Time to Test

On a sun-splashed Southern California morning last April the ScubaLab test team, aboard Body Glove’s dive boat Disappearance, skirted the eastern coastline of Santa Monica Bay, headed for the rocky cliffs of the Palos Verdes Peninsula. Skipper Bob Meistrell eased his 64-foot vessel into a quiet spot on the edge of a massive kelp bed and dropped anchor on a sandy bottom in 40 feet of green water. The test team, comprised of six divers and one test coordinator, got ready to hit the water with this year’s new crop of regulators. There were 14 in all, running the gamut from economy to money’s-no-object. This was judgment day — the final of three test stages — and we couldn’t have asked for a better one. When all was said and done, we found what we were looking for — the year’s best breathers.

Hollis DC4/221

Features

Hollis’ DC4 is the same first stage as the DC3 in the More Than $500 category, minus the environmental kit. The 221 is also similar to the 212 mentioned above, but without Dynamic Adjustment. This system is proof that a reg can shed a few features without skipping a beat in performance. On the breathing machine it aced all tests, matching its more-expensive cousin. In the ocean it did pretty much the same thing. Delivering smooth, easy breathing in all positions, this reg is bone dry, bubble interference is nary a worry, and it offers some of the best purge action in this price category.

Specifications

Bottom Line

Top-shelf performance but fewer features make this reg lightweight and easy on the wallet. We think it’s a good combination.