Your 2 cents on a Deco reg.

[Cave Ranger]

Do any of you own or know anybody who uses the Oceanic O2 Tech Regulator?
I was thinking about adding another designated Deco Reg to my arsenal and this one comes from Oceanic 100% O2 cleaned and the price is right.
I don't own Oceanic stock and hopefully I haven't violated any rules by asking. The Mods are starting to give me a complex.
Any recommendations on other brands of pre-cleaned Deco Regs would be appreciated.

[trident1977]

I use an OMS deco reg. Pre-cleaned for 100% Non-balanced flow-by piston set up. Comes with a couple of different second stage covers. Not at a bad price either. I think most shops sell them for around $190.
Hope that this is helpfull.

[Cindy]

I don't know the brand but I wanted to input my home spun philosophy on stage regs. Buy a reg that you would use as a primary and keep it well serviced. You use a stage when you are normally under the most stress, entry and exit of a cave. I have my best regs on a stage. My working regs on my sidemount tanks and my trash regs on my safety tanks that I leave in the cave. Don't skrimp on those stage regs as they will be the ones that provide you the most comfort and are used when you do the most work. OK, thats all folks, Cindy Butler :D :D

[Dan Thoms]

I use an OMS deco reg. Pre-cleaned for 100% Non-balanced flow-by piston set up. Comes with a couple of different second stage covers. Not at a bad price either. I think most shops sell them for around $190.
Hope that this is helpfull.


Dont ever use it for anything else- ;-)

[Cave Ranger]

I used the OMS Deco reg down in Key Largo on a wreck. At 20 feet it was like breathing through a straw with a lot of inhalation effort.
I borrowed it from a friend when they first came out with that model. I asked him about it and he said his did the same thing and that's why it's inexpensive and only good for shallow Deco depths. Maybe OMS has worked those bugs out or maybe It was just me having an Asthma attack :-D
The Oceanic reg I was looking at on a certain Dive gear website appears to be a redesigned Alpha regulator. It's an unbalanced piston and I bought one back in 2000 for about $179.00 new. For a cheap reg it breathed great off my Pony bottle.
I sold it a few years ago. Maybe I should just get another MK 16 and get it O2 cleaned.

[Kenny P.]

Do any of you own or know anybody who uses the Oceanic O2 Tech Regulator?
I was thinking about adding another designated Deco Reg to my arsenal and this one comes from Oceanic 100% O2 cleaned and the price is right.
I don't own Oceanic stock and hopefully I haven't violated any rules by asking. The Mods are starting to give me a complex.
Any recommendations on other brands of pre-cleaned Deco Regs would be appreciated.

I like my Apex DS-4 / TX-40 for O2 bottle. It comes O2 ready and breathes great. I do like Cindy said for stage regs. ,use the best I have. SP Mk. 20 / old G-250's and Apex DS-4 / TX-50 or TX-100's.
I imagine you will get lots of answers. Lots of good regs to choose from.
Thanks,
Kenny P.

[FW]

I don't know the brand but I wanted to input my home spun philosophy on stage regs. Buy a reg that you would use as a primary and keep it well serviced. You use a stage when you are normally under the most stress, entry and exit of a cave. I have my best regs on a stage. My working regs on my sidemount tanks and my trash regs on my safety tanks that I leave in the cave. Don't skrimp on those stage regs as they will be the ones that provide you the most comfort and are used when you do the most work. OK, thats all folks, Cindy Butler :D :D

I agree about stage regs, but deco is a little different. Most any decent regulator will be fine on deco, as long as it is rated for O2.

I use a 1974 Cyklon 300 on deco :-)

[skip]

I use an alpha 7 with the cdx first stage. had it o2 cleaned at LDS. It works fine, dry in all positions and easy (no sucking).

I also use the xstream deco reg, but honestly see no difference except the alpha 7 is a bit more rugged (I broke the plastic body on the xstream when I layed a tank down on it - oops).

-skip

[nic160]

I'm not sure if this is correct or not, someone told me that all Oceanic regs were o2 clean from the factory.(I'm not saying any names) I do not know if this is true or not. I do know a couple of people who dive oceanic regs on their deco bottles. They bought them brand new, and they went straight from the box to the deco bottle. Nobody I know has ever had a problem. Like I said I don't know if this is a safe practice or not. Opinions please......

