Apeks or Aqualung Regulator?

[scubaozy]

Apeks regs are built like tank, you will use it rest of your life, so it does make sense to pay more if needed. Go for a dst 1st stage, it has swivel, much easier to route all the hoses. For recreational diving, any apeks will do, so make your choice based on comfort, e.g. choosing a light second stage will prevent jaw fatigue.

 

[almostDIR]

I have been very happy with my ATX40/DS4 set. breathes wonderfully and has not have any issues ever. not super sexy or expensive looking but gets the work done

there is not much practical difference between the apeks 1st stages other than house routing and number of ports.
the most versatile is probably the DST, can be used for pretty much everything even if you later decide to advance to tech diving or sidemount or use it as a stage reg.

with regulators you want the 1st and second stages to be fine tuned to work together properly... either at the factory or the dive shop technician. makes a big difference. newly purchased complete kit is probably already adjusted properly but if buying separate 1st and 2nd stages mixing and matching then some adjustments may be needed.

here most stores sell and service Apeks, AquaLung and Mares. some have other brands as well like Scubapro, Dive Rite, etc.


_
it is btw theoretically possible to mix different brand 1st and 2nd stages if the intermediate pressure and sensitivity are adjusted and matched properly and both balanced the same way. This seems to be rarely done I believe but it's possible nevertheless.

 

[ABCT751]

Not enough to make a measurable difference. Let me guess, he wanted to sell you a more expensive scubapro or atomic reg?

No, actually that particular shop only has Aqualung in store! Although there are a few other options on their website.
Atomic regs are very uncommon here in the Netherlands and there are not many Scubapro stockists either!

 

[Erik Forsberg]

They are both over balanced 1st stages, and balanced 2nd stages. Both are environmentally sealed. Major difference between XTX and ATX is that the XTX 2nd stage can have the hose reversed from the right side to the left side.

And more importantly; the XTX50 comes with a DST first stage while the ATX comes with the DS4 first stage.

Both are overbalanced and environmentally sealed and works super fine, but the DST has a swivel turret and a fifth port upgrade available.

 

[JackD342]

No, actually that particular shop only has Aqualung in store! Although there are a few other options on their website.
Atomic regs are very uncommon here in the Netherlands and there are not many Scubapro stockists either!

If it helps your decision at all, Aqualung created the Legend after the purchase of Apeks, leaning heavily on the Apeks designs. They are not Apeks clones, few if any shared parts, but still closely related.

 

[JackD342]

XTX100 is discontinued this year, so if you are looking at one in stock and still at full price, you may have some leverage to strike a better bargain.

 

[eelnoraa]

The so call over-balance feature, please don't pay any attention to it, definitely won't spend more money one it. If anything, it should be there. Over-balance is just a name manufacture came up to mask out the inherent design limitation of the regulator. In other works, it is a defect, not a feature.

 

[StefinSB]

Not enough to make a measurable difference. Let me guess, he wanted to sell you a more expensive scubapro or atomic reg?

Where does that come from? Apeks markets there overbalancing feature, not SP or Atomic. Besides, a sealed z3 retails for about the same as an XTX50

 

[runsongas]

Why else would a shop employee state overbalancing causes you to use more gas by breathing more at depth other than to push you to a non-overbalanced piston?

UK/EU pricing for apeks is also quite a bit lower than US but atomic is higher.

of course brexit might change things once the UK leaves the EU.

 

[JackD342]

Why else would a shop employee state overbalancing causes you to use more gas by breathing more at depth other than to push you to a non-overbalanced piston?

UK/EU pricing for apeks is also quite a bit lower than US but atomic is higher.

of course brexit might change things once the UK leaves the EU.

I am very skeptical about that "use more air" statement. I expect that the ability of the regulator to reduce your work of breathing will make it less likely that you feel out of breath and start rapid huffing and puffing, thus consuming your air faster. The over balancing causes the intermediate pressure to increase at a faster rate than the ambient pressure as you go deeper. This increased pressure causes the air to flow faster, so you do not have to work as hard to take a breath. But your 2nd stage is still a demand valve, which will shut off once you have completed your inhalation and start to exhale. You are not sipping from an uncontrolled, faster stream of air. You are instead getting what you need faster and easier, and the Work Of Breathing that increases at depth on all models, will increase less with an over balanced 1st stage.

Now most quality modern regulators, and definitely the Legend and the Apeks sealed models, breath so well already that you will almost certainly not notice any difference within recreational depth limits. (130f/40m) The WOB difference is more meaningful when you dive beyond those depths.

But use more air with over-balanced? I really don't think so.