Aqualung Leg3nd Elite or Atomic ST1?

[Marie13]

Either no one likes the Leg3nd Elite or no one has any experience with it because it's so new. No one has mentioned anything about the Elite.....Atomic is great no one denies that but does this 2019 Elite design stack up, do better than....I just don't know...

Apeks XTX50 would check all your boxes and is less expensive.

 

[Rusty Shackleford]

Listen to rsingler. He has taken craps that has forgotten more about regs than everyone else in this thread know combined, myself included. I say that personally owning over twenty regs including Apex clones and owning several hundred dollars in reg servicing tools.

My primary reg set is Atomic ST-1s. Also failed to mention the automatic Venturi adjust feature. Also, if you go with the M-1, you can save another hundred bucks or so.

Again, the ST-1 Atomics have sealed piston stainless first stage bodies and is full of stainless and titanium parts, nothing is brass to corrode. Plus the seat saver, auto-Venturi. You are getting more features for your money.

That said, any of the above will work.

 

[BoltSnap]

I have most Atomic models and I use the ST1 as my primary recreational regulator. I go 3 - 5 years between servicing and it still performs like new without any issues at all (testing IP and cracking pressure). For technical or very cold water diving (<10C), I'd use the M1. No need for the T2 octo, the B2 octo is fine (I use two ST1 second stages on my ST1 setup and would use two M1 ss if using an M1 setup).

The Atomic regulator is far superior to any AL regulator based on my experience in terms of performance, reliability, total cost of ownership and servicing.

 

[StefinSB]

I would go with either the xtx50 or the M1. Decision depends if you want a diaphragm or piston reg. Both breath fantastic. I have both and service both.

 

[Blasto]

Either no one likes the Leg3nd Elite or no one has any experience with it because it's so new. No one has mentioned anything about the Elite.....Atomic is great no one denies that but does this 2019 Elite design stack up, do better than....I just don't know...

I have about a dozen regs hanging on my bathroom door, now that all travel is banned and all.

1) Nothing breathes like an Atomic. I've tried top regs from Aqualung, Apeks, Scubapro, a few others, and it's still night and day. An Atomic set to the loosest setting is like being in a surface supplied suit, you just breathe. IDK if someone has tuned their Apeks to the same extent, I've never breathed one that was as easy, and there's a lot of Apeks regs in the tech world.

2) If you ride them easy - not a lot of banging against cave walls, pushing through a tight wreck, etc - higher-end Atomic regs have by far the longest service intervals. Monel, titanium, stainless steel parts just don't degrade as easily as brass that most everything else uses. Plus, Atomics are designed and built to avoid frequent service.

3) Apeks regs are still the most reliable. I've had some issues with my Atomics - they are more like aircraft, a lot of weight cut, a lot of features, so they are easier to damage than simple and brick-solid Apeks regs. Intermediate pressure tuning on Atomics takes more attention than on other regs. So they have to be set right, and kept right, more of a precise instrument than a simple tool. Once you set it right, though, it can stay right for a long time.

4) Aqualung regs are easier to service, they can be serviced everywhere in the world. Scubapro less so, Apeks way less so, Atomics even less. Not as many techs for these high-end regs. Atomics service kits are also the most expensive, and their environmental sealing uses expensive Christolube. On the other hand, you can spend a lot longer with an Atomic without service.

The Legend Elite is still a Legend design with minor improvements. Decent reg, good even. Not the easiest on breathing. Quite reliable - not Apeks-reliable though. I use a Legend LX as one of my travel backup regs, just for the reason that it can be fixed anywhere. Also have one on a stage, it's not as heavy as an Apeks and good enough for the job.

Externalities excluded, I prefer to run Atomics for my primary regs, the ones I breathe from the most, and Apeks for everything I just want to work when needed. And Aqualung if I expect that service for other regs won't be available.

 

[buddhasummer]

Of the two I'd choose the Elite simply because it's a sealed diaphragm reg.

I too have had issues with Atomic, never with AL or Apeks, obviously YMMV.

AL service kits are expensive. I don't have a line on Atomic kits.

Personally I'd get an FSR with 2x XTX second stages. Simple, easy to service, reliable and high performing. Yes, I know, the same can be said about others, JMPO. Good luck.

 

[buddhasummer]

Either no one likes the Leg3nd Elite or no one has any experience with it because it's so new. No one has mentioned anything about the Elite.....Atomic is great no one denies that but does this 2019 Elite design stack up, do better than....I just don't know...

Are you asking "us" to do better or if the Elite does "better"? Cheers

 

[Ready4Launch]

ST1 and M1 here. Wouldn't go to anything else. California diver.

 

[Divin'Papaw]

The OP @Averagecanuck may have already made a purchase but I did want to chime in just in case they have not. I cannot speak for the Atomic. I've never dived one and rarely even see them in my circles. I am a long time diver of the AL Legend LX. I have two sets ... one 14 years old and the other 12 years old. They have performed flawlessly in crazy cold water. My first 10 years as a diver I was in cold water almost exclusively. I've had my Legends in water as cold as 36 with the average temp being 42-44 up until 2016 when I moved to FL. Never a hint of a freeflow. They are also insanely good breathing regs.

I recently purchased a new AL Leg3nd Elite but I've not yet dived it. I will be diving the reg this weekend and am glad to report back if it would be helpful.

If you've already made your purchase I hope you are thoroughly pleased with whichever reg you bought!!!

 

[Hoag]

@Averagecanuck I see you are in Kitchener. Go talk to Drew at Tri-City Scuba on Trillium Rd. (If you feel it might help, tell him I sent you.) Drew is a great guy & he sell both Aqualung and Atomic. More importantly though, he will listen to what YOU want and will try to get you the option that best meets YOUR needs.

Another great local resource (although a little farther away) is Dean at The Dive Academy in Oakville. I'm not sure what regs Dean sells, but I know he is more interested in ensuring that you get what meets your needs and cultivating a long term customer base than he is in getting a one time quick sale.