Regs Made in Taiwan

Question to all,

I'm currently living in Taiwan and, as Taiwan is one of the worlds
leading manufacturers of diving related products, I've been able to
get pretty much whatever I want here in terms of equipment.

Wetsuits, fins, all matter of saftey gear and accessories.

Now I'm thinking of purchasing a made in Taiwan 1st stage, regulator,
octo and hoses.

Now, I know what your thinking, France, Italy, Uk, USA ...these are
the countries that manufacture solid and safe regs.

But I wonder.......

How many big name diving companies have their regs made OEM in Taiwan?

And if this is the case (I don't know if it is) wouldn't it be alright
to pick up some reg gear here in Taiwan?

Also, its very difficult to get brand name dive gear here. On average,
its double what you'd pay elsewhere in Asia. This is why I'm
considering buying regs here and not elsewhere.

Same kind of logic goes for BCD's....which I'd like to purchase.

Any advice would be appreciated.


Cheers,


J

"Joe" <driftwork@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:e5c2e711.0310090005.6f8f174@posting.google.co m...
<snip>

> Also, its very difficult to get brand name dive gear here. On average,
> its double what you'd pay elsewhere in Asia. This is why I'm
> considering buying regs here and not elsewhere.

It occurs to me that if good regs are twice as expensive where youa re as
other parts of Asia, it would make more sense to NOT buy your regs there,
but to buy them elsewhere. Just a thought.
<snip>

C Guynn

As regulators are the single most VITAL piece of a divers life support
equipment, the choice of reg purely by cost is at least a short-sighted
position, and at worst very stupid.

Choose the regulator by a far more logical process, with questions such as
(but not limited to):

Ease of breathing (try a few makes & models out before buying, even in a
swimming pool is better than nothing).
Reliability (speak to other divers, look at what the regular diverts use and
swear by, rather than swear at).
Quality of design & engineering.
Simplicity (less parts mean less to go wrong).
Manufacturer reputation.
Local and worldwide servicing, so that you can get parts and repairs
performed no matter where you are.

If cost is important then it would be better to buy a reg at the lower end
of the range from one of the well known brands and / or buying second-hand.
As long as the reg has been well looked after (usually external inspection
and a few breaths will confirm this), any reg should be back to new quality
after a good service.

Therefore, for example, a well looked after second-hand Apex / Zeagle TX40
will cost less and be far better than any cheap new crap reg costing the
same or greater.

My wife and I have 9 Apeks regs, half were bought second-hand. After I
service them they breathe just like new. Regs are like cars, they're going
to get scratched and scuffed, so why bother getting new ones and watching
them devalue.

BTW, the Apeks TX40 / 50 / 100 all share the same common internal components
and service kits, so a well set-up TX40 is just as good as the TX100,
although the 'flat-head' TX100 1st stage makes hose routing easier.

Regards,

Tony

PS Don't worry if the chromium plating on the 1st stage is scratched as long
as there are no severe dents or marks. Most 1st stages are made of chrome
plated brass and brass is quite a soft metal.


"Joe" <driftwork@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:e5c2e711.0310090005.6f8f174@posting.google.co m...
> Question to all,
>
> I'm currently living in Taiwan and, as Taiwan is one of the worlds
> leading manufacturers of diving related products, I've been able to
> get pretty much whatever I want here in terms of equipment.
>
> Wetsuits, fins, all matter of saftey gear and accessories.
>
> Now I'm thinking of purchasing a made in Taiwan 1st stage, regulator,
> octo and hoses.
>
> Now, I know what your thinking, France, Italy, Uk, USA ...these are
> the countries that manufacture solid and safe regs.
>
> But I wonder.......
>
> How many big name diving companies have their regs made OEM in Taiwan?
>
> And if this is the case (I don't know if it is) wouldn't it be alright
> to pick up some reg gear here in Taiwan?
>
> Also, its very difficult to get brand name dive gear here. On average,
> its double what you'd pay elsewhere in Asia. This is why I'm
> considering buying regs here and not elsewhere.
>
> Same kind of logic goes for BCD's....which I'd like to purchase.
>
> Any advice would be appreciated.
>
>
> Cheers,
>
>
> J

I will only brand name dive gear as it is your life!
Some Taiwanese buy scuba gear in HK as the price in HK are
30-50% cheaper. Most HK dive shops give you 30% discount on top of the
displayed price.

eg. Apollo Bio fins US$100, Mosquito computer US$210

You can email to a few HK dive shops and bargain with them.

http://www.prodive.com.hk/pd/main.htm
http://www.scubaworldhk.com/en/retail.asp
http://www.oceanskydiver.com


"Chris Guynn" <chrisguynn@sbcglobal.N.O.S.P.A.M.net> wrote in message news:<mSghb.678$o71.305@newssvr22.news.prodigy.com >...
> "Joe" <driftwork@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:e5c2e711.0310090005.6f8f174@posting.google.co m...
> <snip>
>
> > Also, its very difficult to get brand name dive gear here. On average,
> > its double what you'd pay elsewhere in Asia. This is why I'm
> > considering buying regs here and not elsewhere.
>
> It occurs to me that if good regs are twice as expensive where youa re as
> other parts of Asia, it would make more sense to NOT buy your regs there,
> but to buy them elsewhere. Just a thought.
> <snip>
>
> C Guynn