More newbie questions, regs!

Howdy folks!

OK, after opinions, i'm looking to pick up some solid, basic regs to start
out with, nothing fancy, just air to my lungs to keep me finning.

So, firstly, two sets i've been offered so far, one is a pair of R190's,
triple console, older and a little bit scraped, but work fine, for £110.

Second, an Aqualung/Spiro Surpa 1st/primary with a US Divers Octo. Newer,
less used than about, price likely to be similar (would be buying with a BCD
for about £150).

Or are both of these appauling choices? in which case, advice please?

I realise servicing would likely to be necessary if the history isn't too
definite, which is going to add about £50 to the cost of the reg set? so i'm
saving less than it first seems, so i'm also tempted by a new set for more
money, undecided as yet.

Finally, regulator servicing. I'm a fairly technically competent guy, doing
my own car maintainence, used to do own jet-ski maintenence, PC dismantling
doesn't phase me, i'd have a go at fixing my own stereo, printer, etc, etc.
Regs, i know, are life support equip, so i'm less tempted to hurl myself
straight into servicing them, but, is it a skill you can pick up easily
enough? is there reading material available on the subject (either online,
or in printed form) or is it, some how, a particularly complex task only to
be taken on by professionals, etc?

Cheers!

Gavin.

"Gavin Carey" <gicarey@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:bv3jp8$lik$1@newsg4.svr.pol.co.uk...
> Howdy folks!
>
> OK, after opinions, i'm looking to pick up some solid, basic regs to start
> out with, nothing fancy, just air to my lungs to keep me finning.
>
> So, firstly, two sets i've been offered so far, one is a pair of R190's,
> triple console, older and a little bit scraped, but work fine, for £110.
> Cheers!
>
> Gavin.
>
>

If it's a choice between the two, I'd go for the Scubapro everytime.
Solid, reliable, nothing fancy, but cheap to service and simple.

No doubt there will be a hundred threads now pointing you in the direction
of new kit for about £100 more!

"Gavin Carey" <gicarey@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:bv3jp8$lik$1@newsg4.svr.pol.co.uk

> I realise servicing would likely to be necessary if the history isn't too
> definite, which is going to add about £50 to the cost of the reg set? so i'm
> saving less than it first seems, so i'm also tempted by a new set for more
> money, undecided as yet.

If you go for the second-hand stuff, see if you can buy them
newly-serviced for £50 more than the owner's currently asking... That
way, if the regs are really a pile of poo, you won't be paying to get
that sorted out.

> Finally, regulator servicing. I'm a fairly technically competent guy, doing
> my own car maintainence, used to do own jet-ski maintenence, PC dismantling
> doesn't phase me, i'd have a go at fixing my own stereo, printer, etc, etc.
> Regs, i know, are life support equip, so i'm less tempted to hurl myself
> straight into servicing them, but, is it a skill you can pick up easily
> enough? is there reading material available on the subject (either online,
> or in printed form) or is it, some how, a particularly complex task only to
> be taken on by professionals, etc?

It's easy, and there is is documentation available. What isn't easily
available is parts - apparently, none of us are suitably skilled to do
the job ourselves... ;-(

Vic.



--
Posted via Mailgate.ORG Server - http://www.Mailgate.ORG

Gavin Carey wrote:
> So, firstly, two sets i've been offered so far, one is a pair of
> R190's, triple console, older and a little bit scraped, but work
> fine, for £110.

Coo. If you don't want these do we form a queue? I don't think
the 180/190 did oxygen clean but they are good for normal air
and nitrox. Also the DIN conversion is off-the-shelf parts.

> Finally, regulator servicing. I'm a fairly technically competent
> guy,

There's nothing complicated about it but you can't easily get
the parts. It's a bit of a closed shop with everybody pointing
the finger at somebody else as to who 'protects' us from getting
dangerous stuff like a set of O-rings.

nigelH

> Coo. If you don't want these do we form a queue? I don't think
> the 180/190 did oxygen clean but they are good for normal air
> and nitrox. Also the DIN conversion is off-the-shelf parts.

