Regulator Comparison

An over-balanced diaphragm reg with the same cold-water engineering as Apeks's technical line, packaged for divers who need a yoke connection.

Apeks's cold-water technical flagship, built with military-spec freeze resistance for divers who need a regulator that won't free-flow in the worst conditions.

Apeks's mid-tier cold-water workhorse, built around the over-balanced FST diaphragm first stage, now sold mostly as remaining new-old-stock.

Apeks's high-flow technical regulator, with an over-balanced FSR first stage and an optional heat-exchanger port for cold or gas-hungry setups.

Apeks's most accessible diaphragm regulator, pairing the DS4 first stage with a diver-adjustable second stage well under XTX50 money.

A lighter, environmentally sealed diaphragm reg aimed at divers who want cold-water reliability without piston-first-stage bulk.

Aqualung's entry-level piston set, simple and low-maintenance, with a genuinely adjustable Venturi second stage.

A mid-tier balanced diaphragm reg with a full environmental seal and cold-water rating, once Aqualung's mainstream mid-range option.

The same balanced diaphragm first stage as the Helix Pro, without the sealed dry chamber.

Aqualung's mid-tier sealed regulator, a balanced diaphragm first stage with a patented Auto Closure Device for cold-water protection.

Aqualung's current flagship, the third-generation Legend line, built for cold and demanding conditions around a fully sealed diaphragm first stage.

Aqualung's current entry-level reg, third-generation Titan, light and simple but not environmentally sealed out of the box.

Atomic's balanced piston workhorse, pairing an all-titanium second stage with a chrome-plated brass first stage at a lower price than the T3.

Atomic's titanium-billet flagship, one of the lightest full-featured regs on the market and priced accordingly.

Cressi's entry-level, rental-fleet workhorse, a simple unbalanced piston paired with a minimalist compact second stage.

A compact, sealed-diaphragm travel reg with full cold-water certification, sized and priced for divers who don't want to haul a heavy rig.

Cressi's premium sealed-diaphragm reg, built for cold water and heavier use than the compact MC9-SC line.

Hollis's value-tier combo, pairing the sealed DC3 diaphragm first stage with the simpler 100LX second stage.

The same sealed DC3 first stage as Hollis's entry-level combo, paired with the fully diver-adjustable 212 second stage.

Mares's cold-water flagship, a fully sealed balanced-diaphragm regulator that passed US Navy testing at 60m in near-freezing water.

A step down from the ADJ 62X, the same sealed-diaphragm architecture without the adjustable second-stage knob.

One of the smallest first stages on the market, a sealed diaphragm design paired with a genuinely adjustable second stage.

A metal-bodied, sealed diaphragm regulator pairing the adjustable Epic second stage with the cold-water-certified 82X first stage.

Mares's rugged entry-level piston regulator, an unbalanced, unsealed workhorse favored by rental fleets and dive centers for its low service cost.

A compact, balanced diaphragm regulator built around Mares's smallest second stage, a favorite for travel and sidemount setups.

A step up from the Alpha 8 Sport SP-5, pairing a balanced, sealed cDX diaphragm first stage with a genuinely adjustable second stage.

Oceanic's current entry-level set, an unbalanced piston first stage paired with a lightweight, pneumatically balanced second stage.

A current, purpose-built cold-water mid-tier reg from Oceanic with a sealed, over-balanced diaphragm first stage.

Oceanic's upper-tier reg, evolved from the well-regarded EOS and independently tested and praised for its breathing performance.

A US Navy-approved, 200m-certified diaphragm reg built around a proprietary rolling-diaphragm ball valve instead of a traditional sealed chamber.

A compact, ScubaLab Best Buy-winning sealed diaphragm regulator that balances performance and price for the everyday dive traveler.

Scubapro's compact sealed diaphragm first stage paired with the simpler, non-adjustable S270 second stage for a lower entry price.

The same sealed MK17 EVO 2 first stage as Scubapro's flagship reg, paired with the more affordable, adjustable C370 second stage instead of titanium.

Scubapro's top-tier sealed diaphragm regulator, built with a titanium second stage for divers who want cold-water-proof performance without piston-reg bulk.

A sealed diaphragm first stage in yoke trim paired with Scubapro's biggest second stage, built for divers who want G260 breathing feel without committing to a DIN-only piston set.

Scubapro's simple, rugged entry-level piston regulator, the same basic design dive schools have trusted for decades, now cold-water rated.

A flow-through piston workhorse built for cold water and hard use, the reg most tech instructors still default to.

Scubapro's premium carbon and Black Tech coated technical set, pairing the flagship MK25 EVO piston with the full-metal, carbon-fronted A700 Carbon second stage.

The same air-balanced flow-through piston as the G260, paired with the lighter, more compact S600 second stage.

Scubapro's flagship MK25 EVO piston matched with the lighter titanium S620 Ti second stage, the step up from the G260 combo for divers who want less jaw fatigue on long dives.

An Italian-made, cold-water-capable entry-level piston regulator built for training and dive-center use.

Sherwood's dedicated cold-water and ice-diving reg, built on the same 9000 Series balanced-piston first stage as the rest of the Pro line but EN 250:2014 tested for cold-water performance down to 39°F/4°C.

Sherwood's entry-level piston reg for rental fleets, resorts, and training facilities, still built on the same balanced-piston 9000 Series first stage as the pricier Pro-line models.

A 2025-refreshed mid-tier balanced-piston reg with a diver-operated venturi switch, positioned between the entry-level Brut Pro and the cold-water Blizzard Pro.

Sherwood's mid-tier warm-water reg, a sealed piston first stage with moisture-retention vanes aimed at travel and resort divers.

The current flow-through piston flagship that replaced the long-running SR1, still built around Sherwood's sealed-and-dry first stage.

A platinum-finish special edition marking Sherwood's 70th year in the scuba industry, sitting above the current SR2 as the new top of the SR flow-through-piston flagship line.

TUSA's current top-tier balanced diaphragm reg, with high-flow LP ports and a cold water insulation system.

TUSA's compact, lightweight mid-range diaphragm reg with exhaust-noise-reducing tech and a MIFLEX hose standard.

TUSA's environmentally sealed, cold-water-ready balanced diaphragm reg built around a dry ambient pressure chamber and anti-freeze system.

Zeagle's value-tier regulator, sharing a balanced diaphragm first stage architecture with the pricier Onyx II but without the dry environmental seal or an adjustable 2nd-stage knob.

Zeagle's flagship regulator, co-engineered with Atomic Aquatics around a balanced, dry-sealed diaphragm first stage, not the flow-through piston design its tech/cold-water marketing sometimes implies.

A balanced, dry-sealed diaphragm regulator built for cold water, confirming Amazon's "Balanced Nitrox... Environmentally Sealed" listing language against Zeagle's own spec sheet.