regulator choice ??

"Lee Bell" <pleebell@bellsouth.net> wrote in message
news:%LoIj.27795$r76.12376@bignews8.bellsouth.net. ..
>I too have had problems with Oceanic Regulators, very similar to the ones
>reported.
>
> When I first read this post, I thought to recommend against all of the
> regulators on the list. You're price shopping for life support equipment,
> something not often recommended. On second review, there is one on the
> list likely to be fine, maybe.
>
> I've had several US Divers/Aqualung regulators, from the balanced first
> stage models to some of the higher end options. I've never had a
> significant problem with any of them, even back before we knew that we
> were going to die if we failed to pay for scheduled service every year. I
> assume, but can not confirm, that the Aqualung regulators made today are
> as reliable as those made when I bought my first one some 40 plus years
> ago.
>
> My personally recommendation is to rethink your options. I currently dive
> Scuba Pro Regulators. There's a reason they've been one of the top few in
> every test almost as long as they've been manufactured. On top of proven
> quality, they come with a good waranty. They're guaranteed for life and
> all parts required for annual service are covered as long as you get them
> serviced annually.
>
> The current favorite of the technical croud, people who really bet their
> lives that their regulators will be reliable, seems to be Apeks. I've not
> used one myself, but certainly would consider them if I were buying
> another regulator.
>
> You mentioned that people had advised you to buy a balanced regulator.
> That recommendation is a bit like one to buy the most expensive car you
> can afford. It's right, but it's not necessarily right for you. I've had
> a few unbalanced first stage regulators and, to tell the truth, I don't
> think their breathing characteristics are different enough to be noticable
> except in the most extreme conditions. The one thing that is different is
> how they perform as your tank approaches empty. At about 500 psi above
> ambient pressure, they get noticably harder to breathe from. That can be a
> plus or a minus, depending on how you look at it. It's nice to be able to
> use all your gas without increased effort, but that change in breathing
> effort is a pretty noticable warning that it's time to head for the
> surface for those that don't pay quite as much attention to their gas
> supply as they should. A balanced first stage will breathe just the same
> until it's about one breath from providing no air at all. For those not
> careful enough to ensure they don't run out, they run out suddenly rather
> than automatically providing a buffer between a diver's inattention and
> his death.
>
> As I recall, and I'm less certain about this, unbalanced first stages also
> breathe harder when you're inverted. While that's not a normal position
> for most divers, it is for some, people cleaning boat bottoms or
> examinging ovehead structure in a wreck or cave, for instance.
>
> The best advice anyone can give you is:
> 1. Try various regulators before you decide.
> 2. When comparing price, make very sure you include the price of service
> in your evaluation. A waranty like you get with Scuba Pro can make a major
> difference in cost over time.
> 3. Consider cost, but don't let cost become your most important
> consideration.
> 4. Absolutely consider the availability of service in areas you're likely
> to dive. Some brands can be serviced almost anywhere in the world. Others
> have a limited service network. You're really going to hate it if you have
> to sit out dives in some beautiful, expensive, dive destination because
> nobody local has parts for your regulator.
>
> Lee


Thanks Lee, all good points there.. The one thing I really need to consider
is wether I buy them here in Australia or on line from the US... as the cost
difference is HUGE....but not sure how it will effect the warranty..and
life time parts etc. if i buy from the US..

it's just a shame it's such a big difference in price....if it were just a
hundred or even two hundred...i'd by locally...but it's more like several
hundred difference ;(

And I'm also up for a 7mm wetsuit too...so the costs just keep
mounting...honestly it would be almost cheaper for me to catch a plane to
the US....go to LeisurePro buy all my gear and fly home than buy locally (
if i needed a complete set up of everything )... Fortunatle I have most of
my gear already...just these last few ( vital ) things now... decisions,
decisions....

bc

Hi-Soft wrote

> Thanks Lee, all good points there.. The one thing I really need to
consider
> is wether I buy them here in Australia or on line from the US... as the
> cost difference is HUGE....but not sure how it will effect the
> warranty..and life time parts etc. if i buy from the US.

