Man, I did the same thing with a workers comp guy and lost almost a year. Free consults are free for a reason, just go.

Exhaust valve stuck" is the part that scares me most, that's your whole air supply going bad and you can't even see it coming. Buddy of mine ran a knockoff for two seasons and swore it was fine right up until his reg started free flowing at 60 feet on a platform job. Cheap headgear is the one place where saving money can literally kill you, there's no backup plan when you're already down there. Used MOD-1 was the right call, and honestly a used real one beats a new fake every single time.

Preheat that skillet longer next time, top should cook through.