Hi all, TLDR I am looking for a very easy breathing regulator, is the Atomic really as good as it looks and sounds like it is?

So, last year my wife and I went to Playa del Carmen for a weeks vacation.  One of my main goals was to dive certify while I was there.  So, I set up an appointment and showed up on the first day to do pool work and my boat dives.  Well....pool work went well and I had been going over and over the book for a few months before.  All the equipment worked fine in the pool, but I was given a different reg for the boat dive.
Things didn't go so well from there.  I had trouble clearing, in fact I never could clear my right ear.  Also, my reg was squeaking in the boat and once I got into the water and descended to about 10-12 feet I was having a hard time with the breathing effort.  So, since I couldn't clear my ear I went back up to the boat and sat out the next dive.
Woke up the next morning and I was sick.  Chest and head congestion, ended up having to visit a pharmacia in town (I'm an RN)

Sorry for the long story, but obviously my dive vacation didn't go as planned.  Oh well.  I'm worried that I may not be able to clear, although I hope it had to do with flying and may have already been getting sick.  Anyone have an opinion on that?

So long story short, I'm looking for regulators that are easy breathing, adjustable venturi needed?  A friend at work uses an Atomic and is really happy with it, says it is pretty much effortless and been really happy with it.  What's the hive opinion?

I've got a set that I use for stage bottles. I've also got a set of Dive rite regs that I use as my primary set. I cannot tell the difference in breathability in either. I've done a lot of diving thousands of feet back in caves and neither have ever let me down.

I've had good luck with Apeks, Aqualung, and Dive Rite.

What you did there, I can't see it.  That is because my eyes are watering for some reason.





And it sounds like OP needs to have his regulator rebuilt, if that is a serviceable model.

The set I dove once breathed as well as my Scubapro stuff. The only negative I've heard is that they might wear a little faster than some other brands, but with regular service, it's a non issue.