[Cave Ranger]

Most modern regulators claim to be "Nitrox ready" to mixes of up to 40%. The new Dive Rite regs say that but they don't specify the percentage at least not on their website.
The only regs I know of that claim to be 100% O2 clean from the box are made by OMS, Oceanic, & Aqualung/Apex. The OMS reg I tried and didn't like, Aqualung/Apex won't advertise their prices so that makes me suspicious of them to the point of not to wanting to buy their products. Why not be upfront with the MSRP? Most everyone else does.
I think I will give this Oceanic reg a try based on the good perfomance I had with the Alpha I used to own. It's modestly priced and I'm really drawn to the Green trimmed in Yellow color scheme. It should match my genuine Iguana skin Speedo perfectly and accentuate my Hazel eyes. :-D

[brianstclair]

I'm not sure if this is correct or not, someone told me that all Oceanic regs were o2 clean from the factory.(I'm not saying any names) I do not know if this is true or not. I do know a couple of people who dive oceanic regs on their deco bottles. They bought them brand new, and they went straight from the box to the deco bottle. Nobody I know has ever had a problem. Like I said I don't know if this is a safe practice or not. Opinions please......

I've heard that they use viton o-rings and O2 safe lubricant on all of their regs. You would think coming from the factory that all of the other pieces would be free of any contaminants, but I don't think they're officially O2 clean. Except for that one deco reg that they advertise as O2 ready.

Personally, I used a brand new Alpha 7 PX2 on my deco bottle without doing any other O2 cleaning. I haven't blown up yet, but I'm not done using it yet either.

Nice avatar, by the way. You don't look the same since you got that haircut!

Brian

[nic160]

I'm not sure if this is correct or not, someone told me that all Oceanic regs were o2 clean from the factory.(I'm not saying any names) I do not know if this is true or not. I do know a couple of people who dive oceanic regs on their deco bottles. They bought them brand new, and they went straight from the box to the deco bottle. Nobody I know has ever had a problem. Like I said I don't know if this is a safe practice or not. Opinions please......

I've heard that they use viton o-rings and O2 safe lubricant on all of their regs. You would think coming from the factory that all of the other pieces would be free of any contaminants, but I don't think they're officially O2 clean. Except for that one deco reg that they advertise as O2 ready.

Personally, I used a brand new Alpha 7 PX2 on my deco bottle without doing any other O2 cleaning. I haven't blown up yet, but I'm not done using it yet either.

Nice avatar, by the way. You don't look the same since you got that haircut!

Brian
I clearly stated that I wasn't going to mention any names here !!!!! Let's see if the other two Cave Bandito's I'm thinking of, catch on. I'm just glad you keep that fire extinguisher in your wetsuit pocket. LOL. Don't worry I'm sure by the end of the month I'll have the same setup...... Minus the fire extinguisher !!!

I picked that avatar because it shows my BIG TEETH that I use to hold on to my deco reg when it goes Kaboom !!!!!

[BillGraham]

I just keep it simple and have five complete sidemount regs set up. They are all identical, all 0-2 clean and are interchangeable as primary, stage or deco regs.

[cerichardson]

I'm not sure if this is correct or not, someone told me that all Oceanic regs were o2 clean from the factory.(I'm not saying any names) I do not know if this is true or not. I do know a couple of people who dive oceanic regs on their deco bottles. They bought them brand new, and they went straight from the box to the deco bottle. Nobody I know has ever had a problem. Like I said I don't know if this is a safe practice or not. Opinions please......

I've heard that they use viton o-rings and O2 safe lubricant on all of their regs. You would think coming from the factory that all of the other pieces would be free of any contaminants, but I don't think they're officially O2 clean. Except for that one deco reg that they advertise as O2 ready.

Personally, I used a brand new Alpha 7 PX2 on my deco bottle without doing any other O2 cleaning. I haven't blown up yet, but I'm not done using it yet either.

Nice avatar, by the way. You don't look the same since you got that haircut!

Brian

You are correct Brian. The O2 reg is actually discontinued so there are deals out there right now. To keep it factory approved for O2 use it has to be returned to us for O2 service BTW....

That being said I am using an out of the box PX3 and GT3 for my O2 bottle.

Oh yeah, I'm the Oceanic Rep in the Southeast. (you know this Brian, others may not)

Bob Hollis and I were tossing around the whole "liabilty of saying O2 ready" just a couple weeks ago (regarding an upcoming product), I was for saying 80% to give wiggle room (and I NEVER use 80%) and he felt this was silly(should just say 100%) but the subjext would need to be looked at closer(lawyers)

Best,

Chris

[cerichardson]

I AM NOT RECOMMENDING ANYBODY USE ANY MAKE OF REGULATOR FOR OXYGEN SERVICE UNLESS THE REGULATOR IS DESIGNED AND CERTIFIED AS SUCH!!!!!!

Realized somebody could get the wrong impression from my last posting.

[Genesis]

I have an OMS DROSS (O2 reg) for my O2 bottle.

With that said, it breathes like crap below 20' or so - but who cares, since if you hit that bottle below 20' you're probably dead anyway.