Find out about that before you buy. It could make enough of a difference to
warrant the higher cost.

Since you're considering an on line purchase, check out what's available
from http://www.diversdirect.com/ . They're a growing chain of brick and
mortar stores as well as a significant player in the internet sales market.
They have a local dive shop here that has the best prices on tanks, masks
and spearfishing equipment I've found anywhere in the area.

I'm not sure how much they may have of interest to you, but you might also
want to take a look at http://fillexpress.com/retail.shtml . I bought some
of my technical equipment from Fill Express and drive way out of my way to
get my tanks filled there. I've had poor experiences with technical shops
closer to home, including some very well known ones. Fill Express is one of
the largest Dive Rite stores in the country.

> And I'm also up for a 7mm wetsuit too...so the costs just keep
> mounting...honestly it would be almost cheaper for me to catch a plane to
> the US....go to LeisurePro buy all my gear and fly home than buy locally
> ( if i needed a complete set up of everything )... Fortunatle I have most
> of my gear already...just these last few ( vital ) things now...
> decisions, decisions....

Don't do it. Leisure Pro is in New York. If you're going to fly to the US to
shop for scuba gear, fly to south Florida and shop for it here. Our prices
may be slightly higher, but our diving is way, way better.

Lee

You can find some info on regulator choices here:
http://www.scubadiving.com/gear/regulators

Adam

There's a trend towards first-stage diaphragm regulators:

http://www.scubadiving.com/gear/regu..._regs_for_2007

"Hi-Soft" <nospam@spam.com> wrote in message
news:DupIj.4777$n8.1448@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
>
> "Lee Bell" <pleebell@bellsouth.net> wrote in message
> news:%LoIj.27795$r76.12376@bignews8.bellsouth.net. ..
>>I too have had problems with Oceanic Regulators, very similar to the ones
>>reported.
>>
>> When I first read this post, I thought to recommend against all of the
>> regulators on the list. You're price shopping for life support equipment,
>> something not often recommended. On second review, there is one on the
>> list likely to be fine, maybe.
>>
>> I've had several US Divers/Aqualung regulators, from the balanced first
>> stage models to some of the higher end options. I've never had a
>> significant problem with any of them, even back before we knew that we
>> were going to die if we failed to pay for scheduled service every year. I
>> assume, but can not confirm, that the Aqualung regulators made today are
>> as reliable as those made when I bought my first one some 40 plus years
>> ago.
>>
>> My personally recommendation is to rethink your options. I currently dive
>> Scuba Pro Regulators. There's a reason they've been one of the top few in
>> every test almost as long as they've been manufactured. On top of proven
>> quality, they come with a good waranty. They're guaranteed for life and
>> all parts required for annual service are covered as long as you get them
>> serviced annually.
>>
>> The current favorite of the technical croud, people who really bet their
>> lives that their regulators will be reliable, seems to be Apeks. I've not
>> used one myself, but certainly would consider them if I were buying
>> another regulator.
>>
>> You mentioned that people had advised you to buy a balanced regulator.
>> That recommendation is a bit like one to buy the most expensive car you
>> can afford. It's right, but it's not necessarily right for you. I've had
>> a few unbalanced first stage regulators and, to tell the truth, I don't
>> think their breathing characteristics are different enough to be
>> noticable except in the most extreme conditions. The one thing that is
>> different is how they perform as your tank approaches empty. At about 500
>> psi above ambient pressure, they get noticably harder to breathe from.
>> That can be a plus or a minus, depending on how you look at it. It's nice
>> to be able to use all your gas without increased effort, but that change
>> in breathing effort is a pretty noticable warning that it's time to head
>> for the surface for those that don't pay quite as much attention to their
>> gas supply as they should. A balanced first stage will breathe just the
>> same until it's about one breath from providing no air at all. For those
>> not careful enough to ensure they don't run out, they run out suddenly
>> rather than automatically providing a buffer between a diver's
>> inattention and his death.
>>
>> As I recall, and I'm less certain about this, unbalanced first stages
>> also breathe harder when you're inverted. While that's not a normal
>> position for most divers, it is for some, people cleaning boat bottoms or
>> examinging ovehead structure in a wreck or cave, for instance.
>>
>> The best advice anyone can give you is:
>> 1. Try various regulators before you decide.
>> 2. When comparing price, make very sure you include the price of service
>> in your evaluation. A waranty like you get with Scuba Pro can make a
>> major difference in cost over time.
>> 3. Consider cost, but don't let cost become your most important
>> consideration.
>> 4. Absolutely consider the availability of service in areas you're likely
>> to dive. Some brands can be serviced almost anywhere in the world. Others
>> have a limited service network. You're really going to hate it if you
>> have to sit out dives in some beautiful, expensive, dive destination
>> because nobody local has parts for your regulator.
>>
>> Lee
>
>
> Thanks Lee, all good points there.. The one thing I really need to
> consider is wether I buy them here in Australia or on line from the US...
> as the cost difference is HUGE....but not sure how it will effect the
> warranty..and life time parts etc. if i buy from the US..

