Atomic Regs..who has them? Likes/dislikes?

[HOAFdiver]

I just replaced my ageing, yet very serviceable Scubapro MK25/G250 w/190 octo reg set with the Atomic T2x w/Z2 octo set.
To set the record straight, I want to say that the MK25/G250 never let me down over 7+ years and 1,500+ dives. Other than some slight “stickiness” getting air at depth (40 meters), the set was functional and I would recommend it to any beginning/advanced diver.
However the decision to purchase a new set and upgrade to the T2X was based on several factors:
1)I travel extensively for work and ANY weight savings on my additional dive gear are a plus.
2)Atomic regs have tested at the highest level for gas delivery and reliability.
3)Corrosion resistance of titanium
4)I respect Dean Garraffa and Doug Toth for leaving the company they were working for to make a better product and the service they personally provide their customers is amazing.
5)2 years/300 dives service schedule.
6)Automatic Flow Control
7)Rated the best. PERIOD.
8)The ability to purchase anything from Atomic Aquatics catalog online
9)David Doubilet dives Atomics…nuff said.

It’s nice to be able to purchase these online and not have to go through a store like some other brands…
The first hand customer service and quick, CORRECT e-mail replies are refreshing…

I will say that the set is B-E-A-utiful!! The craftsmanship is amazing and they truly breathe as awesome as they look.
I switched out the Atomic hoses for Miflex all around and the set is seriously light and easy to store for travel.
Lastly, and as far as I’m concerned, these regs “feel” high quality…well worth the $$ in my opinion. I’ve always been a function over form guy but the T2X combines both.

Who has Atomic regs and what do you think of your set/configuration?

 

[Scott L]

I am now a big Atomic fan having just switched most of my reg collection from SP to Atomic ST1, which boasts amazing craftsmanship and is of course designed to only require servicing every few years or 350 dives.

Fortunately, I am not too price sensitive but I could not justify the price differential from the ST1's to the titanium. The issue of the meager weight difference is easily averted by carrying on regs, BP and computers when I travel. Good luck!

P.S. PM me and I will recommend a very accommodating dealer. :

 

[a22shady]

I have a set of Atomic M1's and love them. I also have the newer version MK17/G250V regs and they work awesome too. The Atomic are really nice. The T2X is a really sweet regulator but for me it wasn't worth it as I like to switch between air/nitrox and heard those regs are not the best for it do to the issue's with nitrox snd titanium. They supposedly changed a thing or two to make it compatible up to 40% but from what I heard still not a good idea to go back and fourth either way awesome Reg's. Customer service should you ever need them is great you call and actually get someone to talk to. 1 big reason I would buy more Atomic products.

 

[BKP]

I dove an Atomic B2 primary, and Atomic SS1 integrated octo for years (still dive the B2, but swapped out the SS1 for a conventional octo -- had nothing to do with the performance of the SS1, which breathed as good as any standard reg at 100').

The Atomics have been flawless. Never had a single issue with either, and they don't care what depth you're at -- they'll breath equally well, regardless... Never found a reason to switch, and if the B2 went missing today, I'd replace it with the same thing...

 

[Wookie]

I have 6 sets of T1/T2X, 10 M1's, and a B1 just to try out. I use them at 300 feet, and as rental. I like them.

 

[RIdiverMike]

I had a very significant free flow (in fact, the worst I've ever heard or seen on any reg - my buddy, a cave diver with about 800 dives said the same) with my brand new sealed B-2 in 37 degrees on my third dive with it - a few weeks ago. Fortunately I was only in 30 feet of water. LDS looked it over several times and found nothing wrong. I've used it several times since then at about the same water temp and have not had a repeat. If I do, I'll send it back to Atomic for their assessment.

