What regulator to buy?

[Bob3]

The closet dealer to me though is over 80 miles away...

Your closest dealer is only as far away as your mailbox.

 

[Brandnew2Scuba]

2005 Top 10 Scuba Regulators

How We Test Scuba Regulators
At Scuba Safety Lab, we start with industry standard ANSTI machine bench tests primarily to compare results with manufacturer marketing hype. Then the real testing begins when our expert team of 10 test divers takes over with a series of 25 dives designed to test units at various depths (5 to 65 meters) and in a wide range of real-world conditions such as drift diving, cold water diving and deep diving. While conditons and depth vary, each regulator is blind-tested according to predetermined testing criteria aimed at evaluating ease of breathing in various positions, wet/dry breathing again in various positions, purge function and second stage comfort. Final scores are compiled from diver test results, machine test results and value.

Rank
Regulator
Rating
1​

Mares Proton Ice

9.82
2​

Apeks ATX-200​

9.75
3​

Mares MR-22 Abyss​

9.71
4​

Zeagle Flathead 6​

9.47
5​

Poseidon Xstream​

9.42
6​

Sherwood Maximus​

8.92
7​

Oceanic DX4 Delta 3​

8.89
8​

Dacor Viper Metal​

8.72
9​

Scubapro MK25T/S600T​

8.26
10​

Atomic B1-T2 7.93​

7.93​

This is from cyber-diver.com, I'm planning on buying the Mares Abyss. Hope this helps some.

 

[serrada]

2005 Top 10 Scuba Regulators

How We Test Scuba Regulators
At Scuba Safety Lab, we start with industry standard ANSTI machine bench tests primarily to compare results with manufacturer marketing hype. Then the real testing begins when our expert team of 10 test divers takes over with a series of 25 dives designed to test units at various depths (5 to 65 meters) and in a wide range of real-world conditions such as drift diving, cold water diving and deep diving. While conditons and depth vary, each regulator is blind-tested according to predetermined testing criteria aimed at evaluating ease of breathing in various positions, wet/dry breathing again in various positions, purge function and second stage comfort. Final scores are compiled from diver test results, machine test results and value.

Rank
Regulator
Rating
1​

Mares Proton Ice

9.82
2​

Apeks ATX-200​

9.75
3​

Mares MR-22 Abyss​

9.71
4​

Zeagle Flathead 6​

9.47
5​

Poseidon Xstream​

9.42
6​

Sherwood Maximus​

8.92
7​

Oceanic DX4 Delta 3​

8.89
8​

Dacor Viper Metal​

8.72
9​

Scubapro MK25T/S600T​

8.26
10​

Atomic B1-T2 7.93​

7.93​

This is from cyber-diver.com, I'm planning on buying the Mares Abyss. Hope this helps some.

I just hope your buying your regulator for some other reasons than just this poll. I bet you could find a thousand divers here that would take the Atomic or the Scubapro listed before they'd take the Mares Ice and even more that would take the Atomic, or Scubapro over the Dacor Viper, Sherwood Maximus. I'd trust Rodale's or this board over cyper-diver. Regardless all these poll have some kind of agenda.

Take a look at the "Reviews" on http://www.atomicaquatics.com/ "June 2006 Scuba Diving Best New Regs of 2006 (PDF)"

 

[Rafael]

I can talk just for what i own, Aqualung leyend LX, i love it, i do most of my diving in New England, but i use this reg down in Mexico for reef, wreck and fresh water cavern dives, and i love it works fine everywhere

 

[serrada]

Your memory is excellent.

I have job review coming up soon do you think you could tell my boss the same thing?

I got on TX50/DS4 from this guy: http://cgi.ebay.com/Scuba-Regulator...6QQihZ004QQcategoryZ16056QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
if your interested and I could not be happier. They are brand spanking new.

Also, there is a guy on The Deco Stop forum selling them right now.

 

[Jscubadive]

Your closest dealer is only as far away as your mailbox.

Hi Bob

That is true. This particular Zeagle dealer though used to be much closer to me. In fact I took my AOW PADI from him.

He also carried Poseidon and really liked those, but I have heard some say that for less then 60 feet deep they do not breathe good. That you actually have to dive deep to see where they really do well. I had bid on some Odin Jetstreams that were within my budget and wondered how they did. I can remember back in the early 1980ies when I had been swayed by my first instructor to go with the Mark V Scubapro with the knob on the second stage that somebody told me the only regulator better was a Posiedon maybe Cyclon 300 or 5000 I forget what was out back then. But they had told me for round here with the silt in the lakes that would foul up after sometime so I did not look into that further. Ended up with the G250 later in the 80ies though.

Thanks,

James

 

[Brandnew2Scuba]

I just hope your buying your regulator for some other reasons than just this poll. I bet you could find a thousand divers here that would take the Atomic or the Scubapro listed before they'd take the Mares Ice and even more that would take the Atomic, or Scubapro over the Dacor Viper, Sherwood Maximus. I'd trust Rodale's or this board over cyper-diver. Regardless all these poll have some kind of agenda.

Actually I'm buying it based on it's cold water capabilities, the many scubaboard members who have raved about it on many a different threads, the fact that I know I can get Mares serviced locally, and the fact that I just like it. Thanks for the concern though. I realize that polls such as these may have some bias involved, but after I had decided on the Abyss I found this poll...just made me feel even better about my decision. I also know that a hundred different divers may very well suggest a hundred different regulators, so I have tried to look at as many relevant factors as possible in my decision.

 

[serrada]

I just hope your buying your regulator for some other reasons than just this poll. I bet you could find a thousand divers here that would take the Atomic or the Scubapro listed before they'd take the Mares Ice and even more that would take the Atomic, or Scubapro over the Dacor Viper, Sherwood Maximus. I'd trust Rodale's or this board over cyper-diver. Regardless all these poll have some kind of agenda.

Actually I'm buying it based on it's cold water capabilities, the many scubaboard members who have raved about it on many a different threads, the fact that I know I can get Mares serviced locally, and the fact that I just like it. Thanks for the concern though. I realize that polls such as these may have some bias involved, but after I had decided on the Abyss I found this poll...just made me feel even better about my decision. I also know that a hundred different divers may very well suggest a hundred different regulators, so I have tried to look at as many relevant factors as possible in my decision.

After re-reading what I wrote, I didn't mean to come across as if there was something wrong with the Abyss at all, just the poll. Now-a-days there is so little difference in them it's just a matter of what color you like if you know what I mean. For some reason it seams like the guys on the cyber diver don't like the guys from Scubapro and now Apeks.

 

[Brandnew2Scuba]

Thanks for the clarification, I kind of did feel like you were saying the Abyss is no good, guess you noted the defensive tone in my post. I have been told before, like you said there is so little difference and nobody really manufactures a reg that's bound to crap out on you at depth. I'm sure it will be the first of many regs but I'm hoping it takes care of me for a while in my cold water diving plans.

 

[serrada]

Thanks for the clarification, I kind of did feel like you were saying the Abyss is no good, guess you noted the defensive tone in my post. I have been told before, like you said there is so little difference and nobody really manufactures a reg that's bound to crap out on you at depth. I'm sure it will be the first of many regs but I'm hoping it takes care of me for a while in my cold water diving plans.

I'm sure it will. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong but the orginal Abyss was used with 20+ 2nd stages breathing from only one 1st stage and it set some record of deep diving. I think it's since been broke by another manufacture. You'll be fine and the metal will help from freeze ups. Good looking too.