aqua lung vs apeks regulators

[mangoconchile]

im buying my first reg and was set on getting an aqua lung legend supreme lx but an now leaning towards an apeks xtx 200. reason? i think the 2nd stage on the apeks looks nice then the bland 2nd stage on the legend. stupid reason i know. they're both similarly priced, both diaphragm type, environmentally sealed cold water regs. is there any major differences between the 2? assuming a dealer sells aqua lung and apeks, is it fair to say they will service both considering they're owned by the same company?

 

[Fishpie]

AquaLung's balanced 2nd stages are an Apeks design and can use the same service kit.

 

[buddhasummer]

im buying my first reg and was set on getting an aqua lung legend supreme lx but an now leaning towards an apeks xtx 200. reason? i think the 2nd stage on the apeks looks nice then the bland 2nd stage on the legend. stupid reason i know. they're both similarly priced, both diaphragm type, environmentally sealed cold water regs. is there any major differences between the 2? assuming a dealer sells aqua lung and apeks, is it fair to say they will service both considering they're owned by the same company?

Performance wise you would not be able to tell the difference both great regs. If your shop services AL they will almost certainly service Apeks. Buy the one that you like the look of most and/or suits your budget, you won't go wrong with either. Good luck.

 

[Scuba.com]

Aqua Lung owns Apeks, as you said, and many of their regulators are produced in the Apeks facility in the UK, and use the same service kits. For the most part, the difference in the two is mostly cosmetic, the pricing is also about the same, so it's really up to you which one looks sexier?

Either way, you can't go wrong with these high performance regulators, and many retailers have a free octo with purchase right now, so make sure you purchase wisely.

 

[KD8NPB]

I believe the Apeks unit is actually cheaper than the Aqualung unit, while internally, they are both identical...

 

[buddhasummer]

I believe the Apeks unit is actually cheaper than the Aqualung unit, while internally, they are both identical...

Are you saying both the 1st and 2nd stages are identical?

 

[axxel57]

The APEKS and the Legend are both diaphragm 1st stages and the 2nds are partially balanced,that's all they have in common. There is nothing identical.

Both 1sts are balancing very well, the Legend even slightly better than the APEKS to my experiences. The difference is so little, it's neglectable.

Both 2nds work very well, but to me the Legend has the better components and the better design.

One very weak point of the APEKS 2nds is valve body - blanking piece connection. If you tighten the heat exchanger screw to the valve body just a little bit too much, you are starting to turn the whole valve body.

There is simply a spacer missing to prevent this to happen and the blanking piece has too much space for the valve body.

So often enough the lever is a bit inclined, changing the original adjustment and causing problems like small free flow.

I have no clue why APEKS hasn't solved this problem yet. Sometime even an old LP hose, which 2nd stage connector is hard to turn, is enough to bring the valve body and so the lever out of position.

This is the reason I would always go for the Legend if I would have the choice between those two models.

 

[KD8NPB]

Are you saying both the 1st and 2nd stages are identical?

I guess identical is a misnomer, but I would estimate between the two, they are 95% the same. If you break the units apart next to each other, you'll see a wealth of shared parts / shared design.

 

[axxel57]

The Legend has the same parts similarity percentage with the APEKS as with the SP MK17 - S600

 

[KD8NPB]

The Legend has the same parts similarity percentage with the APEKS as with the SP MK17 - S600

I beg to differ.

In the second stages, both the Legend & Apeks regulators use the same AP2034 MP seat, AP2041 shuttle o-rings, as well as many other o-rings. They share the same internal design, with the same shuttle valve, same counterbalance chamber, same valve assembly, same levers, etc.

The differences show up in the 1st stage. They use a little different HP seat design. Aqualung uses their famous square 129120 HP seat and Apeks uses a big circular "golf peg" AP1419. However, both regulator access the HP seat through a plug/spring assembly.

The one big difference I favor with the Apeks over the Legend series 1st stages:
During 1st stage service, the dry sealing diaphragm is replaced on Apeks regulators. Aqualung does not include the diaphragm with their service kit and it is not included in the standard overhaul. It is to be replaced when it fails.