Why not Atomic?

[tye1138]

Hey guys,

I use to teach with SCUBAPRO gear and it worked out great for me and my students because they had a great range of equipment and pricing. When I'd dive on my own, I always used Poseidon, never really had a reason, I just thought they were kool. LOL

This time around I'm thinking about doing something entirely different and because I'll be diving a lot, I'm thinking longevity and reliability. My service guy wants me to use Atomic because he says the seats last a lot longer and of course, they are an excellent breathing reg. I'm going to be buying in the new year and kinda wanna get a feeling of what you guys think.

Everyone talks up the HOG reg's, it seems price plays a large role in that. But if price wasn't an issue, why not Atomic?

Thanks in advance for the input!

 

[Fishpie]

My personal opinion is for student/rental regs that see allot of chlorine and/or minimal rinsing and care by the users a diaphragm 1st stage is the way to go.
I have just finished "updating" all my student/rental sets to old Conshelfs......simple, reliable, cheap to buy and service.
I don't think there's a better reg for this use.

 

[tye1138]

Well, I will only have one set of extra gear for a student and I'd like to have identical gear for the student and myself. So the reg needs to be something good. I probably wouldn't go cheap like that, most students wouldn't buy that kind of reg either. I mean, I for sure won't be abusing the gear like normal rental gear, thats not gonna happen.

My goal is to have a very capable setup and push students into buying good gear to begin with.

 

[Fishpie]

One extra set under your direct supervision....it's not going to really matter much what you get.
But if long term reliability and stability between extended service intervals is key I'd still be looking at diaphragms.

 

[elan]

Which seat was your technician referring to? If he was talking about second stage some of the scubapro regs have a seat saving feature as well.

Like Fishpie said diaphragm reg is a great option for abuse. Zeagles HP seats last forever due to their conical design. I have one reg with about 200 dives on a seat and it locks up great.

 

[Fishpie]

An old Conshelf if precisely the kind of reg I encourage my new students to buy.
....it's an all time classic workhorse
....balanced diaphragm performance
....service parts same as used in current regs form a very well established company
....perfect for the occasional use for holidays (it'll work to specs after being in the garage for a year)
....it'll still be worth the same if they drop out and sell up

 

[BoltSnap]

I don't see why anything other than Atomic. I have used most brands but Atomic has been the most reliable and best performing with least maintenance cost. In my environment, I'd use the ZX2 at least with environmentally sealed FS or B2 if budget allows. If you are an instructor, you may get a special discount from the shop for your personal and teaching equipment.

 

[Capt.Gene]

The Atomic's I have in rental are 5 years old and they are totally bulletproof. Abuse such as running sea water through them ,as students seem to do regularly, seems to not impact dependability.
If I were traveling and needed absolute reliability this is what I would pack.
But don't let anyone who is not specifically trained with the specific tools and OEM parts anywhere near it or the superior engineering may be defeated by incompetance.

 

[tye1138]

Thanks guys, kinda what I expected to hear from those who love Atomic.

So riddle me this one, the other part of my question; why don't tech guys use Atomic? Why is everyone so in love with these chinese made HOG regs?

Ohh and yes, I will be working directly with Atomic on a package deal because I'll need a bunch of regs since I dive doubles.

 

[Dhboner]

You will find dozens of threads on HOG regulators. I use them because they are very well made and very reasonably priced. Atomics are great regulators but they are expensive to service (or so I am told by Atomic users around here). As I am fond of telling my sons...these decisions shouldn't be "us against them". People do their homework and buy the product that best meets their needs given their budget, the type of diving they do and the reviews of people they know and trust.

By the way I know lots of tech divers who use Atomics.

Atomics are great regulators, HOGS are great regulators and the list goes on.