Atomic vs. SCUBAPRO

[White Knight]

So...After reading all the responses to my thread "SCUBA Pro G250 vs. S600" I now believe the G250V regulator to be superiour in design and "closer" to SCUBAPRO quality of days past. Now I have the follow up question, "Is it SCUBAPRO or is it Atomic? If I where to compare the MK25/G250 against the Atomic M1 or B2? Expense aside, does SCUBA Pro's new vintage G250 match up against Atomic? Thanks,

 

[Dark Eternal]

I own a g250, and several atomics. While all are great regs the atomics do breathe better and all I will be buying from now on. This is not to say I won't continue to use the scubapro - it will end up on a stage or deco bottle.

 

[Fishpie]

You're really splitting hairs here.
If you are talking theoretical flow bench stuff them I'd bet the Mk25 G250 will have the best theoretical performance (cfm/min).....I don't think that any reg could better it.
However this theoretical performance doesn't necessarily make it perform better in the real world.
Choose a reg that "feels" right for you, and by that I mean the breathing characteristics of the 2nd stage. How much venturi effect do you like (or not), do you want to turn a lever before and after a dive (or not), how prone is it to accidental free flows when knocked or dropped, does it fit your face and look good in photos???

The same observation can be made for almost every manufacturer out there. Many of their mid and high end 1st stages will probably have a flow rate that is close to or exceeding that of the valve it is attached to (flow-through pistons will generally best their diaphragm cousins on the machine).

I personally like to recommend diaphragm regulators since the 1st stage is sealed and can take more abuse than a piston 1st stage. It is also less likely to freeze up in cold water. Both the Atomic and Mk25 are piston regs. Atomic don't make a diaphragm regulator but Scubapro has a very good one n the Mk17.

 

[Web Monkey]

So...After reading all the responses to my thread "SCUBA Pro G250 vs. S600" I now believe the G250V regulator to be superiour in design and "closer" to SCUBAPRO quality of days past. Now I have the follow up question, "Is it SCUBAPRO or is it Atomic? If I where to compare the MK25/G250 against the Atomic M1 or B2? Expense aside, does SCUBA Pro's new vintage G250 match up against Atomic? Thanks,

I have a SCUBAPro Mk1, a Mk25/G250V, two Atomic M1s and a Z1.

They all have extremely similar performance characteristics, however the Atomics are all environmentally sealed (optional on the Z1) and have a 2 year service interval.

The Atomics are also engineered a little nicer; for example, the second stage seat unloads when not pressurized, which extends the service interval from 1 year to 2, and they seem to contain more metal parts and less plastic.

I'd go for Atomic.

Terry

 

[beanojones]

One thing to note os that the venturi on the Atomic is not a user adjustment. Good for my customers, not so good on my own reg. I prefer the venturi effect all the time.

Love (titanium) Atomics for the long haul though.

(I am only talking about the second stages here. I actually would take the Atomic over the Scubapro because IME the venturi adjustment on SP second stages is not so as easier to get at as opposed to the APeks or Aqualung regs.)

 

[coldwaterlloyd]

Scubapro requires more maintenance than Atomic . Only my experience .

 

[SandyRobinson]

I dive the M1 and the Z2. My three buddies dive the MK25 with various second stages - 600, 550, and 250. During S-drills and out of air shares, I can not tell the difference in the Atomics or the SPs.

 

[fnfalman]

I have Atomic B2, two other dive buddies also have B2 and one dude sported the fancy all stainless steel SST1. So, it seems like our little group prefers Atomic Aquatics.