Scuba Regulators: The 4 Best You Can Avail Online

If you love to dive, then you know how important it is to have a great regulator. A great regulator can be the difference between a good time or a bad one, and at its most extreme, the difference between life and death. If you are looking for a regulator that will work for you and fit within your budget (whatever it may be), then check out our list of the best 4 scuba regulators in 2018.

Comparison Table

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Product FAQ

What is the difference between a diaphragm and a piston construction?

Generally, a piston construction has fewer moving parts and thus is less likely to fail. If you want to undertake cave diving or serious deep-water diving, you should definitely go for a piston construction. Diaphragms are more common on the market and will generally be perfectly serviceable for most non-extreme diving.

What type of regulator is right for me?

This really depends on the kind of diving that you like to do. If you like to frolic in the warm waters of the Caribbean, then a cheaper regulator will probably do you just fine. There’s no reason to pay out top dollar when you’re not going to be much deeper than 20 feet below the surface. If you are undergoing more extreme dives, then you definitely want to make sure that you have a bulletproof regulator, as a failure 100 feet underwater in a cave might mean death.

How can I tell if a regulator fits me well?

You will want to test the size of the mouthpiece and make sure that it fits comfortably in your mouth. You don’t want to have to bite too hard on it or have it be too large or small, as this will hurt your jaw. You also want to make sure that the tubes are long enough so that if you turn your head you are not hindered by them. You will also want to listen for strange noises that might come from the regulator when you breathe. Lastly, you definitely don’t want it to be blowing bubbles directly into your face.

How We Reviewed

Image from Pixabay

We tried to take a collection of different regulators at a variety of price points in order to get you a well-rounded look at the market. Some of these are high-end, others are specialized and others are meant to be more budget-oriented. Take a look at all of them and see which ones seem to meet your needs the best. We were also concerned with overall quality. Even the cheapest of these performs very well for its price point and will serve you well if used in the correct conditions.

Price Range of the Product

The scuba regulators listed here generally go for between $250-$1,300, though there are some regulators that are more expensive than this. Generally speaking, though, for commercially-available models, it’s unlikely you’ll get much more expensive than this. Professional models can go up into several thousands, however. It all depends on your needs.

The Best 4 Scuba Regulators of 2018

The scuba regulators listed here generally go for between $250-$1,300, though there are some regulators that are more expensive than this. Generally speaking, though, for commercially-available models, it’s unlikely you’ll get much more expensive than this. Professional models can go up into several thousands, however. It all depends on your needs.

[amazon link=”B00AW4J9S8″ title=”HOLLIS 500SE + DC7″ /]

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This is a fantastic regulator to choose if you do like to do more technical, deep-water, or cold-water dives. The Hollis 500SE + DC7 offers easy breathing at all depths, so you don’t need to be afraid if you like to go deep. It offers environmental sealing, so if you like the colder climes you won’t have to worry about water getting into the regulator and freezing. It’s also balanced, so you can breathe easily all the time.

• Key features
• pros & cons

The Hollis 500SE + DC7 is a great choice for those who want their respirators to work in a number of different environments. We love the fact that it is sealed and balanced; you don’t have to be concerned about how cold the water gets or how deep you go. You’ll be able to breathe easily, which is the main point of a respirator. The Hollis 500SE + DC7 passes this test with flying colors.

For what the Hollis 500SE + DC7 offers, it’s a pretty affordable piece of kit. The fact that it’s both sealed and balanced means that you’ll be able to play around in the waves to your heart’s content and not have to worry about air flow. The Hollis 500SE + DC7 also gets good marks for comfort and mouthpiece size.

The main negative is that the Hollis 500SE + DC7 is a diaphragm build rather than a piston one, so this might not be the best choice if you like to engage in cave diving. But for basically any other application, the Hollis 500SE + DC7 is a winner.

[amazon link=”B004RDH4S2″ title=”Mares Abyss 22 Navy II” /]

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While the general image of the hobbyist diver is one who likes to play around in tropical waters, that’s not everybody’s cup of tea. If you are the sort who prefers to play around in colder waters, then you absolutely need to make sure that the Mares Abyss 22 Navy II Regulator is in your arsenal. This is a respirator that was made for the iciest dives.

• Key features
• pros & cons

The Mares Abyss 22 Navy II Regulator sports an all-metal design that helps counteract the effects of cold water. It also has an oil-filled environmental seal. The Mares Abyss 22 Navy II Regulator was made for arctic diving and the construction proves it. It’s fully sealed and fully balanced. It does have a diaphragm construction.