For a "deco reg" that will be used for other than pure oxygen I still like my DS4/TX50 combos. They breathe nice at any depth, I prefer the larger exhaust "T" on the TX50 over the ATX (less bubble interference and I don't mind the size), they require little maintenance and are easy to clean and overhaul when it is required. The first stage is very small physically which is a further advantage.

[OFG-1]

I AM NOT RECOMMENDING ANYBODY USE ANY MAKE OF REGULATOR FOR OXYGEN SERVICE UNLESS THE REGULATOR IS DESIGNED AND CERTIFIED AS SUCH!!!!!!

Realized somebody could get the wrong impression from my last posting.

WOW, THANKS FOR CLEARING THAT UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I CAN NOW HEAR AN ECHO IN HERE.......HERE........here.......here

ECHO.......ECHO.....echo.......echo..........

NOW PINCH HITTING FOR PEDRO BARONE.....BARONE......barone......barone

MANNY MOTO........MOTO.......moto..........moto

[aw]

Here's what I did. I bought a brand new "cheap" first stage and reg from diver's supply for $99. I paid an extra $10 for them to O2 clean it for me. So now I've got me a deco reg for 100% or 50% mix. Also took an old reg to the shop and asked them to O2 clean it too. Now I've got 2 deco regs. Simple as that.

Stage regs are similar in that they are basically whatever I had, but they aren't O2 clean. If I'm breathing a stage, then I'm not SO stressed that I need a $500 reg on it. I reserve my best regs for backgas/sidemounts. If it really gets bad, I can ditch the stages and run slick (given not enough gas left in stages to warrant their drag). If a buddy needs gas, he gets the best reg which is on my primary tanks which also has the most gas available. This approach keeps the cost of dive gear down. Even DIR doesn't require deco or stages to be DIN, although it is a good idea.

One caveat . . if you are breathing stages deeper than 130 ft (i.e. scootering and reserving backgas for emergency), you do need a better-quality reg on the stages.

[MikeH]

I AM NOT RECOMMENDING ANYBODY USE ANY MAKE OF REGULATOR FOR OXYGEN SERVICE UNLESS THE REGULATOR IS DESIGNED AND CERTIFIED AS SUCH!!!!!!

Realized somebody could get the wrong impression from my last posting.

I've been using an Oceanic reg for about 4 years for my O2 bottle(I believe it's a DX4). I had it rebuilt with O2 clean components at that time, and it has been a dedicated O2 reg ever since. I have not rebuilt it in that time....because it continues to breathe fantastic and I don't like screwing with regs that are performing fine. It's got probably 300 dives on it.

Mike

[Oxtox]

Another Alpha 7/CDX user for the O2 bottle.

Why? Because that's the reg my ex-GF left at my house.

[Cindy]

I don't know the brand but I wanted to input my home spun philosophy on stage regs. Buy a reg that you would use as a primary and keep it well serviced. You use a stage when you are normally under the most stress, entry and exit of a cave. I have my best regs on a stage. My working regs on my sidemount tanks and my trash regs on my safety tanks that I leave in the cave. Don't skrimp on those stage regs as they will be the ones that provide you the most comfort and are used when you do the most work. OK, thats all folks, Cindy Butler :D :D

I agree about stage regs, but deco is a little different. Most any decent regulator will be fine on deco, as long as it is rated for O2.

I use a 1974 Cyklon 300 on deco :-)

Thanks for correcting me again Forrest, the sin of inappropriate advice...Dang it, I screwed up again. :D

On the real subject: I use a well tuned reg on deco. I do around three hours of deco each weekend. All my regs are oxygen ready. Why, because when I am out in the woods and need a deco reg I want to be able to trade out for a stage reg if needed. I HATE freeflowing regs, hard to breathe regs or non-functionsing regs on deco. I'm tired, I want to breathe with ease and not have to mess with changing regs underwater. Not doing proper deco for 90 min can get you into serious problems. DAN is not my favorite number to call. For example, do you have DIN regs on your back gas and a yoke deco tank? Will you have enough gas to deco off your back gas if the deco reg goes to crap on the oxygen tank. Your 90 min deco on oxygen just turned into three house of cold deco, all by yourself in a sink. All because of a bad reg. Is it worth it to you? I use scuba pro regs on my deco tanks. Seriously the only regs I go cheap on are the ones I use for safety tanks and then I only use regs that can survive being changed underwater. Will your reg do that and still be usable?
Just a few things to think about from someone who has obviously done way too many deep dives on air. Cindy LOL

[cerichardson]

I AM NOT RECOMMENDING ANYBODY USE ANY MAKE OF REGULATOR FOR OXYGEN SERVICE UNLESS THE REGULATOR IS DESIGNED AND CERTIFIED AS SUCH!!!!!!