look at you duty/customs consideration if bringing stuff in from o's. You
might be OK but it is more than $x and I can't remember what it is $400?
you are up for duty so factor that in.

>
> it's just a shame it's such a big difference in price....if it were just a
> hundred or even two hundred...i'd by locally...but it's more like several
> hundred difference ;(

make sure you take into all factors when buying from o/s. 99.9 % of the time
with dud gear things will be OK and guarantees will be recognised but it is
hard to fight for your rights o/s compared to in your home country


>
> And I'm also up for a 7mm wetsuit too...so the costs just keep
> mounting...honestly it would be almost cheaper for me to catch a plane to
> the US....go to LeisurePro buy all my gear and fly home than buy locally
> ( if i needed a complete set up of everything )... Fortunatle I have most
> of my gear already...just these last few ( vital ) things now...
> decisions, decisions....

Virgin is flying to the US for a great cut price rate

-- >
>
>>
>> And I'm also up for a 7mm wetsuit too...so the costs just keep
>> mounting...honestly it would be almost cheaper for me to catch a plane to
>> the US....go to LeisurePro buy all my gear and fly home than buy locally
>> ( if i needed a complete set up of everything )... Fortunatle I have most
>> of my gear already...just these last few ( vital ) things now...
>> decisions, decisions....
>
> Virgin is flying to the US for a great cut price rate
lol..as much as I'd love to my budget for the rest og my gear is about $600
;(

On another note... has anyone here ever serviced their own regs ? Surely
it couldn't be that hard ???...and at $200 per year to service... I
wouldn't mindlooking into it..just out of principle....

"Hi-Soft" <bjcanham-nospam-@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:47f2eba9$0$13270$5a62ac22@per-qv1-newsreader-01.iinet.net.au...
>
>
> -- >
>>
>>>
>>> And I'm also up for a 7mm wetsuit too...so the costs just keep
>>> mounting...honestly it would be almost cheaper for me to catch a plane
>>> to the US....go to LeisurePro buy all my gear and fly home than buy
>>> locally ( if i needed a complete set up of everything )... Fortunatle I
>>> have most of my gear already...just these last few ( vital ) things
>>> now... decisions, decisions....
>>
>> Virgin is flying to the US for a great cut price rate
> lol..as much as I'd love to my budget for the rest og my gear is about
> $600 ;(
>
> On another note... has anyone here ever serviced their own regs ? Surely
> it couldn't be that hard ???...and at $200 per year to service... I
> wouldn't mindlooking into it..just out of principle....

I service a lot of things at home with or without the training or the
certificate but when I fucked it up I take it to the expert and they fix it
i in 1/100th of the time it took me and it works. If my tractor dies it is a
hassle if it is my reg dies it is a real life threatening hassle.

