The 10 Best Diving Regulators
Special Honors
H2 Odyssey Elite RXE Though its second stage is a bit chunky, it offers excellent ease of breathability, and most will still find it rather comfortable, which is equally important on those long dives. It causes very little bubble interference too, so you'll be able to concentrate on all those amazing underwater sights. h2odyssey.com
Atomic Aquatics T3 While we may have removed the Atomic Aquatics T3 from our list due to its exorbitant price tag and poor value, it may just justifiable if you are a professional diver who spends more time in the water then out. It features a corrosion-resistant titanium build, which also makes it exceptionally lightweight. Plus, its impressive seat system can handle up to 300 dives before requiring service. atomicaquatics.com
Editor's Notes
October 22, 2019:
There are few pieces of equipment more essential to a safe dive than a dive tank and reliable, high-quality regulator, and each one is useless without the other. While you can get by if your lose your dive knife or your B.C.D. malfunctions, the chances of making it to the surface without a functioning tank and regulator is minimal, at best. This is why all divers bring along an emergency breather, like the affordable Mares MV Octopus.
During this round of updates, we felt the need to replace a lot of models for various reasons. While we included the Hanperal 145 PSI Explore last year as a low-priced octopus, we no longer feel confident it is of high enough quality to ensure it will be functioning perfectly when that unexpected emergency strikes. We also removed the Tusa RS-860 Balanced, since the manufacturer has discontinued it, which means replacement parts may be hard to come by if needed in the future. Another model that was replaced was the Huish Outdoors Atomic T3. While there is no doubt it is a fantastic unit, its hefty price tag will be hard to justify for many users, especially when models like the Aqua Lung Legend Supreme and Scubapro MK25 Evo offer similar performance for a fraction of the price.
A new addition this year is the Apeks XL4+, which has recently been appearing on many dive forums as offering an excellent price to performance ratio. It functions well on shallow and deep dives and has a heavy-duty first stage diaphragm, yet features a second stage that weighs a mere 4.5 ounces, making it perfect for long days in the water.
The Aqua Lung Titan also made the list this time around. It is one of the lower-priced offerings from a from a well-respected dive gear manufacturer that offers easy breathability and is just as suitable for lefties as righties.