apeks regs

[arcticat99]

right now i dive with the apex at 20s and have dove in waters around 45 degrees fahrenheit i am looking to upgrade and i noticed the apex xl4 are a decent price and fairly new.according to their website they are supposed to be a good coldwater reg and decent for travel for their light weight .local dive shop sells but they say they dont know of anyone that has used for coldwater diving nd suggested to go with the xtx 50 but they are worth quite a bit more .any suggestion will be appreciated especially on the xl4 on cold water diving

 

[Miyaru]

XL4 is fine in cold water.

Apeks 2nd stages are all fine in cold water, as long as there is a metal nut on the reg where you connect the MP hose. The mechanism inside is the same for all Apeks balanced 2nd stages (AT/XTX).
The largest pressure drop is in the 1st stage, e.g. from 200bar to 9.5bar at the start of your dive. Ice is more likely to form here than on your 2nd stage, where the pressure drop is much smaller.
I've seen ice forming around the 1st stage during deliberate freeflows in cold water, never around the 2nd stage.

 

[runsongas]

you can also just upgrade your at20s rather than buying new regs

 

[arcticat99]

you can also just upgrade your at20s rather than buying new regs

true enough

 

[decompression]

I’m surprised the AT 20’s have worked for you as they a warm water reg, but certainly any of the 40’s/50’s or XL 4’s would be a nice upgrade.

 

[arcticat99]

I’m surprised the AT 20’s have worked for you as they a warm water reg, but certainly any of the 40’s/50’s or XL 4’s would be a nice upgrade.

that's why i think i want to upgrade .i had a couple free flows on the surface smacked them in the waterand all was good for the rest of the dive but dont want to take any huge risks

 

[ams511]

true enough

Ask your dive shop how much for 2 Apeks heat exchangers (part number AP5002). The are about $40-50 each I think. Not cheap but less expensive than a new regulator. This will upgrade you to a ATX-40. If you want to go to an ATX-50 there is a guy in the UK that sells the knob for about $15.00. He shows up on eBay every so often.

 

[buddhasummer]

The XL4 is a flight in a different dress, it's convoluted and requires numerous, think I counted 6, specially tools to service. I know it's not everything but the manual says set cracking to 1.4", more than my conshelfs, doesn't scream of high performance. Buy an XTX50 jam nut and adjustment knob and you're good to go.

 

[happy-diver]

yeah the knob fits well

there is a guy in the UK that sells the knob for about $15.00. He shows up on eBay every so often.

 

[211ratsbud]

You can buy dst|ds4 as spare parts complete first stages. Not subject to MRP. Just saying.. keep your seconds and get a nice first stage. Parts also have no mrp either. You could go that route .