FS Hero Reg Users - Reviews?

[Sottyman]

Debating picking one up to replace the ninja reg on my 17/3k. Shortens things up a bit, and gives me the ability to orient the gauge/fill nipple so they don't dig into my wrists. For those who have/use(d) them, what are your thoughts/reviews? Thanks!

-Mike

[Chuck E Ducky]

I hate them the fill nipples are not strong enough to overcome the torque needed to remove them when they fail. Oh and they will fail multiple times. Love the bottles they came out with but if I could do it again I would get one without a reg get a powerhouse and call it a day. I’m big on function and the FS regs are just a jazzed up myth.

The adjustable bonnet is cool I will give ‘em that. But I have never hand more trouble with a reg then with the FS reg. I had two fail on me multiple times. I replaced all my FS regs.

[Chuck E Ducky]

I wouldn’t pull a perfectly good ninja reg. I have always had great luck with ninja regs. The ball valve bonnet is the only reason I switched to buying powerhouse regs.

[Sottyman]

Roger that. Guess I'll put the money towards one of those nifty clamp on butt plates for the 17

[Chuck E Ducky]

I like the APP ones I just add a lil electric tape to the outside the bottle and tap it on they stay put nicely when you add a lil tape for friction.

[Hellion360]

I have one too.
Mine is fine, used it twice this month and been in use for a year.

Is it worth changing to? not particularly. But mine works well. Adjustability feature is neat, but a tank shim takes care of that for way less money.

[bellicose]

I've got a ninja that leaks out of a set screw on the side. Never bothered to take it apart and see what's going on. No problems with my FS tanks.

[Chuck E Ducky]

Just needs the oring under the bonnet changed. Degass remove the set screws twist the bonnet off replace the oring put it back together.

[bellicose]

Thabks for the info. What size oring is it?

[ChuckLove]

I would go with a Ninja Pro V2 reg over the FS reg if you're looking to be able to rotate the gauge and fill nipple. They're more than the standard ninja regulator but still won't break the bank like a powerhouse.

[FullContactUSA]

I also have a ProV2 and like it alot. My only regret is putting it on a 68cu bottle instead of a 77.

[William the Third]

Meh, a reg is a reg, and as long as it is decent quality, maintained, and has the features you need/want, that's all that matters.

Personally I like the FS regs. From a design standpoint, I think the Myth/FS reg is far superior, as it is able to compact everything into a much smaller package. I have three on the three FS bottles I just purchased (one each of the 13/15/17ci 4,500 PSI tanks). One's got a borked gauge, but that's simple enough to fix. I also took a Myth reg (predecessor to the FS reg) off of a Guerrilla Air 62ci 3,000 PSI tank (some one here wanted the tank, but not the reg, which is what I wanted) and put it on my 9 or 10ci 3,000 PSI tank that we did a group order for on the old MCB board. I know people have had some issues, but I've seen issues with all makes of regs. Some of it comes down to poor maintenance (people rarely think about tank reg maintenance), some of it just comes down to statistics. The only real negative thing I can say about the current FS reg is that for whatever reason, it appears they are using hot glue, silicone, or something equally odd as thread sealant. A friend had a leak on his 17ci tank that turned out to be the gauge threads. Some PTFE Megatape (this has become my favorite PTFE/Teflon tape (I do prefer proper thread sealant, but less so now that I've started using the Megatape)) fixed it right up. My Myth reg was leaking very slowly from the fill nipple threads (this was sealed with a white thread sealant, probably Loctite 565, 592, or similar), and again the Megatape solved that.

[Redragoon]

I've got 2 FS regs on 2 of their tanks. Specifically I wanted to run ~450psi without needing to buy another reg. I like being able to adjust the gauge when switching markers. I haven't had any leaks or failures over the last 2 years. I would say that if there is a leak from any threads, some PTFE tape or the ACE Hardware sealant stick fixes it immediately.

[Seajay]

It's fine. I use one on a 13ci. I have both a FS and Ninja 13ci and they perform the same. The FS reg is even a tad more ergonomic with the sizing.

[imped4now]

I own a ton of tank regulators. Here's some unbiased information:

FS regulators are OK. You get the tooless magnetic gauge/nipple indexing, which is its best feature, along with the short packaging since the piston resides within the threaded shank portion of the regulator. If you decide to go with one, buy it new (Hero 2) and don't store it pressurized - the seat on these is tiny and cannot handle prolonged loading. Check the output a few times a year and if you catch it creeping, replace the piston. I would plan on replacing it once a year, maybe more often if you use it a lot. Fortunately, the pistons are very cheap.

A great alternative is Powerhouse - while the indexing isn't tooless, it can be performed with air in the tank, as opposed to Ninjas which must be degassed. The components are also robust and very well made and if you know what you're looking at and disassemble one next to a Ninja, you'll understand their reputations.

Keep an eye on Immortal Air - their current regulators are very solid (same guys from Air America, and were also actually behind the FS design), but they'll be releasing a new high end regulator in the coming months.

[imped4now]

Perhaps call or email Powerhouse directly. I'd run one over a Ninja every day of the week, and I own multiple Ninja regulators. Their reputation was gained on marketing, not quality and performance.