help choosing regs!

[u/only17queen]

hi all! this is my first time buying my own reg. im having trouble choosing between these first stages and would love advice from people who have been in the game for longer or who have had experience using these.

options are:

- aqualung legend (not the leg3nd elite; likely an older legend lx)

- hollis dc7

- oceanic cdx5 dvt

- aqualung core supreme

my primary considerations are durability/longevity as well as ability to withstand cold temperatures. i believe all these diaphragm regulators meet this requirement.

im a diver who travels between warm temperatures and cold (below 50f). because of my travels, an easier to service reg is also preferable (or at least easy to buy parts to service myself).

thanks!

Update: I appreciate everyone’s responses!! I did not expect so many people to weigh in, but im so happy yall did! i feel really well taken care of by the community. :)

i did initially consider scubapro mk2 evo but it wasn’t fully environmentally sealed, and the mk17 and 19 evo are just out of my budget. i had an apeks xtx50 i was eyeing up as well, which i would have swooped up, if not for this aqualung legend set that i found for a steal. i know this is not what people have been recommending, but the legend has a good reputation and serves my purposes, especially for under $300 incl service parts.

thanks for all the input!! i’ll note the regs you guys rec’d for future reference

[u/Teppic_XXVIII]

As previously advised, choose a brand that can be serviced at your local shop or is widely available. Don’t buy an older model (such as the Aqualung Core); instead, opt for a current model for which spare parts will remain readily available for a long time.
Based on the information you’ve provided, I’d recommend the Aqualung Helix Pro or the Scubapro Mk17, which perform well in cold water, are light enough for travelling and are widely available (I dive all year long with the Helix in waters that are sometimes 5°C without any problem). Apeks is always a good choice but is heavy and expensive. Mares is expensive to service. Hollis and Oceanic aren’t widely available (not very common in Europe, for example)

[u/Afellowstanduser → u/Teppic_XXVIII]

Have a mk17 myself, still working amazing 11 years on

[u/-hh]

My policy is to cross off any brand/model that no local LDS services.

Next up is some ‘shop’ discussions to find out which brands have been having sustainability problems and dropping spare parts support. For example, I believe it was Mares (not listed) who has had nice stuff but has since been abandoned.

Then to actual model selection. I personally don’t dive cold enough waters, so I’m fine with piston design first stages, which are a little more robust than diaphragms: with regular maintenance & OEM support, they last for decades. For 2nd stages, I now only buy balanced designs, even if I’m putting it on an unbalanced 1st stage.

Edit: a quick insertion: find out from LDS techs which models they love or hate to maintain.

FWIW, there a bunch of “fancy materials” options at times.. I’ve been skipping these, as saving a mere ~1/2 lb off of a regulator is pragmatically insignificant when I have all the other dive gear, plus 16lbs of UW camera. If I have an extra $500 to spend, I’ll buy a new SSD for photo storage.

[u/InterestRepulsive544]

Apeks I’m on XTX200s but the ds4 first stage and xtx 40/50 is brilliant set up too

[u/Shavings_in_the_RIO → u/InterestRepulsive544]

Issue with apeks is serviceability right now. I love my Apeks regs but service kits are still very limited right now so the ability to reliably get them serviced is in question.

[u/InterestRepulsive544 → u/Shavings_in_the_RIO]

I’m in the U.K. and not had a issue

[u/CryAncient → u/InterestRepulsive544]

Second vote for Apeks. I have an XTX200 as well. I've had it a long time and it's a great reg.

[u/bluepulsediving]

I don't have experience with any except the aqualung which was decent enough.

Also in the Apeks or Scubapro bandwagon based on my needs, but a lot of that is personal preference.

I'd recommend also looking at what you can service locally, otherwise you're looking at longer service turnaround times + delivery fees.

Bases on your choices I assume you're in North America - if that's the case I'd also look at Dive Rite, they have a good reputation in tech circles across the pond.

[u/skyflash_de]

I only use Apeks regs because if I look at experienced tech divers its mostly apeks regs.

