Buyer Beware.....

[Bryan]

I DO NOT KNOW where this regulator came from.... The owner can chime in if he want to. I'm sure it was purchased thinking that it was a RAM....Says so on the can and yoke nozzle.......SURPRISE!!! look what 1st stage it had.

And to top it off check out how the last person to work on this one left the position of the 2nd stage nozzle!!! Wonder if owner asked why it breathed like S**T????

[luis]

Back in the 70’s I converted my round label Royal to an Aqua Master because I got tired of the soft first stage seat leaking. If you recall two years ago I bought 1st stage RAM nozzle to convert it back to its original configuration. It is great having my RAM back as it was, but I can understand how that change could have happen.

I would say that regulator is a perfect candidate for a Phoenix.


The second stage adjustment orientation, IMHO there is no excuse.

[JES]

Wow, that can and label really looks great.

It would be a real shame if the current owner purchased it as a RAM (and paid the accompanying high price tag that goes with it) and now they only have a very nice looking Aqua-Master.

[Nemrod]

That reminds me of my DA that had a potentiallly DEADLY combination of DA and RAM parts in the first. Rebuilt by an "old Navy man"---uh huh. These things have seen numerous hands and who knows what. Maybe it is a candidate for a Phoenix RAM nozzle.

James

[duckbill]

Bummer for the buyer. That really sucks.
One DAAM I bought also had the seat holder in the wrong orientation, and the 1st stage adjusting screw was adjusted way out and staked to the threads of the spring retainer. It was a lot of fun trying to get the reg off the valve after the initial pressure/functioning test! There's no way the previous owner used that one recently. I got it all fixed up, though. I had to gently use a Dremel on the adjusting screw and spring retainer threads to do it.
I wish this DAAMRAM could be fixed, too. I guess it's REALLY important to have a seller send a profile closeup of the nozzle/yoke side for evaluation, especially at today's prices.
My heart goes out to the buyer on this one.

[capn_tucker]

Yep, it's me. I'm the "lucky" owner of this regulator. Got burned but good. Only the second time ever on eBay; guess I've been lucky until now. But it looked oh so good; still in its original box, plastic wrap, etc.
Contacted the seller, and he claimed to have bought it on good faith from the original owner, and didn't know a "switch" had been made.
I don't know anything about regulator internals; good thing I had already decided to have it converted to a Phoenix and sent it to Bryan, or I'd never have known.
A good lesson learned, although I'd never have thought anyone would swap out the internal parts of a regulator before selling it. The eBay seller has since contacted me again, and offered to refund a portion of the purchase price. Oh well. One thing's for sure, with what I've got in this reg now, I'll have to dive it every single time from here on out to get my moneys worth...

[Bryan]

[quote="duckbill"] I guess it's REALLY important to have a seller send a profile closeup of the nozzle/yoke side for evaluation, especially at today's prices.
quote]

This is a really good suggestion. I will do some photos showing both short and long yokes with both nozzles. You could then ask the seller for a specific picture. It would be a guideline….NOT A GUARANTEE… I’ll work on that this week.
..Nemrod was lucky enough to get a DA nozzle with some cobbed up RAM parts……I really had to give it the WTF when I took that one apart.

[Bryan]

Yep, it's me. I'm the "lucky" owner of this regulator. Got burned but good. Only the second time ever on eBay; guess I've been lucky until now. But it looked oh so good; still in its original box, plastic wrap, etc.
Contacted the seller, and he claimed to have bought it on good faith from the original owner, and didn't know a "switch" had been made.
I don't know anything about regulator internals; good thing I had already decided to have it converted to a Phoenix and sent it to Bryan, or I'd never have know:(

I’m not trying to insult you at all, I’m just providing this in an attempt to help future buyers….. This regulator had to be soaked in cleaner for 6 hours to get rid of all the salt water corrosion. The 2nd stage stem was bent and had the wrong nut on it. The HP diaphragm and spring had about a teaspoon of thick packing grease on them. Main diaphragm was barley useable. (sent it back with the regulator)
IMO…..The regulator had not been apart in many many years and I’m 99% sure that the seller knew nothing about it unless they owned the regulator from day 1.

BOXES AND PLASTIC WRAP DO NOT GUARANTEE A CHERRY REGULATOR.

