Another Noob 'What should I do' thread

[GTRio]

I have an aqualung Conshelf 14 with an oceanic forte aquis octopus that I would like to upgrade. I am an inexperienced diver but see myself migrating towards tech diving when my experience allows. This has me thinking seriously about my reg choice.

My first thought was to buy a mares proton and proton octo which can be done easily for under $400. They say the proton is good up to 40% O2 which I don't really know what the practical limitations of that number are. Also I will be diving in cold water up here in Vancouver so I don't know how suited this reg setup is to that.

If I stretch my budget I could probably afford an Apeks reg, maybe the XTX50, but probably not an appropriate octo. Maybe the 50 isn't even enough for me to grow into and I need the XTX200, but that's really pushing it. Would I be able to use the oceanic octo on either of the Apeks regs for the time being?

I want to make the best investment right now without killing myself financially. If I buy the proton and only use it for 2 years before wanting/needing something more maybe I'd be better off waiting until I can afford something better now. Or maybe I will need something like the proton on a pony bottle in the future and it wont be money wasted.

Can someone offer any suggestions over the choices I am pondering or perhaps suggest another route.

Thanks,
Brandon.

 

[halocline]

Just out of curiosity, what's wrong with the conshelf? If you are heading towards tech diving, I would suggest saving as much money now as you can, because when it comes time for drysuit, doubles, etc, you'll be spending plenty.

 

[red_barbarian]

As the prior poster said; What's wrong w/ the Conshelf 14? They are Navy certified down to around 170FSW, if I remember correctly. Wait till you really need something that will go deeper before you shell out a lot of money. I own a set of APEKS XTX100's
but on every trip for overseas diving I seem to feel more comfortable grabbing the Conshelf's. I don't worry about them getting crushed, or stolen as they aren't flashy; except in the sun They also seem to breathe with more humidity, I rarely get dry throat, and the plastic regs all leave me with a bad dry throat. You can get environmental seal kits and DIN conversion kits for it as well, although those aren't cheap options.

 

[Jimmer]

I agree with the other guys. I'm getting into my tech training now, and I'm hitting the point of needing to start buying the appropriate gear. The best suggestion I've heard was the "save your money" part. You'll need a drysuit if you don't have one already, doubles, stages etc. The conshelf can always become a stage bottle reg when the time comes.

 

[covediver]

I second the input about the 14. I have had mine since 1984 and while no longer my primary regulator because of cold water and lack of ports for dry suit hose (I use APEX in Alaska), it is still the regulator I travel with. (I solved the dry suit hose problem by hooking the 14 up to my Conshelf SE 1st state when the plastic 2nd stage cracked). The 14 is extremely reliable and an excellent regulator to dive with.

 

[GTRio]

Very interesting. When I used it last years ago I remember thinking it was a very hard breather. Also, I had a LDS tell me the conshelf is a very expensive service, over $200, and new regs with a service parts warranty would pay for themselves in a couple years. Does $200 seam high to anyone else with these regs? What did you pay?

One other thing, I posted this in the "what diud you buy that you regret" thread, the high pressure port is on the wrong side so my gages end up on my right the the octo on the left. Also the reg hose is only 27" long so i can't turn my head to the left, lol.

Hose is one thing, but anyone have the HP port on the wrong side, what did you do about it? Deal?

 

[halocline]

$200 seems very high to me, but then again when you walk into a dive shop it's crapshoot as to who you're going to get. But, the conshelf has a reputation for being easy to service. Many, many very experienced divers swear by them, and eventually, if nothing else, you'll use it as a stage reg. If it's breathing hard, something is wrong with it that's probably easily fixed. I have no idea about the HP port situation, but can't you just flip it over so the HP is on the left? It's a straight, not right angle, 1st stage? Looking at the reg from the bottom, like if you were standing directly behind the tank valve, the hose connections form an X. So, lower left is HP, upper left is BC inflator, upper right is primary 2nd, lower right is alternate. I'm not too familiar with these regs, but i believe that's the way it is; someone can correct me.
Regarding the LP hose between 1st and 2nd stage, again, if you're going tech someday you might consider getting used to the long hose. When you get the reg rebuilt by someone who knows and likes older regs, ask about a 5 ft hose for the primary 2nd and either use your existing 27" hose or get something shorter for the alternate 2nd which you will make a bungie necklass for.

 

[GTRio]

Here is a picture



The ports don't form an X, more of a K, so if I flip it around are rearange the hoses my BC inflation hose will be pointing down.

 

[scubawally]

buy a mk25/s600 it moght be expensive but if you are going tech you will eventually have to buy it or something on that scale anyway. besides its a great reg call Aaron at the Ogden Point Dive center in Victoria and he can set you up with a great deal and as with all scubapro parts for life.

 

[somewhereinla]

Trust me the XTX50 is plenty for you to grow into. The second stages are exactly the same except for cosmetic differences for the XTX50,100 and 200. As far as the first stage they breath exacly the same, the biggest difference is that the XTX50 1st stage is a bit bigger and doesn't have as nice of a finish as the XTX200 that's all.