Realized somebody could get the wrong impression from my last posting.

I've been using an Oceanic reg for about 4 years for my O2 bottle(I believe it's a DX4). I had it rebuilt with O2 clean components at that time, and it has been a dedicated O2 reg ever since. I have not rebuilt it in that time....because it continues to breathe fantastic and I don't like screwing with regs that are performing fine. It's got probably 300 dives on it.

Mike

thats cool, i have regs I haven't O2 cleaned in quite a while as well.

However the point was that I'm the Oceanic rep., and I posted the second because some may interpet my first post "well the guy from Oceanic said", and in this case no "the guy from Oceanic" didn't say that, Chris, the instructor/diver did and it is not indictive of what Oceanic or I would recommend when acting in the capacity as the Oceanic rep.

All clear?

Best,

Chris

[cerichardson]

I don't know the brand but I wanted to input my home spun philosophy on stage regs. Buy a reg that you would use as a primary and keep it well serviced. You use a stage when you are normally under the most stress, entry and exit of a cave. I have my best regs on a stage. My working regs on my sidemount tanks and my trash regs on my safety tanks that I leave in the cave. Don't skrimp on those stage regs as they will be the ones that provide you the most comfort and are used when you do the most work. OK, thats all folks, Cindy Butler :D :D

I agree about stage regs, but deco is a little different. Most any decent regulator will be fine on deco, as long as it is rated for O2.

I use a 1974 Cyklon 300 on deco :-)


Thanks for correcting me again Forrest, the sin of inappropriate advice...Dang it, I screwed up again. :D

On the real subject: I use a well tuned reg on deco. I do around three hours of deco each weekend. All my regs are oxygen ready. Why, because when I am out in the woods and need a deco reg I want to be able to trade out for a stage reg if needed. I HATE freeflowing regs, hard to breathe regs or non-functionsing regs on deco. I'm tired, I want to breathe with ease and not have to mess with changing regs underwater. Not doing proper deco for 90 min can get you into serious problems. DAN is not my favorite number to call. For example, do you have DIN regs on your back gas and a yoke deco tank? Will you have enough gas to deco off your back gas if the deco reg goes to crap on the oxygen tank. Your 90 min deco on oxygen just turned into three house of cold deco, all by yourself in a sink. All because of a bad reg. Is it worth it to you? I use scuba pro regs on my deco tanks. Seriously the only regs I go cheap on are the ones I use for safety tanks and then I only use regs that can survive being changed underwater. Will your reg do that and still be usable?
Just a few things to think about from someone who has obviously done way too many deep dives on air. Cindy LOL

Cindy I agree 100% on choice of fitting. I do not and it is not acceptable on a class I'm teaching for students to have a mix of yoke and DIN, they must be all DIN.

[crazyduck]

Agreed on using quality gear.
Poseidon 5000 Cyklon- personal choice.


Cindy- Swage lock makes a connection called QC6 (I swear that’s the name.)
This is a liquid tight fitting that can be connected underwater.
You add an extra LP hose to the deco tank with the QC fitting.
You take an extra second stage and attach the mating QC fitting.
Then you have a liquid tight connection that can tap into the tank without changing first stages while underwater. This would allow you to use the regulator with any tank that you added the lp hose and fitting to.
This does nothing- absolutely nothing for a first stage failure.
This has been done in other diving communities.
Your mileage may vary.

Andrew


Snip... taken out of a larger statement.


For example, do you have DIN regs on your back gas and a yoke deco tank? Will you have enough gas to deco off your back gas if the deco reg goes to crap on the oxygen tank. Your 90 min deco on oxygen just turned into three house of cold deco, all by yourself in a sink. Cindy LOL

[MikeH]

thats cool, i have regs I haven't O2 cleaned in quite a while as well.

However the point was that I'm the Oceanic rep., and I posted the second because some may interpet my first post "well the guy from Oceanic said", and in this case no "the guy from Oceanic" didn't say that, Chris, the instructor/diver did and it is not indictive of what Oceanic or I would recommend when acting in the capacity as the Oceanic rep.

All clear?

Yep....All clear....the Oceanic guy told me that he does it this way, so it's gotta be ok.. :-D

None of my regs are under any kind of warranty or backed by the manufacturer anymore because I choose to rebuild my own even though I am not "certified" to do so. No worries here...just passing on my own experience.

Mike

[D1V3R]

I use a 1974 Cyklon 300 on deco :-)


I use a 1969 Aqualung Aquarius as a primary!
ha :-D


(when im diving in the keys at 20 feet and they dont have tanks with DIN valves, lol)