Regulators 2007 –£200
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MARK EVANS PADI Divemaster 21 years diving experience | DAVE HOPE PADI MSDT 16 years diving experience | MARTIN BRUCE PADI MSD 2 years diving experience | JIM BREWIS PADI Divemaster 3 years diving experience | LOUISE ATKINSON PADI Divemaster 7 years diving experience |
Aqualung Calypso (SRP: £159.95)
Mark: Good performance all round, especially for the price. Comfy, lightweight and a dry breathe upside down, but the adjuster didn’t seem to make any difference.
Dave: Nice easy breathe. A good all-rounder. Bargain.
Martin: Good breathe – one of the better ones. There were some bubbles round my face on exhalation, but it was comfy and performed well in all positions.
Jim: I got lots of bubbles around my face when I exhaled. It was good to breathe, however, though I found it a bit wet upside down.
Louise: There were a lot of bubbles around my face as well. Having said that, it breathed well under pressure when buddy breathing. Excellent for the money.
Dacor Eagle Sport (SRP: £148.71) CHOICE
Mark: Very good breathe and totally dry upside down. A comfy mouthpiece, small second stage and easy-to-locate purge. A nice reg, and a steal at the price.
Dave: Good breathe in all positions. Very wide exhaust limited bubble interference, and the mouthpiece was very comfy.
Martin: The purge button is a bit small, but it breathes well and the bubbles disperse better than most here.
Jim: Very wide exhaust which gets rid of the bubbles. It’s a very good breathe and dry every way up.
Louise: A good breathe, nice and smooth. Not too many bubbles in front of my face and a comfy mouthpiece.
Oceanic Alpha 8 (SRP: £141) BEST VALUE
Mark: Very, very nice breathe and dry in all positions. The second stage looks more expensive than it is, and it has a performance to match. Absolute bargain for the money.
Dave: I like this reg. It’s a good breathe, and dry in every position. The mouthpiece felt good in my mouth, and can you believe that price?
Martin: The mouthpiece fits like a glove. The purge is nice and large for when you’re wearing gloves, and it’s a good breathe.
Jim: Lovely. The exhaust was excellent at getting ride of the bubbles to either side of your mask. Totally dry in every position. Excellent when buddy breathing.
Louise: Personally, I didn’t like this one that much, but I have to agree that it looks pretty swish.
Scubapro MKII R395 (SRP: £195)
Mark: Good-looking reg. It breathes well, especially once you’ve dabbled with the flow adjuster and venturi lever, and is dry in every direction. The mouthpiece is nice and comfortable.
Dave: This was comfortable and a good performer. The flow adjuster actually makes a difference!
Martin: The purge button was extremely powerful. A good all-rounder, but I found the mouthpiece a bit large.
Jim: A good breathe, but wet when upside down. The mouthpiece was comfy, and it looks the business.
Louise: Looks nice and snazzy. I thought it performed well all-round, and had a very comfy mouthpiece.
Sherwood Brut (SRP: £120)
Mark: Sadly, this particular reg was lightly freeflowing from the moment we turned the air on, which is a shame, as last year the Brut fared extremely well in our group test and would have been a candidate for Best Value this time around.
Dave: Freeflowed on surface, which carried on underwater. It has a very wide exhaust which keeps the bubbles away from my face. I’d give it a five for value for money if it wasn’t freeflowing.
Martin: The exhaust disperses the bubbles very well. Not the best-looking, however it performed well – if you forget the freeflowing.
Jim: There was no bubble interference thanks to the very wide exhaust. It was an easy breathe – probably because it was freeflowing – but the mouthpiece was comfy.
Louise: Both the primary and the octopus were freeflowing from being turned on. Comfy mouthpiece, and excellent exhaust.
Tigullio Airtrak (SRP: £179)
Mark: Comfortable and a reasonable breathe. It has a big purge, which is useful if you are wearing gloves, but it was wet upside down.
Dave: A lovely big purge and it breathed well to start with, but then it started freeflowing and I had to shut the tank down.
Martin: A good all-rounder, with a nice mouthpiece. It breathed fairly well, and the purge is big and effective. The design looks nice.
Jim: This performed okay, but then it freeflowed on me as well. Comfy in the mouth, and the large purge is handy for Brit divers.
Louise: I thought this was a fairly basic regulator. It breathed well enough, but was nothing special.
