New Diver Help Picking Reg

[Bigdog67]

I know this has been beat to death but looking to spend some XMAS money at ST and need some help. I am a new diver, will dive basically warm waters in the Carribean and the lakes in TX. I have a Zeagle Brigade and love it so I have been looking at their regs.

I am looking at the spending 350 tops for the Reg and have been looking close at the Zeagle Envoy and or Envoy Delux vs the Tusa RS 130. I would appricate any comments or suggestions.

[Lulubelle]

Hi BD,

I am a newer diver and just bought my first reg. I'm going to be a warm water diver, some deeper NC diving. I got the Aeris Ion. It came with an Octo for 499 I think. It had nice reviews and seemed like it would be a good and adjustable breather at depth (I dive some in NC, kind of deep, rental regs were not the best at depth). The free octo helped me make my decision. I figured I was getting a lot more reg for not too much more money.

I also liked the size of the 2nd stage, the swivel, and the adjustment capabilities.

I also got my stuff as part of a package from ST, so there is some $$ benefit too. If you bought your BC from them, maybe they would work with you to give you a package discount after the fact, can't hurt to ask.

Happy diving.

[cbope]

Both the Tusa and Envoy are well-regarded here as inexpensive and decent performing regs, though I don't have any experience with them. I'm really happy with my Mares Proton Metal MR12 that I picked up from ST this summer. I got it on sale for 275 which was a good deal, but now they've knocked down the price to 199. Find it here:

Mares MR12 Proton Metal Regulator reviews and discounts, Mares

The Proton octo runs about 75-80 if I remember right. You could get the whole set for close to what I paid for just the 1st and 2nd stages. That is a bargain.

Originally Posted by Bigdog67

I know this has been beat to death but looking to spend some XMAS money at ST and need some help. I am a new diver, will dive basically warm waters in the Carribean and the lakes in TX. I have a Zeagle Brigade and love it so I have been looking at their regs.

I am looking at the spending 350 tops for the Reg and have been looking close at the Zeagle Envoy and or Envoy Delux vs the Tusa RS 130. I would appricate any comments or suggestions.

[Sansho]

I think one of the best ST price performers right now is the Oceanic Alpha 8 with the CDX5 first stage for $145. Add an Oceanic Alpha 8 Octo, and an analog gauge set with compass, and I'll be ST can get you out the door at your $350 level. There is also a Tusa R130-based package for $350.

[Aussie]

Originally Posted by Bigdog67

I know this has been beat to death but looking to spend some XMAS money at ST and need some help. I am a new diver, will dive basically warm waters in the Carribean and the lakes in TX. I have a Zeagle Brigade and love it so I have been looking at their regs.

I am looking at the spending 350 tops for the Reg and have been looking close at the Zeagle Envoy and or Envoy Delux vs the Tusa RS 130. I would appricate any comments or suggestions.

ST had some demo Zeagle regs recently on sale which were at an excellent price.

I have several Zeagle regs and highly recommend them. I do prefer to have the ZX second stage which the Envoy deluxe has. I also recommend that you have miflex hoses on your regs also when you buy them. I believe that ST can swap your standard hoses for miflex on new regs.

Service provided by Zeagle is excellent and Scott from Zeagle is often on this forum for any of your questions.

Regs are the most important part of your kit and its worth spending the extra money on them as they can last you for the rest of your life if you take care of them.

Regards Aussie

[CODMAN]

my god, 199$ really is a killer deal! I love my Mares regs and so does my girlfriend. Top notch! And the proton metal, at that price is a steal! If you want a great breathing reg, that you never have to adjust during a dive, for a killer price, this would be a reg to consider!

Cheers,

CODMAN

Originally Posted by cbope

Both the Tusa and Envoy are well-regarded here as inexpensive and decent performing regs, though I don't have any experience with them. I'm really happy with my Mares Proton Metal MR12 that I picked up from ST this summer. I got it on sale for 275 which was a good deal, but now they've knocked down the price to 199. Find it here:

Mares MR12 Proton Metal Regulator reviews and discounts, Mares

The Proton octo runs about 75-80 if I remember right. You could get the whole set for close to what I paid for just the 1st and 2nd stages. That is a bargain.

[teerlkay]

Here are a couple of things you should/could look for
1. What kind of diving do you do now and what kind of diving do you think you will be doing in the future? You said warm water Caribbean and local Texas diving – most any reg St sells will fit the bill. But if you think in the future you might be in cold or silty environments, you might want to look at a sealed reg.
2. How many ports do you need? Personally I wouldn’t buy anything with less than 2 HP (the second one for an air integrated hoseless transmitter, which, in my opinion still requires an SPG on the first HP port) and 4 LP ports (2nd stage, octo, BCD and drysuit). I think most regs will meet this requirement.
3. Servicing – both scheduled (easy- if nothing local, ship it back to ST) and unscheduled (your on a dive trip and your reg fails). For example, I’ve run into a few Oceanic dealers/repair shops in Mexico but I am unaware of any Zeagle dealers – that’s not to say their aren’t any, just that I am unaware of them (and trust me, the things I am unaware of could fill an encyclopedia)
4. Any bells and whistles you want – you want diver inhalation adjustment knob? Dive/pre-dive switch to help with freeflows at the surface?
Every reg mentioned in this thread would probably suit your purposes! Or, just call ST and tell them what you are in the market for and they will not do you wrong. That’s why they are who they are and why we’re all here.

My DB dives a Seaira (since bought by XS scuba and renamed to Seaair). It’s a sweet breathing reg with a diver inhalation knob that never gets used. I dive an Oceanic PX2 first stage (balanced piston – not sold anymore) and an alpha 7 second stage. I love it – no bells and whistles but durable. I could probably drive nails with the thing and then go out and do a two tanker!
Best of luck!


P.S. my advice is free – you get what you pay for

[DMWiz]

I really like Zeagle regulators and the Envoy is a great value, but realistically you would be fine with the Tusa reg. as well I just haven't had great experiences from Tusa products with the exception of my mask. YMMV!

[wxboy911]

I dive a Zeagle DS-V and love it. Buying a reg is a big purchase that you don't want to have to replace in a couple of years...If you have to wait and save some extra cash to get exactly what you want then do it. I waited a little longer than I wanted but I got a DIN, enviro sealed reg with the inhalation adjustment and the dive/pre-dive. I think I saw they still have some Flathead VI left for about $400-Awsome deal. Good Luck.