Which CO2 regulator to get?

[martin_jones]

I am going to go pressurized CO2, but am unsure as to which CO2 regulator to get.

I have heard good things about the sumo regulator, but it is a bit out of my budget.

I have seen the Milwaukee and JBL regulators available, but have heard that the valve on the milwaukee is a bit fiddly, and the JBL cannot alter the cylinder pressure.

Which regulators does everyone here use, and what are the good/bad points?

Basically, my budget is around $130, and I am going to be running it into a heavily planted 75G with home-made lighting setup (around 400W).

Also, what method of getting the CO2 into a tank that size would you recommend? I am considering either DIY or the Aquamedic 500. Would either of these be sufficient?

Thanks in advance

Martin

[BigDaddy]

I have used an Aquamedic 500 on my 75 for the better part of 2 years and can't complain.

As far as regulators go, just get a generic CO2 regulator from a beer store or welding shop and use that saved money to buy a high end needle valve.

Rex Grigg has good prices on needle valves and I know people here that have ordered from him have been very satisfied with the service.  He carries Swaglock, Fabco and Clippard stuff (his prices are better than pricing I got from Clippards official distributor when they were here in Ottawa).

[charlie]

They will all do the job , some will have there short comings in comparison to the better built ones which comes with a higher price tag, the trick is for you to decide if the extra dollars justifies the better quality.
I can tell you from my personal experience after having used the Milwaukee, Rex Grigg & the Sumo, the latter 2 is exactly what BigDaddy suggest ( a generic regulator with quality needle valve & Solenoid) built for you.

The Milwaukee works with a bit of tweaking & as suggested higher PSG setting over the manufacturer recommendations but i have had issues with the needle valve on 2 occasions( 2 different regulators), both times Milwaukee was very good in replacing them no question asked.

The Rex Grigg is a generic Cornelius regulator with a clippard needle valve ( other valves available @ a higher $$)- worked good , but i found the needle valve a bit of a pain , in that it is very sensitive, so i have refitted it with a Swaglok needle valve & added a JBL bubble counter.( Note , the JBL bubble counter has a built in check valve as opposed to the Milwaukee which does not)

The Sumo which replaced my last Milwaukee -Well i`ll keep it short ,the regulator body is simply amazing, when you visually compare it to the other 2, the build quality is very obvious.

My suggestion ,if you are buying on line & on a budget , the Milwaukee or the JBL will get you by, if you are prepared to pay 130.00, you might be wise to add some more dollars & get a better built rig, keep in mind the Rex & Sumo rigs do not come with a bubble counter standard , Rex offers a DIY Bubble counter for a few more $$, the Sumo can be fitted with a JBL Bubble counter for a additional 20.00, also they both come with quality clippard brass check valves which will with stand  the carbonic acid & quality co2 resistant tubing, somthing the other 2 rigs does not offer unless it`s pkg by a reseller.
All this to tell you the choice is yours  ;