Posted by Wayne on June 26, 2002 at 12:47:05:
In Reply to: Re: You guy's are clueless, I give up N/T posted by :( on June 26, 2002 at 11:23:25:
I have been diving a few years now and have seen lots of new fangled stuff come and go. All along there have been those who select the "BEST" because it is LIFE SUPPORT EQUIPMENT. Usually "best" is determined by high price and by someone else saying it is the best. At every juncture there are a bunch saying if you do not use the gear I use, you will needlessly die.
It happened with horse collars, stab jackets, weight integration, dry suits, bailout bottles, shears instead of a knife, a little knife instead of a big knife, a little backup stilletto knife, etc. I am a bit jaded by all this since most everyone lives to dive again.
Sure there are diving deaths, but it is very rare that a recreational scuba diver is killed or injured by a cheap regulator's performance (I cannot remember any). Personally, I love my Scubapro regulators and cannot imagine diving with a different brand. But if a diver wants a Mares and buys it for normal recreational diving, that diver will probably be happy with it and receive many years of reliable service from it.
Are some regulators better than others? Sure. Does every diver need to have an ultra high performance regulator that can be disassembled underwater for emergency repairs in a deep cave? No.
I still stand by my original statements that a low-cost, commercially available regulator will recieve many years of good service in normal recreational use.
Wayne