Scuba Pro Regs

[MNDiver]

I have dove Scubapro for about 15 years, so obviously I may have a bias.  I have a bunch of them and really appreciate their performance.  I have dove almost every reg they have sold in the last 15 years and have only had one problem requiring equipment correction.  I had a MK20 that I lost confidence in due to a freak failure.  It was serviced, tested and Scubapro provided details on the successful testing. When I told them I just did not trust the reg anymore, Scubapro (not my LDS) gave me a new MK25.  I am also a public safety diver.  Many of the PSD teams I am aware of in the area use Scubapro regs.  We dive in the worst crap possible and the regs just keep working.....   

I have not had the problem you encountered.  I have had one free flow after leaving my wet reg out between ice dives on darn cold day.  It actually froze to the ice and I had to chip it out to do the dive.  Yes, stupid.... it was own darn fault.  I don't have the cold water kits installed in my regs and ice dive with them all winter long.   Since I have not have a freeze, I have not the kits worthy of any extra $$$.  It could be needed for some regs, but to me it seems to be some extra hype for no real reason. Kind of like titanium wet suits claiming to reflect cold.......

I have friends that have had free flow problems with Scubapro as well as other brands.  Here is what I can offer directly related to your question...

Regs from any mfg. are metal machines produced in quantity.  It could just be off by a nat's hair somewhere causing the problem.  Since it only has 20 dives on it start with your LDS.  They should be stand up folks and test and service the reg for your buddy.  If he has any other problems, they should replace it.  I simply would demand nothing less.  If they can't stand behind what they sell don't ever spend another dime there.

Have his tank VIP'ed.  Like the other poster said, you need dry air.  If he has water or moist air in his tank (for whatever reason) that could explain his problems.  One buddy had a few free flows ice diving.  He had his reg serviced several times, still had free flow problems.  He got his tanks VIP'ed and then switched where he got air fills and presto... no more free flows. 

It could be your buddies dive style in relation to the gear.  It would be a good idea to discuss the reg problems with an advanced instructor at your LDS who knows that line of regs.  Perhaps he has the reg set with too Little work of breathing, is not caring for it correctly, is anxious and breathing really, really fast...  a cup of coffee and a conversation could fix the problem.

I would also encourage your buddy to take suggestions regarding switching reg brands to fix a problem with a grain of salt.  If there was a legitimate problem with one brand of gear, we would not have so many shops in the area selling that brand - they could not stay in business! (We have six Scubapro shops in the area). Divers get passonate about their gear.  The should, it keeps them alive.  What works for one person, may not work for your buddy.  Spending more money is most likely not the answer - particularly if the problem is not directly related to the reg.