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.

Tilos RS811/OCFR-02

Features

This is a real looker. The first stage is brushed chrome over brass with an attractive gold ring and ID plate. The second stage comes with both a dive/predive lever and a breathing-resistance knob. An in-line shutoff valve on the LP hose can be used to cut off air in case of a free-flow. On the breathing machine, this reg delivered at the test RMV/depth that represents recreational diving but then ran out of juice. However, test divers didn’t notice these limitations. In the ocean the reg was a dry, easy breather, had minimal bubble interference and a good purge. Divers also liked the user adjustments.

Specifications

Bottom Line

Tilo’s system gets pretty good marks in real-world diving conditions — we just wouldn’t push it to extremes.