Scuba Diving Regulator Buying Guide

Buying a Scuba Diving regulator is an investment. It will most likely be one of the most expensive pieces in your equipment set up. In this article, we are going to share with you what you should look and think about when buying a scuba regulator. So you can buy the best possible scuba diving regulator for you.

Balanced Or Unbalanced?

When using an unbalanced regulator during a deep dive or your cylinder is getting low on air you will have to breath harder from your regulator to get the same about of air. When using a balanced regulator, The intermediate pressure is controlled and keep at a constant meaning you have the same breathing resistance regardless of your tank pressure or depth.

Environmentally sealed or not?

You will find the environmental seal on the first stage. If you are diving in cold water, a regulator with an environmental seal is a must. Without you can end up with icing in the first stage and end up with a free-flowing regulator. If you are diving on water temperature above about 12ºC then you will not need an environmental seal.

Weight of regulator

If you travel to dive destinations around the world. You may want to look at travel Scuba Diving regulators. They are commonly made from a lot more plastic parts to save weight which is ideal for travel. The disadvantage to travel regulators is they do tend to cost more compared to standard regulators. They also are harder and more expensive to service due to the complex and fragile design. Servicing and

Maintenance costs

One thing to consider is the cost of servicing your scuba diving regulator as this is something you will be doing every year. You might also want to look at how widely available spare parts and servicing kits are for your regulator in your country as this can vary for country to country.