Which is the better regulator

[Dnaber]

I'm in the market for a new first and second stage regulator. I have been looking at these two and would appreciate your feedback on them.

Atomic Z2 Regulator
Aqua Lung Titan QC Regulator
Aqua Lung Core Yoke Regulator

Thanks

 

[DMDavid]

Between those three choices I would go with the Atomic Z2 but my personal favorite is the Scubapro Mk25 with a G260.

 

[Taath]

Take a look at Deep 6 gear. I'm not an affiliate, I don't get any kick back or commission, however, I am a very satisfied customer.

Regulators are high quality and very reasonably priced! www.deep6gear.com.

 

[tbone1004]

it depends

Z2 doesn't have a swivel, isn't enviro sealed, and is a piston. Means potentially less than ideal hose routing, and a need to be extremely diligent when diving in salt water to make sure it is flushed properly. Made in the USA if that means anything to you, even if it is in CA ;-)

Aqualung Titan QC is a gimmick imho, don't bother with it, no need in recreational diving to need a reversed regulator. It is also an unsealed design, so needs to be taken care of when diving in salt water.

Aqualung Core has the ACD which I'm not a fan of because in the eternal words of @cerich it is an equipment solution to a skills problem. Again, it is an unsealed diaphragm unless you get the Supreme so you have to pay special attention to rinsing.

If you noticed the trend, I don't like unsealed regulators, although all of mine currently are unsealed, they are Poseidons which have a different top portion that makes cleaning much easier, and >99% of my diving is in fresh water where it is less of an issue. If I am diving in the salty stuff, it is almost always followed by diving in fresh water where they get fully cleaned out.

Of those three, Atomic. I wouldn't buy from Aqualung directly, would choose Apeks. My question to you though, is what do you have now, and why aren't you happy with it?

 

[Dnaber]

I currently have the Mares MV12s reg setup. It was my first reg and I've had issues with it breathing hard and leaking. been in the shop twice, and I've lost confidence in it. And as you know you need to be confident in your gear when you are 100' under water.

 

[Taath]

Tbone has some great points. Environmentally sealed regs are the way to go, in my opinion. As a sidemount diver I want a turret and 5th port.

Not to sound like a fanboy, but something to consider: Deep 6 regulator is environmentally sealed, has a turret and 5th port (great hose routing regardless of configuration) and is ch

 

[tbone1004]

few more questions to answer

Does Made in USA matter to you?
What kind of diving are you doing now?
What kind of diving do you want to do in the future?
What brought you to those three regulators?
Do you want to DIY service your regulators?
If not, which brands does your LDS of choice service and advocate for?

 

[Bali1]

The Atomic CAN be sealed by packing with christolube. Whether you need sealing depends on the type of diving you do. If you dive tropical sealing really is not needed. You should rinse and soak any regulator well after use. True it lacks a swivel turret but has 7 lp ports so you can usually find good hose routing though it will take more trial and error.

Any of these will likely be smoother that your existing Mares regulator. Sounds strange that your LDS was not able to get the Mares to stop leaking.

I dove US Divers/Aqualung for years but use Atomic now and am very satisfied. The second stage does open the seat when not pressurized so you need to take extra care while rinsing or soaking the regs to avoid water infiltrating into the first stage through the hose but that has not been a problem for me. All Atomics are designed exactly the same and differ only in materials and of course price. That makes a Z2 a terrific value in a new regulator.

For some diving applications a sealed diaphragm regulator is a better choice but for most rec diving a piston will work just fine. See if you can try one out before buying. I think you would be satisfied with either set but long term much depends on how well your LDS can service them. Bad service/tuning will mess up any regulator.

 

[Dnaber]

Thanks for the input and I'll follow up with some answers to the questions asked.

Yes, made in the USA matters, but not 100%. If I can get better quality then that's where I'm going. Again at 100' I don't care where it's made I just want it to perform.
I live in Florida and dive mostly in local springs and South Florida. I don't ever see me diving cold water.
I choose these three mainly due to price point and reviews.
Yes I would consider DIY service if trained.

As you all know you can go dizzy looking at all the different regulator available. That's why I posted this thread. If anyone else has a suggestion on a brand/model I'm all ears. I would like to stay around the $400.00 price range. Thanks again!!!

 

[rhwestfall]

If I were getting new regs, it would be Deep6 or HOG.....