The biggest pro to the Mares Abyss 22 Navy II Regulator is that it’s one of the best on the market for cold-water dives. If you are somebody who likes to dive where it’s chilly, then there’s no excuse not to invest in the Mares Abyss 22 Navy II Regulator. It’s ruggedly built, and most importantly, will protect you when you’re in the iciest of waters.

The biggest con of the Mares Abyss 22 Navy II Regulator is the price. It’s a very expensive regulator. If you don’t dive in extremely cold waters, there are probably better bargains to be had.

[amazon link=”B001P4B6A8″ title=”Cressi Sub Ellipse Titanium” /]

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This is a wonderful, affordable regulator that is especially popular with divers who like to do a lot of traveling. This is a very small and lightweight regulator that can go with you basically anywhere you want to go. The Cressi Sub Ellipse Titanium Scuba Regulator is also a great choice for somebody who’s just starting out with their own regulator and needs something affordable, or for the experienced diver who is looking for an auxiliary regulator for travel.

• Key features
• pros & cons

The Cressi Sub Ellipse Titanium Scuba Regulator is affordable, small, and lightweight. Like the other options on this list, it comes with a diaphragm construction and is fully sealed and balanced. This allows you to take on all but the most demanding dives (we would recommend something like the Mares Abyss 22 Navy II Regulator for seriously cold waters, for instance), but still enjoy it being ultra-portable.

Many experienced divers say that the Cressi Sub Ellipse Titanium Scuba Regulator actually punches well above its price level when it comes to performance. That is, you could pay more and get a lot less out of many regulators as compared to the Cressi Sub Ellipse Titanium Scuba Regulator. It’s lightweight, comfortable, and does the job.

The major con to the Cressi Sub Ellipse Titanium Scuba Regulator is that we don’t recommend using it for extremely demanding dives. It performs well for its price point, but don’t expect high-level caliber for a low-level price.

[amazon link=”B00S1QQFHC” title=”Scubapro Evo” /]

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If you are truly looking for a worry-free diving experience that can take you from warm waters to cold ones and then again from the surface to the caves, then you want the Scubapro Evo Scuba Diving Regulator. This is one of the major names in the business, and there’s a very good reason for it.

• Key features
• pros & cons

Probably most important to the Scubapro Evo Scuba Diving Regulator is that it has a piston construction and Ultra-Stable Intermediate Pressure. These two things combined make breathing easy for divers, no matter how deeply they are diving or where the waves take them. The Scubapro Evo Scuba Diving Regulator is truly meant for those who want ultimate freedom and easy air.

Scubapro is such a praised name in the diving industry for a very good reason: everything they produce is top of the line. This is an incredible respirator that will perform better than basically anything else available on the commercial market. It’s well constructed and comfortable.

The biggest con to this is the price. The Scubapro Evo Scuba Diving Regulator is easily one of the most expensive regulators on the market. If you want quality, you definitely have to pay for it. With the Scubapro Evo Scuba Diving Regulator you’ll get quality, but at a price.

Our Verdict on the Best Scuba Regulator of 2018

Obviously, a lot depends on your needs when it comes to deciding what is the best scuba regulator. If you are a beginning diver or just are simply not looking to spend a lot of money on your respirator, the Cressi Sub Ellipse Titanium Scuba Regulator performs excellently and provides a lot of bang for the buck. If you are a hobbyist diver, it’s likely that the quality of the Cressi Sub Ellipse Titanium Scuba Regulator will supersede your needs, and you’ll be happy with it for years.

Particularly when you consider how lightweight the Cressi Sub Ellipse Titanium Scuba Regulator is and how easy it is to travel with, we think that it’s a great bargain buy. If taken care of, it will last a long time and perform well.

Of course, if money is no object, then we have to hand it to the Scubapro Evo Scuba Diving Regulator. It has superior performance compared to any other regulator on the commercial market. We love how it has piston construction, so there’s less worry about failure. We love how it will perform well in extremely demanding situations as well as more carefree tropical dives. The Scubapro Evo Scuba Diving Regulator is truly a regulator that will stay with you for the rest of your diving days if you take care of it. Plus, Scubapro is known for its excellent customer service, which is a huge plus.

If you want the best and nothing else will do, go with the Scubapro Evo Scuba Diving Regulator. If you’re looking for something to take you through your fun, warm-water dives, then reach for the Cressi Sub Ellipse Titanium Scuba Regulator.