set or just get on with mares regs which can be entirely disassembled without any special tools?

 

[halocline]

A vise is maybe not 100% necessary, but it does hold the reg still while you use a torque wrench. The MK25 is not as critical regarding the torque on the turret bolt as the earlier BP regs, but using a torque wrench is still a good idea, and it's not a bad idea to use it on the DIN retainer as well.

Once you start to service SP regs, you might find yourself acquiring more of them, like MK5/MK10s with much nicer 2nd stages than the S555 (IMHO) like the old D series, original G250, and balanced adjustable. That's the problem....

 

[redacted]

I do not have a workshop with a vice and i like the idea of being able to manage the first stage without it. For what concerns the multi tool is $6 more than a pin spanner so as I don't have any of those tool I would rather buy the whole lot
Now going back to the original question would I spend some $130 for the tool set or just get on with mares regs which can be entirely disassembled without any special tools?

Mares will still have a yoke nut. It is possible to remove the yoke nut with a large enough adjustable wrench but it would be difficult to measure torque torque during installation without a special socket. And picks and a means of holding a 1st stage are common to all. Scubapro tends to use higher torque on their yoke and DIN retainers so I prefer the vise over the handle which screw into an HP or LP port.

Nothing wrong with Mares. They do seem to get pretty good performance from the basic classic downstream design by channeling the air flow past the orifice to the mouthpiece.. But the barrel poppet design used in most Scubapro and other high performance regs just seems to offer more performance potential.

 

[Interceptor121]

OK I found where to get the spare parts
The mares kit for first stage, second and octo is 25€ while the Scubapro €38
Unfortunately I had to add other 20€ shipment to each one.
Still the price for a service is between half and one third of the cost

 

[Texfrazer]

After you service it a time or two, you'll find that you can do better on parts by assembling your own stock of o-rings, and various other parts as necessary. Welcome to the dark side!