OK, so i've seen a couple of replies saying go for the scubapro jobbies over
the Spiros, which is good enough for me. time to start tracking down a
seperate, cheap BCD then :)

> There's nothing complicated about it but you can't easily get
> the parts. It's a bit of a closed shop with everybody pointing
> the finger at somebody else as to who 'protects' us from getting
> dangerous stuff like a set of O-rings.

Typical. So time to make good friends with someone who runs a dive shop
then? :)

Gavin Carey wrote:
>> There's nothing complicated about it but you can't easily get
>> the parts. It's a bit of a closed shop with everybody pointing
>> the finger at somebody else as to who 'protects' us from getting
>> dangerous stuff like a set of O-rings.
>
> Typical. So time to make good friends with someone who runs a dive
> shop then? :)

Diving spends all your money then some. Make good friends
with your Bank Manager. The biggest danger is getting sucked
into spending all your money on kit and not being able to afford
to go diving.

nigelH

"Gavin Carey" <gicarey@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:bv3q65$3a7$1@news7.svr.pol.co.uk...
>
> > There's nothing complicated about it but you can't easily get
> > the parts. It's a bit of a closed shop with everybody pointing
> > the finger at somebody else as to who 'protects' us from getting
> > dangerous stuff like a set of O-rings.
>
> Typical. So time to make good friends with someone who runs a dive shop
> then? :)
>
>

TBH your better off just putting it all in for a service. By the time
you've messed around getting hold of the spares kit (I could send you one,
but I'm inclined not to for obvious reasons!), and messed it up a few times,
it's just as quick to get someone else who can service it in half an hour.

Some of the manufacturers also try to deter would-be technicians by using
strange fitting screw/nuts/washers etc. The only way to get round this is
to buy the sepcialist tools. So at the end of the day you have to ask
yourself; is forking out for £100 worth of manuals/sepcialist tools/guidance
gonna be made back relatively soon? No me thinks.

Secondly, if you do it yourself and cock it up, you'll look pretty stupid
turning up to the LDS with a box of bits and asking them to put it right for
you!

Lastly, you'll have no come back or liability of it fails on you after a
home-service.

Oh, and if everyone serviced their own kit, you'd end up with alot less dive
centres running to spend windy sunday afternoons wandering around instead of
diving!

<Pete S.> wrote in message news:40157443.39710703@news.clara.net...
> I have yet to see a sound reason why I cannot freely buy any part I
> want.
>
> Pete S.

Me either, its easy to order from germany......

/Z

<Pete S.> wrote in message news:40157443.39710703@news.clara.net...
> On Mon, 26 Jan 2004 19:51:21 -0000, "Tricky"
> <scubatricky@nospam.yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
>
> What obvious reasons? I service all my kit with any problems at all.
>
>
> I have yet to see a sound reason why I cannot freely buy any part I
> want.
>
> Pete S.

The obvious reason that I'll get castrated by Scubapro if they find
out???!!!

The reason I gave the advice I did, is because this is a newbie diver with
secondhand kit.
The last thing I want him to do is to service his kit himself and end up
dead?!

He may be a qualified astro-physist, but if he hasn't seen the inside of a
first and second satge before then there is roon for error.

I whole heartedly agree that servicing is overpriced compared to the cost of
new reg (apek?!!!)/ cylinder etc. But i'm very reluctant to send a newbie
diver off to service their own kit without some form of instruction
beforehand.

M2C

> Diving spends all your money then some. Make good friends
> with your Bank Manager. The biggest danger is getting sucked
> into spending all your money on kit and not being able to afford
> to go diving.

You got that right ;)

But, at the moment, i'm supporting the misses whilst she qualifies as a
solicitor, i've got a monthly budget for "hobbies" which is currently
getting set aside for dive gear and diving (which, for the time being, is
going to be lake fees and air, for practice till i'm confident in cold water
and instructorless), when it's gone, it's gone, no loans or interest free
credit for me, thanks very much :)

Gav.