When buying a new regulator most people look at the aesthetics, features, price and what their instructor dives. But have you ever considered the most important part of regulator ownership, the servicing it requires after you’ve bought it? This is possibly the most important factor of owning a regulator and it’s the reason Kona Honu Divers only uses Atomic regulators in it’s rental fleet. Not only are Atomic regulators one of the most high-performance regulators. It also ends up being the most economical.
Apeks: Needs to be service at least once every year or 100 dives whichever comes first
Aqualung: Needs to be service at least once every year or 100 dives whichever comes first
Oceanic: Needs to be service at least once every year, 100 dives, or after 6 months with no use whichever comes first.
Zeagle: Needs to be service at least once every year or 100 dives whichever comes first
Hollis: Needs to be service at least once every year, 100 dives, or after 6 months with no use whichever comes first
ScubaPro: Needs to be serviced every 100 dives or no longer than once every 2 years, whichever comes first.
Cressi: Needs to be serviced at least once a year or every 100 dives whichever comes first
Atomic is the only brand that needs to be serviced once every 2 years or 300 dives whichever comes first. The Atomic T3 regulator only needs to be serviced once every 3 years or 300 dives, whichever comes first. Atomic also features patented seat saver technology that keeps your reg from needing to be serviced if it has been sitting unused for longer than 6 months.
Service Interval | 1 Year 100 Dives | 2 Years 200 Dives | 3 Years 300 Dives | Service After 6 months of no Use |
Apeks | x | x | ||
Aqualung | x | x | ||
Atomic | x | T3 Only | ||
Cressi | x | x | ||
Hollis | x | x | ||
Oceanic | x | x | ||
ScubaPro | x | x | ||
Zeagle | x | x |
Why Owning an Atomic Regulator will Save You on Servicing Costs
Buying an Atomic regulator will help you save money in the long run versus owning a regulator from another brand. Most regulator brands require at least an annual service on their regulators to keep them working at peak conditions. Atomic’s regulators only require a service every two years to keep them working in peak conditions. It can be even worse if you are a frequent diver with most brands requiring service after only 100 dives. Atomic’s high quality metals and o-rings let the user run at least 200 dives before needing to bring the regulator in for service. This is why our staff prefers to dive Atomic brand regulators versus any other.
Our average cost of service with parts and labor is usually around $180 per regulator to service 1st stage, 2nd stage and alternate 2nd stage. Meaning with most regulator brands every two years it will cost you $360 dollars to keep your regulator set working like new and in manufactures specifications for warranty. With atomic that cost is only roughly $180 every two years. Those savings could be even higher if you’re the kind of diver who easily gets 200 – 300 dives per year on their gear. If you’re considering upgrading your reg set with our trade-in program please reach out to our qualified technician.
Atomic Z3 & Octo | Aqualung Titan & Octo | Scubapro S600/MKII | Typical Annual Service Cost | |
Initial Purchase Price | $898 | $578 | $989 | $180 |
Year 1 | $898 | $758 | $1,169 | $180 |
Year 2 | $1,080 | $938 | $1,349 | $180 |
Year 3 | $1,080 | $1,118 | $1,529 | $180 |
Year 4 | $1,260 | $1,298 | $1,709 | $180 |
Year 5 | $1,260 | $1,478 | $1,889 | $180 |
Year 6 | $1,440 | $1,658 | $2,069 | $180 |
Year 7 | $1,440 | $1,838 | $2,249 | $180 |
Year 8 | $1,620 | $2,018 | $2,429 | $180 |
Year 9 | $1,620 | $2,198 | $2,609 | $180 |
Year 10 | $1,800 | $2,378 | $2,789 | $180 |
Year 11 | $1,800 | $2,558 | $2,969 | $180 |
Year 12 | $1,980 | $2,738 | $3,149 | $180 |
Year 13 | $1,980 | $2,918 | $3,329 | $180 |
Year 14 | $2,160 | $3,098 | $3,509 | $180 |
Year 15 | $2,160 | $3,278 | $3,689 | $180 |
Further, with Atomic’s T3 regulator you can extend that 2 years / 300 dive service interval to 3 years / 300 dives. Meaning you are only spending roughly $180 every 3 years instead of $540 every 3 years to keep your regulator set working properly.
Atomic even went a step further in preserving the life of your regulator and limiting how frequently you need to bring it in for service. Atomic is the only company to build in an automatically activated seat saving device in the second stages. When not pressurized the second stages of Atomic regulators have a small spring that puts a slight gap between the 2nd stage seat and the knife edge. This prevents the knife edge from creating a groove in the seat if the regulator is put into storage for longer than 6 months without use, which causes freeflows. Most brands of regulators require service if the regulator has been sitting unused for longer than 6 months, Atomic does not.
Brands of regulators that require service every year or 100 dives: Apeks, Aqualung, Cressi, Dive Rite, Hog, Hollis, Mares, Oceanic, ScubaPro, Tusa and Zeagle
Brands of regulators that require service every 2 years / 200 dives or longer: Atomic.
Kona Honu Divers carries the best brands of scuba gear and it’s our mission to provide you with the best and most economical options. We only sell Atomic brand regulators because they are the best option for most divers. There is no second!
For more information on servicing your regulators, or to find out more about Atomic’s trade-in program visit our Repairs Page. See why Kona Honu Divers is the best regulator repair Kona has.
Bring your reg set in for a free bench test. We’ll make sure everything is running smoothly for free!