[capn_tucker]

Yep, it's me. I'm the "lucky" owner of this regulator. Got burned but good. Only the second time ever on eBay; guess I've been lucky until now. But it looked oh so good; still in its original box, plastic wrap, etc.
Contacted the seller, and he claimed to have bought it on good faith from the original owner, and didn't know a "switch" had been made.
I don't know anything about regulator internals; good thing I had already decided to have it converted to a Phoenix and sent it to Bryan, or I'd never have know:(

I’m not trying to insult you at all, I’m just providing this in an attempt to help future buyers….. This regulator had to be soaked in cleaner for 6 hours to get rid of all the salt water corrosion. The 2nd stage stem was bent and had the wrong nut on it. The HP diaphragm and spring had about a teaspoon of thick packing grease on them. Main diaphragm was barley useable. (sent it back with the regulator)
IMO…..The regulator had not been apart in many many years and I’m 99% sure that the seller knew nothing about it unless they owned the regulator from day 1.

BOXES AND PLASTIC WRAP DO NOT GUARANTEE A CHERRY REGULATOR.

I don't doubt any of what you say. I did not try to open up the regulator, only thing I did do was put it on a tank in my spare room to see if it worked. I DID note corrosion on the nozzle filter, and scrape marks around the c clips indicating this supposedly NOS reg had been opened up by someone. Since the reg was as messed up as you say, I'm thinking the eBay seller was as dishonest as the original owner when he claimed to have used the reg one time to a depth of 70 feet and it worked "great".
If he did use it at all, he obviously never cleaned it afterward.
One thing I will do with any future regulators I may buy from eBay is to withhold feedback until the reg has been checked out by a service tech.
But anyway, please tell me that everything is working fine now after the service & Phoenix conversion?

[Bryan]

please tell me that everything is working fine now after the service & Phoenix conversion?

Thats really kind of a silly question isn't it ?


Every regulator that I sell, service or install a Phoenix nozzle on has a 100% satisfaction guarantee for one year on all labor and any parts I install..... You can go that route or you can keep trying your luck on E-bay....

[1969ivan1]

I can vouch for Bryan standing behind his work. I had him make me a cherry "to order da aquamaster" several years ago. I dived it like nobodies business and got super careless with it. It was all corroded inside after my trip to Bonaire and Fla. I send it back to Bryan as I could tell something was wrong? Duh! He fixed it and was most kind to me considering that I had not been good to it. I don't really work on my regs and it is very comforting to have someone that you can trust to do the job well the 1st time, and treat you honestly. I know there are a lot of other folks out there that may/can rebuild these regs, but for my money and peace of mind Bryan is the one I have grown to trust at 180 plus feet!
In fact he just rebuilt a very nice VOIT POLARIS for me.......Soon to be seen in the water at Sand Dog 4!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I do still buy regs on the BAY, however if you are looking for a good honest royal aquamaster or a cherry spiro royal mistral you really need to check Bryan's store.

[capn_tucker]

please tell me that everything is working fine now after the service & Phoenix conversion?

Thats really kind of a silly question isn't it ?


Every regulator that I sell, service or install a Phoenix nozzle on has a 100% satisfaction guarantee for one year on all labor and any parts I install..... You can go that route or you can keep trying your luck on E-bay....

Not trying to be insulting Bryan, this whole thing has gotten me a little worked up is all. Don't think I'll be buying any more doubles on eBay unless it's a cheap "as-is" I know from the start will need work..

[1969ivan1]

Capt Tucker
Dont get too frustrated. Your experience was a bad one, I will grant you that. Our community is a small one and many of us trade and sell back and forth to each other with almost 100% satisfaction. Once you have been around a while you will be able to tell who the "good guys" are and who the evil doers are. I have made tons of trades with Karl Gehring, Allan Klauda, Grag BArlow, Bryan, Dan Barringer, Luis Heros, Rob Sewell and several more. All these guys are above board as are many more. Again, don't get too frustrated and don't ignore good advice from these guys as they do know thier stuff.

[capn_tucker]

Capt Tucker
Dont get too frustrated. Your experience was a bad one, I will grant you that. Our community is a small one and many of us trade and sell back and forth to each other with almost 100% satisfaction. Once you have been around a while you will be able to tell who the "good guys" are and who the evil doers are. I have made tons of trades with Karl Gehring, Allan Klauda, Grag BArlow, Bryan, Dan Barringer, Luis Heros, Rob Sewell and several more. All these guys are above board as are many more. Again, don't get too frustrated and don't ignore good advice from these guys as they do know thier stuff.

Thanks for the advice. From what I've seen on this forum, other members will be who I do reg business with in future. eBay only if the advice from the forum is favorable...

[standingup]

Add 1969ivan1 to the good list - I ordered a bc from him and couldn't have been happier. I second the approval of Bryan , Allan and Jerry Moseman's labels. I sniper bidded against Karl and he took it as a man with a sense of humor.