Pony regs

[scubachristo]

So Im thinking about purchasing a pony reg, for cold cold NE diving, anyone have any input on what regs to stay away from? my primary/backup regs are apeks tx 100 and apeks atx 50, very happy with them, just pricey for me to invest in one for my pony, any cheaper alternatives??

[Crimediver]

You can pick up some good cold water regs very cheaply on eBay. I do a lot of cold water diving and use a lot of different regs. I pick up a Conshelf Supreme cold water reg from time to time for around $75 bucks. It is basically an environmentally sealed Conshelf 14. I also dive newer regs like Zeagle Flathead 6's, USD Arctics and Mares Proton Ice. They cost more but the Conshelfs are very simple and very dependable regs at a great price. Also Sherwood regs like the Blizzard are good, but the leaky first stage gives me room for pause on a pony. While designed to leak, I personally like to open and shut the valve on my pony to pressurize my reg. When I need it I open the valve again. The bubbling first stage of the Sherwood is problematic. It is a good reg and inexpensive and may be a good choice for cold water but I am partial to the Conshelf Supremes.

[Grin]

I took my old Sherwood Magnum and used the backup second stage since it's so nice and compact. The Magnum second stage is sitting on a shelf. I wouldn't spend too much money on a pony reg. Simple and basic.

[ScaredSilly]

I have a couple of Mares MR12 with protons 2nd that I have been using for many years on pony bottles. They are great little regs. I currently have them for sale because I have picked up some more atomic regs which I will be using instead.

[terrillja]

Originally Posted by scubachristo

So Im thinking about purchasing a pony reg, for cold cold NE diving, anyone have any input on what regs to stay away from? my primary/backup regs are apeks tx 100 and apeks atx 50, very happy with them, just pricey for me to invest in one for my pony, any cheaper alternatives??

I dive with an Oceanic GT3 w/ CDX5 first stage. Never had it freeze up of FF on me, I dive in NH and MA, pretty cold.

[terrillja]

Originally Posted by Grin

I took my old Sherwood Magnum and used the backup second stage since it's so nice and compact. The Magnum second stage is sitting on a shelf. I wouldn't spend too much money on a pony reg. Simple and basic.

More like simple and reliable. You need something that is 100% reliable, when you need a pony reg, you NEED it to work. Just because you got a good deal on a piston reg doesn't mean it will work for you in an emergency. I'd spend the money and get a good reg. By having 2 of the same regs I also have parts and familiarity with one reg.

[texdiveguy]

Salvo makes super regs at a good price....solid, no frills and tough.

[CompuDude]

Aqualung Calypso. Cheap but reliable.

[Grin]

I hope it works. I bought it new and used it for a couple years with no problems as my primary reg. Good old reliable Sherwoods are no frills old super reliables. Funny how people jump to conclusions that a inexpensive reg is unreliable. A $500 reg is no more reliable than a basic one. I have two Zeagle Flatheads but one of those would be major overkill for a pony. The Zeagle Flathead is a extremely nice primary, but completely uneccessary for a pony.

Originally Posted by terrillja

More like simple and reliable. You need something that is 100% reliable, when you need a pony reg, you NEED it to work. Just because you got a good deal on a piston reg doesn't mean it will work for you in an emergency. I'd spend the money and get a good reg. By having 2 of the same regs I also have parts and familiarity with one reg.

[terrillja]

Grin, I think that you misunderstood what I was trying to say, or I just worded it poorly. What I meant is that reliability should rank higher than cost when choosing a reg, and the cheapest reg might not ne the best on to have. Also depends on where you dive, cold water has all its own considerations.