When it comes to buying a regulator you are hopefully going to use it for life so it’s actually quite a big decision to make. So when you come to making that decision there are many factors to think about.
Here are the main points I tell my students when it comes to buying a regulator.
First, get a regulator that you can have serviced and repaired ANYWHERE in the world (if you plan on traveling a lot). As a Dive Industry Technician I’m finding it harder and harder to get parts and service kit support from more and more manufacturers due to a lack of distribution in certain countries. Although companies like Atomic and Oceanic make some incredible regulators, getting all parts and kits for them in most of S.E Asia is becoming harder and harder. Major brands you will still find worldwide include but are not limited to Aqualung, Apeks, Scubapro, Mares, and Cressi.
Second, how do you take care of your regulator? Are you the type of person to not rinse it daily? Are you diving in dirty/silty/sandy water sometimes? If yes, then I would advise you to get a 1st stage which is environmentally sealed.
Third, will you dive in cold water ever? Any regulator used in water with temperatures below 10C has a tendency to ‘freeze-up’ and could potentially free-flow. Again, environmentally sealed 1st stage regulators are ideal for this, although some manufacturers use other methods to ensure their regulators will not freeze up without the use of a seal. The Scubapro MK25EVO is one such regulator, but I would always recommend a properly environmentally sealed unit. For the second stages, BOTH also need to be suitable for cold water diving, so double-check with the dive shop if they are.
Fourth, budget. If I had all the money in the world, when buying a regulator I would buy a Titanium regulator…why? It’s ultra-light (great for traveling), and highly corrosion-resistant (you’ll have it for life, even if you mistreat it…although I ALWAYS tell people to correctly maintain and rinse their gear). Keep in mind, Titanium is not 100% Oxygen compatible. Most manufactures will state that their Titanium regulators are compatible up to 40% O2… not that I know anyone wanting to use such a regulator for a decompression gas in Technical diving.
Do you need a super expensive, titanium, balanced, and environmentally sealed regulator? No. I have a lot of experienced diver friends and professionals, with thousands of dives, who dive with ‘basic’ dive shop style regulators. Heck, I have a couple. I even have a Scubapro MK2 which was bought in the 1980s which we still use as a deco regulator from time to time. My wife dove it to 111m (no, she did not breathe on it at that depth…it would most likely not work at that pressure) and it worked perfectly for the deco stops she needed to make. Extreme deep-diving DOES require a high quality, balanced regulator, but for everything else, a good old Scubapro MK2EVO with R095 2nd stages or Aqualung Calypso is just fine.
