Your favourite second stage and *why?

[buddhasummer]

As per title, to those who have a problem and feel the need to keep trying different second stages, what are your top 3 favourites? Reasons would be super helpful and give this thread some meat.

Mine:

1) G250/V ease of servicing and benchmark performance (G250 once you get updated parts to play nice)

2) G260/C370 love the smoothness

3) Conshelf 14 simple and robust

 

[happy-diver]

You know, I've just relegated myself back to rugged shore diving
so perhaps I will dump the 109s before I lose all my exhaust Tees
and maybe go back to the conshelfs where the Tees will snap off
not fall off

I can only count to two but for this one or maybe any ghetto reg
that I've got, or make some Tees from flex pipe and some screws
or no Tees at all

like I already finish many 109 dives

 

[buddhasummer]

Yeah, I've moved away from pretty to functional and rugged too. "Pretty and dived" is an oxymoron.

 

[happy-diver]

Hey I'm a bit of an oxymoron

Conshelf it is

I think!

Especially when blending!

It's our that timezone time again!

 

[BoltSnap]

1. Atomic SS

2. G260

3. S600/C370

4. I haven't had the chance to try s620ti, D420, a700.

 

[Searcaigh]

Mares Abyss and Proton Metal second stages.

My twinset regs are ScubaPro S600s on Mk25 first stages and there is a clear difference in the breathing when I switch to either of my Mares regs that I use on deco bottles as the Mares regs breath a lot easier switching from an 18/40 or 15/40 Trimix to EAN50.

 

[Centrals]

I have been using Apeks exclusively since 1997.
Favourite? TX50 and it was my first Apeks bought in 1997 and is still my work horse.

 

[Fibonacci]

1) Sea Hornet Command Air/Commander
Designed to crack at 0.5” which it will do all day long with excellent delivery to 45m, adjust knob is o-ring sealed against saltwater ingress (unlike my G250 which keeps locking up with corrosion when used in the tropics despite careful rinsing and generous amounts of Dow Corning III on the threads!) Very rugged thick PC/ABS case walls, dead simple to service with standard o-rings and punched LP seat, if only the barrel was Ti…
2) Atomic Aquatics T2
A clever design and Ti material means not having to worry about corrosion, AFC works seamlessly, breathes pretty well but cracks around 1.1”. Egg shell thin case walls in comparison to the Command Air, service parts can be difficult to source and I don’t like the messy and expensive Christolube filled Environmental Sealed second stage versions.
3) Tekna 2100
A top breathing reg back in the day, very light weight, side exhaust, effortless performance at depth (52m on the Coolidge) Hampered by parts availability and poor dealer support at least here in Australia. Ahead of its time.

I’m currently enamoured with the Poseidon MK3 second stage, some very sophisticated design features and top notch materials.
Stellar performance on paper but I haven’t tested it properly yet so will abstain from voting

 

[buddhasummer]

Mares Abyss and Proton Metal second stages.

My twinset regs are ScubaPro S600s on Mk25 first stages and there is a clear difference in the breathing when I switch to either of my Mares regs that I use on deco bottles as the Mares regs breath a lot easier switching from an 18/40 or 15/40 Trimix to EAN50.

The abyss on air? I'm interested in trying the XR DR second stage.

 

[Rayk]

G260, best second stage that mankind has achieved so far.