Know what you're doing go for it. I give my gear to the experts to
service, it leaves my wife and kids someone to sue when it fails

The first thing you have to do and I don't know how long you have been diving
is to decide first WHAT TYPE of DIVING YOU ARE GOING TO BE DOING/GETTING INTO.

Then you can go about choosing the type of regulator you need and budget for
it. YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON IT. Don't make the mistake of buying a budget reg
when you plan to get into Tech diving take your time and investigate. There
are many good quality regs out there. Go to your LDS and try them out, rent
for a while until you decide the type of diving you will be doing.

Hope this helps

Hi-Soft wrote:
>I know i'm probably going to open a tin of worms here but :
>
>Im looking to purchase my first regulator set (1st stage, 2nd stage & occy),
>and I've narrowed it down to just few after lots of reading & researching
>etc...
>
>Tusa : RS-110 / SS-110
>
>Oceanic : Alpha 8 ( reg & occy)
>
>AquaLung : Calipso reg / ABS occy
>
>Opinions for final decision please ...?
>
>BTW, I'll probably do most of my diving in Victoria to max 30 meters..
>
>cheers,
>BC

--
Message posted via ScubaMonster.com
http://www.scubamonster.com/Uwe/Foru...pment/200804/1

"dvbtkptn via ScubaMonster.com" <u35537@uwe> wrote in message
news:823d267115f81@uwe...
> The first thing you have to do and I don't know how long you have been
> diving
> is to decide first WHAT TYPE of DIVING YOU ARE GOING TO BE DOING/GETTING
> INTO.
>
> Then you can go about choosing the type of regulator you need and budget
> for
> it. YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON IT. Don't make the mistake of buying a budget reg
> when you plan to get into Tech diving take your time and investigate.
> There
> are many good quality regs out there. Go to your LDS and try them out,
> rent
> for a while until you decide the type of diving you will be doing.
>
> Hope this helps


Yes...I have since given it a lot more thought...and decided to at least
increase my budget to open up my choice substantially.... and to include
Oceanic's GT4, Tusa's RS-230....and also considering the Apeks XTX20 & 40...
amongst others...

As far as the type of diving I'll be doing...it will pretty much just be
recreational...I'll most likely go for my Adanced O.W. down the track...but
due to time and budget I can't see my self getting to tech in the near
future... I think i'd be lucky to get 10 dives in per year... ;(

bc

Hi-Soft wrote:

>
> "dvbtkptn via ScubaMonster.com" <u35537@uwe> wrote in message
> news:823d267115f81@uwe...
>> The first thing you have to do and I don't know how long you have
>> been diving
>> is to decide first WHAT TYPE of DIVING YOU ARE GOING TO BE
>> DOING/GETTING INTO.
>>
>> Then you can go about choosing the type of regulator you need and
>> budget for
>> it. YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON IT. Don't make the mistake of buying a
>> budget reg when you plan to get into Tech diving take your time and
>> investigate. There
>> are many good quality regs out there. Go to your LDS and try them
>> out, rent
>> for a while until you decide the type of diving you will be doing.
>>
>> Hope this helps
>
>
> Yes...I have since given it a lot more thought...and decided to at
> least increase my budget to open up my choice substantially.... and
> to include Oceanic's GT4, Tusa's RS-230....and also considering the
> Apeks XTX20 & 40... amongst others...
>
> As far as the type of diving I'll be doing...it will pretty much
> just be recreational...I'll most likely go for my Adanced O.W. down
> the track...but due to time and budget I can't see my self getting
> to tech in the near future... I think i'd be lucky to get 10 dives
> in per year... ;(

Re some of my earlier comments in this thread.

1) Make sure you know how to clean all of your kit properly
2) Make sure you get regulators serviced if you get salt
water in them
3) service the regulators every two or three years

But if your are going with point 3 make sure that points 1 and 2
also apply.

-Don