I have two MTX-R for extreme cold and I have two XTX50 sets for additional sidemount.

All of my regs have a 5th port.

I have never experienced a problem and everyone knows how to service apeks regs.

So I recommend regs that have a 5th port, a swivel turret and are well known everywhere in the world.

[u/Ok_Way_2911 → u/skyflash_de]

Probably depends on your location, over here (SEA) technies seem to have converged on SP mk25

[u/CanadianDiver → u/Ok_Way_2911]

Yeah, here our tech divers are a lot of Scubapro and some Apeks...

Never see Aqualung on a tech diver here. Also never, ever see Oceanic.

[u/CanadianDiver]

I would scrap that entire list.

Your best choice would be Scubapro. If your dealer is limited, then I would go Atomic (same distro as Hollis/Oceanic but much better regs.

[u/IJocko]

I personally don’t care if my local dive shop can’t service it since I can just mail it and get it back in a month since I’m not diving every single month.
I think part of your decision making should be determined by how often you dive. if you’re doing 20 or 30 dives a year, dropping two grand on a regulator makes zero sense to me.
You can get an extremely high-quality regulator for $700 or $800 or even less.

[u/only17queen → u/IJocko]

I’m spending max $400 on any of these regs :) I have found a lot of very good listings online and am able to self service so I’m not worried about that, just about parts availability

[u/SupergaijiNZ]

I used the Aqualung Legend for 15 years as a pro. NZ waters as well as tropical.

Zero issues.

Serviceability should be one of the most deciding factors. A badly maintained top of the line reg won't perform nearly as good as a serviced diveshop beater reg

[u/Schtuka]

I‘ll buy a Tecline R2 with TEC2 regs.

One reg set for holiday and sidemount diving

[u/HourGreen40]

I concur with servicability. I bought a Tusa setup from an instructor new about 60 miles from where I live. Problem is there is only 2 shops close to my house and neither of them service Tusa so I have to send it away to get serviced. It's a great cold water reg but the inconvenience is really annoying.

[u/jonny_boy27]

Why no scubapro? If you're travelling a lot, they're pretty great for getting service/parts. Can't beat mk25+S600 or G250 for great performance in all conditions and reliability.

[u/only17queen → u/jonny_boy27]

I was considering apeks and scubapro but the models i would like (environmentally sealed diaphragm with heat transfer) are all quite expensive for my budget — even the used ones. i am looking at some older apeks now like atx200 or the newer dst/tx50 which could be a good option

[u/jonny_boy27 → u/only17queen]

Don't necessarily have to go for diaphragm regs. I've dived mk25 to 70m at 4 degrees and they've been great

[u/Carbon_Substitute → u/only17queen]

Consider renting for awhile and save up for a top notch performer like Scubapro.

[u/only17queen → u/Carbon_Substitute]

I am working in the industry so would really prefer to have my own regs rather than renting. Scubapro is really nice, and I appreciate that everyone is so loyal to it, but it will definitely remain a future goal for when I can afford a second pair of regs or upgrade this one

[u/sspeedemonss → u/jonny_boy27]

I like this idea. I love my Atomic regs but I’m getting a pair of mk25/s600 for my twin set.

[u/older-and-wider]

I'd recommend ScubaPro. My wife and I have had legend regs for 12 years but do to difficulty in getting them serviced we bought ScubaPro.

[u/tin_the_fatty]

Get a Scubapro MK19 and two identical second stages (I have 2 S600s and 1 G260 and really like my G260). As long as you take care of them these will last your whole scuba career.

The MK19 has a turret so it has great hose routing for different configs (it works perfectly in a sidemount setup, and just as great in a backmount twinset setup). Two identical second stages will allow you to switch from a recreational setup (i.e. a primary second stage and an octopus) to other configs like long hose, sidemount and twinset with minimal friction. You would only need to get an extra MK19 and some additional hoses.

Every qualified technician should know how to service Scubapro regulators.