2008 budget regulator review

Apeks XTX40 (SRP: £180)

Mark: Up to the usual Apeks standard. The venturi actually made a difference. It has a very dry breathe in all positions.

Dave: It’s a really nice breathe – very smooth. It stands out for me. Again, up to the usual standards expected of Apeks.

Martin: Switching from my more expensive XTX50 to the XTX40 I hardly noticed the difference, so that reflects well. Very good for the price; a dry breathe and a comfy mouthpiece.

John: A good, dry easy breathe – it even breathed well upside down. A good all-round reg.

Jim: A very nice, easy breathe – not wet at all. It performed well under pressure when buddy breathing.

Andrea: This is a really nice reg. I loved the comfy mouthpiece.

Contact: Apeks

Aqualung Calypso (SRP: £159.95)

Mark: Nice big purge. The Venturi is easy to use, but it makes no difference. It’s reasonable all-round.

Dave: Nice big purge valve. Te Venturi knob is easy to get hold of with thick gloves on, but it didn’t make a lot of difference. Nice breathe.

Martin: The venturi flow adjuster is easy to grab with gloves on – it’s ideal for UK diving. Not as good as some here.

John: It’s a fairly easy breathe; harder than some, but performed well in all positions.

Jim: The mouthpiece is really, really comfortable and lightweight in your mouth.

Andrea: The mouthpiece felt really light in my mouth. All round, not a bad reg.

Contact: Aqualung

Beuchat VX80 Iceberg (SRP: £179.99)

Mark: This is a good looking reg with a smooth breathe, but the venturi is a waste of time. All round, it’s reasonable.

Dave: I haven’t tried Beuchat for a long time and was quite pleasantly surprised. It has a comfy mouthpiece and breathed okay. The purge is nice and big, but the flow adjuster didn’t make any difference.

Martin: It was a hard breathe and the mouthpiece was uncomfortable. Not my favourite. No problems with freeflow when I came to try it.

John: The mouthpiece was hard. It’s not so good when you’re looking up. It took some sucking to get air out.

Jim: The Iceberg went into freeflow when we tested it on dual breathing through the primary and octopus simultaneously. Prior to that, it breathed well, and i like the large purge valve.

Andrea: I found the regulator was a decent breathe as well prior to the freeflow.

Contact: Alpha Distribution

Effesub Classic Two Freeze (SRP: £127.50)

Mark: It’s a cheap-looking reg and the performance is lacklustre.

Dave: Like sucking treacle through a straw. It’s a basic reg and not the best here. The purge on the front is very rigid, and the mouthpiece is not particularly comfy.

Martin: Stood out for all the wrong reasons and made me feel like an asthmatic. Not the one for me.

John: A hard breathe, but dry. The mouthpiece is not particularly comfortable. Not impressed.

Jim: Not a good breathe. I’m not a fan of this reg.

Andrea: It was really hard to breathe, and the mouthpiece was too hard for me.

Contact: Blandford Sub Aqua

Oceanic Alpha 8 SP5 (SRP: £149)

Mark: A good looking regulator with a large purge. No levers to fiddle with. A smooth breathe, but noisy.

Dave: A bit noisy, but a very nice breathe. A good all-round performer. I like Oceanic’s lifetime guarantee on servicing.

Martin: I like the nice, small slimline design of the second stage. It sits well in your mouth, while the purge is nice and large – great news if you’re wearing gloves.

John: Mouthpiece was comfortable. Dry breathe, but I found there was a bit of resistance when looking up at the surface. It was noisy when used with an octopus.

Jim: Very comfy, and purged easily, even wearing dry gloves. An excellent breathe in every position.

Andrea: Freeflowed a bit on me. Not my favourite.

Contact: Oceanic

Scubapro R295 / Mk II (SRP: £149)

Mark: Very comfortable and a good, dry breathe inverted. An all-round good quality Scubapro product.

Dave: Nice big purge button. Usual good Scubapro quality. Breathed dry even when upside down in your mouth. It’s comfortable, too.

Martin: It’s not a bad reg at all. I found there were a few annoying bubbles round my face, but overall, a good all-rounder.

John: Dry, easy breathe, which worked wel in all positions. Good all-rounder.

Jim: Really comfortable and easy to breathe. The purge is easy to use. A good reg.

Andrea: Very comfortable. A good breathe.

Contact: Scubapro Uwatec

Seac Sub P Synchro (SRP: £159)

Mark: Comfy mouthpiece and a large purge. Venturi did work, but it’s an awkward size.

Dave: Nice breathe and a big purge. I seemed to get quite a few bubbles round my face. Venturi is far too small for use in the UK. Nice comfy mouthpiece.

Martin: This has a huge purge valve. The breathe is good; but the mouthpiece is a bit large and chunky for me.

John: Nice all-round. Dry breathe; a bit of resistance when breathing upside down, but excellent during buddy breathing.

Jim: A good breathe, but the big chunky mouthpiece was not very comfortable.

Andrea: The mouthpiece was far too big, and because of that it didn’t work for me.

Contact: Beaversports

Tigullio T52 Airtrak (SRP: £185)

Mark: Nice big purge and a wide exhaust. Smooth breathe. The octopus freeflowed.

Dave: Started of very well. Comfy mouthpiece, breathed well, great big purge and a nice wide exhaust. Finished up freeflowing.

Martin: Looks cumbersome, but works well. The exhaust is large and you can feel it sitting on your chin, but it clears the bubbles well away from your face.

John: Nothing special. Breathed okay, with some resistance when looking up, otherwise it performed okay. Comfy enough.

Jim: Breathed ok, but the mouthpiece was hard and uncomfortable.

Andrea: Not very comfortable. Not a good breathe compared to some.

Contact:Beaversports

Tusa RS520 (SRP: £169)

Mark: Good all-round reg. A nice dry breathe inverted. The cracking control actually made a difference.

Dave: One of the better performers. Very good breathe in all positions, even when upside down. Cracking control does make a difference to the breathe.

Martin: Very powerful purge and a good breathe. Overall, quite a nice reg.

John: I like this one. It works well and delivered air in all positions. The octopus was good as well.

Jim: Breathed a bit wet, but was easy to purge. Not my favourite.

Andrea: Easy to breathe and comfortable, one of the better ones. I like this one.

Contact: CPS Partnership

CONCLUSION

At the budget end of things, we did manage to get a couple of the regs to freeflow (we had to try hard to do it though!) but in normal use, you won't have a problem. None of these regs will let you down in warm or cold water. The Scubapro R295/MkII and the Oceanic Alpha 8 SP5 both scored highly, and they are both the same price. We had a hard time deciding which one to name the Best Value and Choice, so they both share the two titles. The Tusa and Apeks performed strongly, but came in £20 and £31 respectively more expensive.