Review on Milwaukee Instruments MA957: Dual Valve Adjustable — Ultimate Precision for Efficient Operation by Jesse Stewart

Author: Dr. Kevin Nowak; Ichthyology & Limnology Milwaukee Instruments MA957 Two-valve, flow-adjustable CO2 pressure regulator with dual psi and kg/cm readings. First of all, I would like to say that most hobbyists who use this regulator are using it incorrectly based on the instructions on the box. I have used pH controllers from Milwaukee instruments for 25 years with trouble free performance. This regulator is designed for low pressure CO2 systems only and is not designed to be installed on an outlet greater than 15psi or you may damage the second low pressure gauge which is not covered by the company's warranty. The packaging says you should only set it to 10psi, but the increments on the regulator's gauge are too close together for an easy accurate reading, and it's only on forums that hobbyists have stated that this regulator should be set at a maximum of 15 psi should be adjusted. square inch. (1 bar) from Milwaukee Technical Support. With that being said; I bought this controller anyway to test it and give a review that will be useful to others. Other Milwaukee products I've tested have performed extremely well. Due to the low output pressure of this regulator, it is suitable for systems with very free flow CO2 diffusers (most are not and require some back pressure, sometimes up to 3 bar/45 psi) with very little back pressure and/or injection direct into a small aquarium with the built-in pump. So be careful what you get and how you properly distribute the CO2 it's used on or you could end up with premature regulator failure. When testing this regulator, it was very quiet with the solenoid on. However, within the first week it stopped emitting Co2 and the solenoid closed (most complaints are that the solenoids on this regulator stay open instead of closing and killing everyone in their tanks with Co2 poisoning) . Disconnecting and reconnecting is all that is required to resolve the issue. Having used CO2 regulators in labs and universities for over 30 years and many of them still in service to this day, this unforeseen failure of a week old CO2 regulator is not a high quality product expected by any society. . We hobbyists are not a proving ground for companies unwilling to research and develop their products before release. We're not their beta test Ginny pigs who have to write bad reviews about their products all the time and in return do nothing to fix those issues or have very poor customer service. Example: Some hobbyists have been advised by the company to drill out the needle valve because it is clogged (you can read about it on the aquaculture forums). We expect a good product at a fair and reasonable price that has excellent quality control in the manufacturing processes and is safe for us and/or our pets. If you are thinking about buying this CO2 regulator, I strongly recommend that you reconsider your purchase decision and grab the ISTA Co2 regulator, which is sold at reputable online stores for the same price. Eclipsing the bad reviews with the good ones should give everyone a clue that this controller needs more R&D time from Milwaukee Instruments.