I totally get that this one incident runs counter to most folks' rave reviews and I'm certainly not challenging their experiences. Still, the free flow was so bad that I would not have made it to the surface without a likely bends hit from 130ft without sharing air or using my pony. Thus I lack confidence in this reg at depth, at least in the cold water. So until I do a lot more dives with it, I just use the B-2 on shallow beach dives. For big boy dives in deeper cold water, I've gone back to my 10 year old Titan LX. It's had a few free flows, but nothing remotely close to the bad experience I had with the B-2. Atomic may make great equipment, but lemmons still happen, eh?

 

[fnfalman]

I have a B2 and recently bought an M1, so I suppose that I do dig Atomic.

The weights of these regs are a bit heavy, but I don't care. Breath awesomely easy. High quality of fit and finish. Friendly and easily reachable factory support.

 

[Supermanwoot]

I'll chime in and say I don't own an atomic reg and I think the biggest barrier to owning one is knowing which one to purchase and where to get it serviced (2nd is true for any reg though). Here is my non-owner opinion.

I mean they have many different models and they all seem to have their benefits except the materials are different but overall design seems to be the same.

Which one would I purchase for recreational, 60+ degree water diving? That answer seems unclear. With other companies you kinda know which regs to look at based on your diving whereas Atomic's entire line could fit your style which is great, but makes it very hard to choose at the same time - if that makes sense. You may say, "Well you could pick any one" but thats a pretty lame answer considering they wouldn't have different models if they were all the same.

They seem to carry a reputation of being great performers and stick with a design known to work well and hold up well.

 

[HOAFdiver]

To add onto RIdiverMike, I use my T2X set for recreational diving only. Not to say that Atomics can't be used for cold/TECH diving because the M1 series is specifically designed for that.
For other than single tank recreational diving, I use either the Apeks or Scubapro gear I already have set up and ready to go with no changes needed. Unfortunately, I don’t get the opportunity to do that type of diving very often.
I have also had a few free flow issues in the past, usually with rental or low end gear borrowed. Please post if you have any more flow issues with your Atomics and thanks for the heads up!

 

[Downing]

We're an Atomic Aquatics family. If they make it, we've got it, although I should admit the snorkels rarely come out of the gear bag.

I use a T2x (upgrade kit on a T2). Fantastic reg for all the same reasons listed by the OP. My wife uses a Z2x. Although I love my T2x and wouldn't trade it for anything else, I have to admit her reg breathes just as well as mine, which I suppose isn't too surprising since the design's the same. Much better value, but I still prefer my T2x.

I've been deep, down to the 130 ft recreational limit, a number of times and the T2x breathes as well there as it does on the surface. For years I used an SS1 but recently switched back to an octopus. I was tempted to just use a Z2 stage for the octo but decided to bite the bullet and bought the Ti stage instead. I wanted the reg setup to be consistent, and the price difference was only about $60 anyway.

I also swapped out the Atomic LP hoses for MiFlex except for the primary second stage hose with the swivel on it. But for my HP hose I went with Phantom. Originally, I just didn't like the pencil thin diameter of the HP MiFlex hose, but more recently and more importantly there have been numerous reports of failure. For further info on that, see the XS Scuba board in the Manufacturer's section of SB.

However, no company is perfect. Atomic has really dropped the ball on their promise for software and firmware updates for their Cobalt computer. It's been "coming soon" since October, which is starting to border on the ridiculous. And the fact that they didn't include a case or sleeve with the Cobalt is astounding for a company that takes pride in delivering well-designed, high quality gear. The Cobalt's a fantastic computer but the software issue is causing a slow burn. I know from the Cobalt threads over in the Computer section that Atomic's well aware of these issues and is working to resolve them.

And I'm a little uncomfortable with their sales pitch that their regs are "the best--PERIOD." I know it's just marketing but jeez, do you really have to shout down your competition? Isn't "best" at least somewhat subjective? Can't we at least talk about it? And as far as movie star endorsements go, well, I give them a pass on that one since AA's in La La Land. But I really don't give a cr*p what reg Kevin Costner and Edward Norton use, lol.

Still, these are minor quibbles. AA makes great regs, no doubt about it.