The Regulator That Takes a Licking and Keeps on Ticking
This wasn’t my first time diving the Sherwood Scuba Brut Pro. In a past life I worked in dive safety at my local aquarium. We made three dives a day and volunteers made three more, so we needed regulators that we could trust to use over and over. Consequently we had a wall full of Brut Pro regulators. It was by no means deep or hard diving, but the Brut Pro performed exactly the same every time, regardless of which regulator I picked up for the day.
Even though I knew what the Brut Pro could do, I wanted to test it at the edge of recreational limits, so I hit the Atlantic Coast of Florida, where the water gets deep and the currents get fast. My first dive with the Brut Pro was to 90 feet (27 m) and it performed and breathed as if I was back in the aquarium. Our second dive was to 110 feet (34 m), with absolutely no change.
The second stage is comfortable and fairly lightweight, meaning your jaw won’t get tired after a long dive. Even after two fairly long dives at depth and multiple long dives in the quarry, it never felt like I had to “hold” the second stage in my mouth. I used the yoke version, but it does come in DIN for those with that setup. Generally I prefer the DIN version, but because the Brut Pro’s first stage uses a “T” shape, it did not hit the back of my head.
Spec Breakdowns & Features
Being a balanced piston, the Brut Pro will deliver the same performance regardless of depth, tank pressure, or working effort. A pneumatically balanced second stage delivers the air the diver needs with each breath both easily and dependably. While not specified by the manufacturer, the weight of the first stage is a little above average, and the second stage is just about average compared to other brands.
Accessories
Sherwood Scuba offers a variety of accessories that can make diving with the Brut Pro more enjoyable. Sherwood offers wetsuits, masks, fins, computers, gauges, and flashlights. We recommend the Sherwood octopus or the SR2 octopus, which is higher end and traditionally goes with the SR2 regulator, to go with your new Brut Pro regulator. If this was my primary diving setup, I would opt for the second pressure gauge.
Those in the market for a new woman’s BCD should check out our review of the Sherwood Scuba Luna, however, if you’re looking to browse BCDs in general, check out our top picks here.
Price/Quality Ratio
The Sherwood Scuba Brut Pro falls into our “mid-range” category—but just barely. It was just over our budget category, so it won’t break the bank, but it can compete with the higher-end models when it comes to performance. Being a balanced piston, the Brut Pro delivers at any depth, regardless of tank volume, or how hard you are working.
Sherwood Scuba offers a “parts for life” program when you purchase through an authorized dealer and register your equipment on their website. You will still have to pay for the labor that comes with servicing, but saving on parts for the life of your regulator takes a large chunk out of the overall cost.
Do we recommend the Sherwood Scuba Brut Pro?
We do recommend the Sherwood Scuba Brut Pro. It’s a great value and it can compete with high-end regulators on performance. This is a great breathing regulator regardless of how deep you dive, how low you run on air—just be back on the boat with at least 500 psi—or how hard you’re working.
The second stage is comfortable and fairly lightweight. It won’t make your jaw tired after a long dive. The first stage comes in either DIN or yoke, so you have options.
Specs & Features
| Valve | DIN or yoke |
|---|---|
| First stage | Mechanically balanced flow-by piston |
| Second stage | Pneumatically balanced |
| Ports | Two high-pressure; four low-pressure |
| Max working pressure | 300 bar/4350 psi (DIN); 232 bar/3365 psi (yoke) |
| Weight | Not specified by manufacturer |
