Scubapro Mk2 + R290 - why spend more?

In article <khls115n6htpe09pb01qkeoege1jb9293q@4ax.com>,
NOTbracuk@pathcom.com says...
> Al Wells <al.wells@gmail.com> pounded away at his keyboard resulting
> in:
> :My GF and I own about 20 regulators between us.
>
> Why? What do you do with them all?

Back gas regs, stage bottle regs, deco regs, and some extras

>> The truth, however, is that there is exactly one piece in that kit which
>> is
>> actually "special" - the seat - and that the seat often does not need
>> replacing.
>
> Mine's been replaced every time my regulator has been serviced.
>
> Lee
The question is rather did it actually need replacing or is it simply
replaced because its part of the kit.

I've been servicing my 9 Apeks regs for a few years now and only once has a
seat actually failed and the part NEEDING replacement. In fact sometimes
the original nylon surface becomes 'paired' to the seat edge and a new seat
needs time to 'bed in'.

O rings needs regular replacement simply because they have a limited life,
become deformed, dry & perished (especially when used with O2 and Nitrox).
That and the cleaning & re-lubrication are the main benefits of the overhaul
/ service.

> The question is rather did it actually need replacing or is it simply
> replaced because its part of the kit.

Not a bad question, but since all parts are paid for by Scuba Pro and the
service is for a fixed price, who cares?

> I've been servicing my 9 Apeks regs for a few years now and only once has
> a seat actually failed and the part NEEDING replacement.

The idea of annual service is to fix things before they fail, not push them
to the point where they do.

Apex is the only regulator company I know of that I've heard will provide
parts to the public. Nice if true everywhere.

Lee

Karl Denninger wrote:
> In article <PBRSd.4349$Ba3.2396@newsread2.news.atl.earthlink. net>,
> Lee Bell <leebell@ix.remove.netcom.com> wrote:
>
>>"Karl Denninger" wrote
>>
>>
>>>Yeah, and if you buy the SP regs, you'll need that annual service.
>>
>>I have Scuba Pro, US Divers, Oceanic and Buchaut regulators. All of them
>>require annual service as a condition of warantee.
>
>
> So?
>
> If the "requirement" is simply a dupe to rope you into spending money at the
> shop you otherwise would not need to, then who's the fool for playing along?
>
>
>>>The parts are trivial compared to the labor charges... which they DO NOT
>>>cover.
>>
>>The part required for annual service for my Scuba Pro regulators are a bit
>>over half the cost of having one done without warantee coverage. Sorry to
>>hear the labor charges are so much more in your part of the state.
>
>
> Hehehee... you must believe that there's something magical about an O-ring
> in a box that has "Scubapro" on the outside.
>
>
>>>On the other hand, if you buy a SEALED first stage, such as an Apeks DS4,
>>>you might not need to tear into IT for quite a bit longer.
>>
>>I used a US Divers Deep Star regulator for quite a few years without having
>>it serviced. In fact, it was not serviced the entire time I had it. I
>>bought it sometime around 1969 and it was stolen sometime around 1972.
>
>
> See?
>
>
>>>My records suggest that SP piston firsts (no experience with their
>>>diaphrams) start to creep after 50 or so dives, and thus I end up
>>>rebuilding
>>>them.
>>
>>Not all Scuba Pro regulators are piston types and not everybody shares your
>>experience with Scuba Pro regulators. Regardless, Scuba Pro was simply an
>>example of a company that offers a warantee that is significant enough to be
>>considered in the decision of what to buy and whether to buy new or used.
>>
>>Lee
>
>
> I said that not all SP regs are pistons. However, those who I know that
> have had their diaphram first have been even less happy with their stability
> than I was with their pistons.
>
> The "warranty" isn't a warranty - its a "free parts" deal, which for them
> is a great scam. They stick a half-dozen O-rings in a box, slap a $20
> "retail price" on the kit (which cost them $0.20), and then say "see, we
> give you this for FREE - so long as you spend $60 every year at our nice
> dealer over here."
>
> The truth, however, is that there is exactly one piece in that kit which is
> actually "special" - the seat - and that the seat often does not need
> replacing.
>
> The O-rings are nothing special, trivial to buy, and worth a nickel each.
>
> A <WARRANTY> is a representation that a product will be free from defects
> for a given period of time under a certain set of conditions, or it will be
> repaired/replaced by the manufacturer or dealer.
>
> It is not a "we'll give you $0.50 worth of parts every year if you spend $60
> at our co-conspirator the dealer here - provided you never stiff him on that
> nice annual payment."
>
> (PS: If you only need service every 18 months, its less expensive to pay for
> it when you need it, and BUY the parts - even at full retail! Therefore,
> the obvious correct answer to such deceptive marketing is to buy a regulator
> that doesn't require service as often....)
>


....or buying SP anyway and ignoring the scam altogether. Personally,
I've been diving various SP regs for over twenty years and not one has
ever taken it's annual sojourn to The Warranty Bench. They will visit a
bench every two or three years depending on whether I get near enough to
one to duck inside for an afternoon - the rest of the time they get all
the TLC and other abuse I can dish out. Clearly, my regs and I wouldn't
be able to get away this if we weren't so good at what we do - but we
are. I like SP regs, I think they're excellent regs, but their warranty
thing is a marketing scam that I ain't buying. I piss around with crap
that shouldn't need pissing around with enough already, but my SP regs
ain't on that list because I don't think they need to be.


--
jer
email reply - I am not a 'ten'