WOW.. How incredibly rude

[Tiny Bubbles]

I would use maple. It's very strong.

-Tiny-B.

 

[RichLockyer]

You mention the M1 as being one of the best regs available. What other regs would be considered amongst the best? How or where might folks find the information that demonstrates the performance of various regs?

Other divers are a great source of information.... but not other divers who only have a couple of months on new gear... they're almost always in love with it. Wait until after the honeymoon is over and then see what they buy again.

My personal preference is for the Apeks line... any of them, depending on your environmental needs. On a budget, the (A)T20 and (A)TX40 are great regs, with the 40 having enviro seals for cold, contaminated water. Budget allowing, go for the (A)TX50 or the 100/200 series with the cracking force adjuster.

Okay... that's my personal preference.
Scubapro still makes good equipment, but as referred to earlier, there are some political issues that leave a bad taste with the dealers.
None of the current high-end Atomics are junk. I'd use any of them if offered for a rental. Likewise for the high end Scubapro.
I would stay away from titanium parts... they don't get along with O2. Though they are fine for nitrox to 40%, I don't want to have to worry about which reg is going on which tank.... I want them to all be basically the same.

Scubapro and Atomic piston style 1st stages will flow gas like no tomorrow, but require more attention to maint than the Apeks diaphragm regs. I've had Apeks regs go for more than 2 years and have absolutely ZERO IP creep after being under pressure for 24 hours. THAT is a solid, reliable reg. IIRC, spec allows for a couple of PSI creep after an hour or so
As far as flow capabilities, I can't imagine anyone overbreathing an Apeks unless they're running deep air. By the time you hit 130, you should be adding helium, so the breathability issues at higher gas densities are a moot point.
I have had mine to 140 and it was fine.

 

[RichLockyer]

Hey, it's all about customer service, Rich. Too many business people (scuba and otherwise) don't get the fact that every type of business involves customer service.

Absolutely. This is always forgotten by those who cry the loudest about people buying from LP and Ebay.
Guess what... it's a free market, and a free market will always find the best VALUE... perhaps not the best price.

Value includes:
1 - Price
2 - Convenience
3 - Service

1 - The LDS cannot compete based on price... the Internet will blow him away every time. If he DOES try to compete based on price, he's not going to be running a dive shop for very long.
Prices need to be reasonable, but I'm perfectly willing to pay 10% or 20% more if....

2 - ...the item I want is in stock and not a dusty demo that's older than Jaques. Many of us are "Mr. Instant Gratification" who will pay extra for 2nd day delivery for an item that we may not use for a month. This money CAN be diverted to the LDS, but the LDS needs to be well stocked OR needs to be able to get the item into the shop nearly as quickly as an internet supplier can provide it. Padding the estimate makes for a happy customer. Don't tell him it'll be there in two days when you know it's going to be a week. Tell him it'll be 10 days, then he will be very happy when you call after 5 or 6.

3 - Service? This is an area where the internet cannot hope to compete against the LDS. The problem is, lumped into the "service" category is also "attitude". I've been browsing dive shops and have overheard attitude being given to a customer on the phone. No money spent, no return visit.
Often the attitude stems from a customer who wants to do something themselves... they're inquiring about overhaul kits, or trying to hammer a price down, or whatever.
This is the time to show the service skills, instead of insulting the customer and driving them off.
"Oh wahhh... when I'm out of business, who are you going to get your VIP and air from?" Uhh... the guy who I'm getting them from today, and it isn't and won't be you.

 

[ocpaul]

ScubaPro chooses to market through dealers with exclusive marketing areas. Because of this, you will only find a single ScubaPro dealer in a geographic area. Of course this leads to LDS price protection. Thus, if you want ScubaPro gear you need to establish a good relationship with the SP LDS. I'm sure in some cases the LDS might be a little arrogant about being a SP dealer. On the flip side, a LDS that cannot get the SP line because of the exclusive dealer policy might choose to negative sell.

IMHO negative selling rarely works in the long haul. If a Non-SP has good equipment they should be able to show their stuff is as good as or better than SP. However, to call all SP stuff trash just doesn't make much sense.

I have had SP regs and have always been happy with their performance - warm water diving only however.

Maintenance cost has always seems a little high, but I have never felt bad about putting money into such an important part of my gear.

 

[neil]

I would use maple. It's very strong.

-Tiny-B.

You'd want a negatively bouyant wood for backplates, perhaps ebony, grenadilla, ironwood, Lignum Vitae. Might end up being the most expensive BP on the planet.

N

 

[narcT]

of topic:
Here in my area (cold water) ScubaPro has an extremely bad reputation!! I would never ever buy one!
That said, my LDS says that it is a good reg for recreational warm water diving (only)...

I have to agree, I have tried 4 different Scuba Pro regs and they all had serious problems.

My wife and I use Oceanic's on our tanks and pony bottles with never a problem. They breath very easy at 130 feet (even with 2 people sharing air off one reg). Love them.

I would not risk my life on a Scuba Pro regulator in cold or warm water!!! Just my .02

 

[sharpenu]

I happen to LOVE my Mares MR-22.

 

[CBulla]

I would rather a salesperson extol the virtues and superior characteristics of their product rather than slam the competiton.

100% on the mark. Nothing irritates me more than someone slamming competition. To me, its demonstrates a complete incompetence in their products and others to be able to able to educate you on the differences of and let you the consumer decide if the product they carry will fulfill your needs or if you are after the other.

This kind of shop does NOT recieve my business or recommendations.

 

[RichLockyer]

This kind of shop does NOT recieve my business or recommendations.

Yup. A couple of years ago at the Long Beach Scuba Show, I asked one of the drysuit reps why I should buy his suit instead of the TLS350.
The first thing he did was show me a copy of a Rodale's review which named it editor's choice, gearbag choice, and whatever their award was for cheapest.
Of course, he was showing me pricing and info on the shoulder-entry suit.
He then went on about how the TLS350 was a "nice entry-level suit". Okay, so I should buy his $700 shoulder-entry suit with the cool bears on the kneepads because the suit used by the WKPP is a "nice entry level suit"???? :monkey_2:

I had already pretty much decided on the TLS, but I looked at Viking, DC, DUI, Bare, Whites, and Andy's. DUI got my business, but not because I was biased towards them. I knew I wanted self-donning, and because of my height, I needed the telecoping torso (my Typhoon pulled away from my neck breaking the seal when I looked down).
I seriously considered DUI, DC, and Andy's. Andy's zipper method looked interesting, but I wasn't completely sold on it.
The DC booth was more than willing to take measurements and direct me to a dealer, but DUI actually put me INTO a suit (actually two, a large and an XL).

I went to my local DUI dealer the next day and ordered one.

 

[nyresq]

all you guys with the pine wood regs and ebony backplates are dumb..... Teak is the only wood that will stand up to extended marine exposure.....
just go strip some decking off a nice sailboat down at the local marina, the really expensive boats have miles of the stuff on deck....

please guys, get your helmets on and get in the game..... pine... duh!