Atomic Vs Oceanic

[Riceman1011]

Could you help me decide between the two regulators. What are the Pros and cons for each. Any input is appreciated thanks -Jeff

Atomic ST1 Vs Oceanic EOS

 

[RAWalker]

I'd prefer the Oceanic EOS. I dive Oceanic Delta 4 FDX10 regs and I'd stay with them Over the Atomic. But I'm sure others will disagree.

 

[Downing]

I don't have any personal experience with either regulator, but as you may already know Scuba Diving Magazine archives its ScubaLab reports online. I lifted the following from SDM's website:

Oceanic - EOS FDX10 DVT
August 18, 2008

Features: The FDX-10 is an environmentally sealed, over-balanced diaphragm first stage featuring two high-pressure and four low-pressure ports, all angled to optimize comfortable hose routing. It also has DVT to protect the first-stage inlet. The new pneumatically balanced EOS second stage offers a light compact body with user controls--a large flow control adjustment knob and ratcheting Dive/Pre-dive switch--as well as an inline swivel and a sizeable front purge cover.

Performance: Underwater, the EOS midsize second-stage was light and comfortable in the mouth with a swivel that tracks small head movements, reducing jaw fatigue. The patented Dynamic Adjustment flow control knob allows you to lock in your ideal breathing resistance, and once set, the reg compensates for depth changes. Underwater, it worked well, maintaining easy breathing at depth. The Venturi switch has a ratcheting movement for fine-tuning and the large front cover purge was easy to find. On the ANSTI breathing machine, the EOS FDX10 produced a mix of Excellent to Very Good scores in the four test categories.

Bottom Line: This regulator comes fully loaded with all the extras and above-average breathing performance.

Price: $639.95

Weight: 2 pounds, 10 ounces.


Atomic Aquatics ST1
July, 2007

Pros: Lowest overall work of breathing; corrosion resistance at a lower cost than titanium; great second-stage swivel for added comfort.

Con: High price.

First Stage: The ST1 is a balanced-piston first stage turned from 316 stainless steel that offers greater strength and corrosion resistance than brass regulators at a significantly lower cost than titanium. It offers four low-pressure ports on a swivel turret with a fifth port on the end of the first stage for easy hose routing, plus two high-pressure ports.

Second Stage: The ST1 delivers high performance with a dose of comfort thanks to a well-designed mouthpiece and Atomic's Comfort Swivel. It also features all the usual Atomic features--Automatic Flow Control (AFC), a self-adjusting venturi effect that increases breathing performance as you descend; the Rapid Adjustment Knob, which allows the user to de-tune the reg for surf entries or octopus use; a flexible purge cover; and the Seat Saving Orifice, which helps maintain the reg's peak performance over time. Inside the second stage, the entire valve body and lever of this pneumatically balanced second stage is made of corrosion-resistant titanium.

Test Divers Said: Divers thought the ST1 was one of the "smoothest breathing" regulators of the bunch and gave it the highest ergonomic scores of all the regulators in this review. The comfort swivel helped boost comfort scores and test divers had praise for the user control knob and soft purge cover. This reg also received the highest score for Ease of Breathing and was the only reg rated Excellent by test divers for dryness. When we polled our test divers for their top reg in the price category, the ST1 was a clear Testers' Choice (see "Testers' Choice & Best Buy," p. 73).

The ANSTI Report: While several regs in this review earned perfect breathing machine scores on our 1 to 5 scale, the ST1 can boast the lowest overall work of breathing in every one of our ANSTI tests.

Price: $899

Weight: 2.3 pounds

 

[Riceman1011]

do you guys think that the Atomic might last longer due to being made of the stainless steal? The oceanic seams like mainly plastic... im a newb. does either of this even matter?

 

[Downing]

Well, first you have to define "last longer" and decide whether that's really an important factor given all the other things to consider like cost, ease of service, type of diving, etc.

In this case, both regs should last for pretty much anybody's definition of a long time as long as they're properly maintained and serviced. As in years and years and thousands of dives.

That being said, the EOS first stage is brass and the second stage is steel. The ST1 first stage is 316 steel and the second stage is titanium. Steel trumps brass, 316 steel trumps ordinary steel, and titanium trumps them all in terms of strength and resistance to corrosion. So the ST1 should last longer. But that doesn't mean the EOS is some sort of weak sister because it's not.

I dive with an Atomic T2, so both stages are made from titanium, which is the ultimate in strength to weight ratio and corrosion resistance (and unfortunately, cost as well). Being the warm water wussie that I am, I wanted to shave as much weight as possible for travel purposes so titanium was the way to go for me. But that doesn't mean the ST1 or any other steel reg is a weak sister, either.

And you could reasonably argue that titanium is a solution in search of a problem, given how long steel and brass regs should last if properly maintained and serviced.

There's lots of great gear out there.

 

[dk2943]

I dive Atomic Z2. A couple of years ago, I had the opportunity to spend a two dives using the top of the line Oceanic. After two dives, one deep and then shallow, I wanted to go back to my Atomic

 

[OceansBlue]

Atomics are probably the best regulators on the market. However, they also come with a very hefty price tag. When I was upgrading my Dacor regs, I was looking into the Atomics, but couldn't afford the price to get a new setup. I ended up going with the Oceanic EOS, and I have to say that I love this reg. It's top of the line and breathes very easily in any position. I also researched what others have been saying about the EOS, and I couldn't find anything negative. On top of that my lds would give me 20% off the price with the trade in of my Dacors. That made the decission a lot easier for me. From what I understand this discount is from Oceanic, not the lds. So all lds's who carry Oceanic should have the same upgrade program, or whatever Oceanic is offering at this time.

Maybe my next set will be Atomic, but for now, I'm very happy with my Oceanic EOS.

 

[djanni]

I don't have any personal experience with either regulator, but as you may already know Scuba Diving Magazine archives its ScubaLab reports online. I lifted the following from SDM's website:

Oceanic - EOS FDX10 DVT
August 18, 2008

Features: The FDX-10 is an environmentally sealed, over-balanced diaphragm first stage featuring two high-pressure and four low-pressure ports, all angled to optimize comfortable hose routing. It also has DVT to protect the first-stage inlet. The new pneumatically balanced EOS second stage offers a light compact body with user controls--a large flow control adjustment knob and ratcheting Dive/Pre-dive switch--as well as an inline swivel and a sizeable front purge cover.

Performance: Underwater, the EOS midsize second-stage was light and comfortable in the mouth with a swivel that tracks small head movements, reducing jaw fatigue. The patented Dynamic Adjustment flow control knob allows you to lock in your ideal breathing resistance, and once set, the reg compensates for depth changes. Underwater, it worked well, maintaining easy breathing at depth. The Venturi switch has a ratcheting movement for fine-tuning and the large front cover purge was easy to find. On the ANSTI breathing machine, the EOS FDX10 produced a mix of Excellent to Very Good scores in the four test categories.

Bottom Line: This regulator comes fully loaded with all the extras and above-average breathing performance.

Price: $639.95

Weight: 2 pounds, 10 ounces.


Atomic Aquatics ST1
July, 2007

Pros: Lowest overall work of breathing; corrosion resistance at a lower cost than titanium; great second-stage swivel for added comfort.

Con: High price.

First Stage: The ST1 is a balanced-piston first stage turned from 316 stainless steel that offers greater strength and corrosion resistance than brass regulators at a significantly lower cost than titanium. It offers four low-pressure ports on a swivel turret with a fifth port on the end of the first stage for easy hose routing, plus two high-pressure ports.

Second Stage: The ST1 delivers high performance with a dose of comfort thanks to a well-designed mouthpiece and Atomic's Comfort Swivel. It also features all the usual Atomic features--Automatic Flow Control (AFC), a self-adjusting venturi effect that increases breathing performance as you descend; the Rapid Adjustment Knob, which allows the user to de-tune the reg for surf entries or octopus use; a flexible purge cover; and the Seat Saving Orifice, which helps maintain the reg's peak performance over time. Inside the second stage, the entire valve body and lever of this pneumatically balanced second stage is made of corrosion-resistant titanium.

Test Divers Said: Divers thought the ST1 was one of the "smoothest breathing" regulators of the bunch and gave it the highest ergonomic scores of all the regulators in this review. The comfort swivel helped boost comfort scores and test divers had praise for the user control knob and soft purge cover. This reg also received the highest score for Ease of Breathing and was the only reg rated Excellent by test divers for dryness. When we polled our test divers for their top reg in the price category, the ST1 was a clear Testers' Choice (see "Testers' Choice & Best Buy," p. 73).

The ANSTI Report: While several regs in this review earned perfect breathing machine scores on our 1 to 5 scale, the ST1 can boast the lowest overall work of breathing in every one of our ANSTI tests.

Price: $899

Weight: 2.3 pounds

The Atomic is lighter and breaths easier. Is that worth $260.00? To me it would be.

We have B2's. Love them. Don't discount the ease of breathing. I'm not even aware I'm breathing through a regulator. Oceanic has added the hose swivel which is standard on most Atomic's and very nice to have. Oceanic is also a respected brand that you couldn't go wrong with.

 

[RAWalker]

The Atomic is lighter and breaths easier. Is that worth $260.00? To me it would be.

We have B2's. Love them. Don't discount that ease of breathing. I not even aware I'm breathing through a regulator. Oceanic has added the hose swivel which is standard on most Atomic's and very nice to have. Oceanic is also a respected brand that you couldn't go wrong with.

Oceanic has a MAP advertized price program that allows dealers to discount while Atomic uses a MARP pricing structure which give the manufacturer control of the minimum sale price.
This translates to more than a $260 difference after shopping for a discount. Also depending on who's test reports you read the opinions differs.
I've seen reviews that measure the EOS as best overall breathing performance. Still other say the Sherwood SR-1 (but that reg has seen some issues) Even if you eliminate all the hype and retoric in real world these regs are so close in performance that paying signficantly more or one over the other is not IMHO justifiable. Another reg that has excellent performance both cold and deep is the Oceanic Delta 4. This reg is a great performer that lost it's top of the line standing in the Oceanic line by breathing quality margins that can only be measured by machine. Since moving to the second slot it has been heavily discounted and you could purchase 2 of these for the price of the Atomic and have money left over.

 

[djanni]

Oceanic has a MAP advertized price program that allows dealers to discount while Atomic uses a MARP pricing structure which give the manufacturer control of the minimum sale price.
This translates to more than a $260 difference after shopping for a discount. Also depending on who's test reports you read the opinions differs.
I've seen reviews that measure the EOS as best overall breathing performance. Still other say the Sherwood SR-1 (but that reg has seen some issues) Even if you eliminate all the hype and retoric in real world these regs are so close in performance that paying signficantly more or one over the other is not IMHO justifiable. Another reg that has excellent performance both cold and deep is the Oceanic Delta 4. This reg is a great performer that lost it's top of the line standing in the Oceanic line by breathing quality margins that can only be measured by machine. Since moving to the second slot it has been heavily discounted and you could purchase 2 of these for the price of the Atomic and have money left over.

Spoken like a loyal Oceanic user. Maybe one who's never used an Atomic. I was using the prices posted. You can get either brand for less than list.