Atomic Z2

[progressweasel]

I have a B2 and I would highly recommend it. It breathes great and the swivel is a very nice option. I believe the Z2 has a 2 year service interval as well. I still think the B2 is the way to go as the comfort with the swivel is MUCH better and worth the extra money. Find something else to save money on ;-)

 

[jeckyll]

I second the service interval on the Z2 being 2 years.
.....
Ok, I dug out my manuals that came with my Atomics and the interval is 2 years or 300 dives with a recommendation for an annual safety inspection by an atomic dealer.

No difference for any of the regs. All have the same interval.

Bjorn

P.S.: I've got a Z2 primary and a Z1 backup. Love 'em

 

[nyprrthd]

Simple [IMO]:

If it's a matter of money, go with the Z2. It seems like a lot of regulator for the price.

If you can squeeze the extra bucks out of your budget, go with the B2. A swivel first stage will make it more comfortable to dive, whichever reg you choose. The swivel on the second stage is a very nice luxury.

 

[DiverBuoy]

I own the T1/T2 X-treme with an environmentally sealed 1st stage. I love the 2-year servicing arrangement. I can offer this opinion - Atomic makes the best regulators in the business. On my recommendation many of my students have purchased Bs and Zs themselves and after years of use I'm yet to hear of a single problem. Newly trained OW divers who have switched off of a Mares/Dacor reg after a bad experience (like working "too" hard to catch a big bug) their overworked reg would not deliver the air they needed causing them an anxiety attack, like they were suffocating, never had the same experience again on their Atomic regs. Clearly using less expensive parts Atomic has done a good job of offering a very high quality regulator design at multiple price points.

 

[Scared Silly]

A follow up to this - I talked with Atomics last week as I have been looking to change over. Their website is woefully out of date and unfortunately has several errors on it, most notably the sevice interval. All of their regs now have a two year maintaince interval with a one year inspection.

However folks are dead on about the difference between the B2 and Z2. The Z2 has an optional swivel first stage and optional swivel LP hose. The B2 has the Ti valve body. If you want the former two on the Z2 get the B2 as you will get the Ti valve for free. If want just the swivel LP hose just get the Z2 and add the swivel hose on as your dealer should be willing to credit you the original LP hose.

As for the Ti body valve - most regs on the market do not have Ti parts so be diligent and rinse it well which should be done anyways. Also the using Ti parts for pure O2 regs is not recommended which may be a consideration for some like myself.

Now there is one caveat to this - I went with the Z2 with the swivel first stage but bought a 5' hose from Atomics with the swivel. Yes they will custom make the hoses to what ever length you want (takes about two-three weeks). And like the regs - they ain't cheap.

The other is that folks mentioned that because the design is the same the regs should breath the same. Which should be the case in theory but not always in practice. Parts are machnine then plated and there will always be slight variations.

For instance look at the differences on page 2 of these tests. YMMV

 

[jeckyll]

2 ways to look at that test: 1)The last number is different for the Atomics. 2) All Atomic scored 5's at the different depths.

Given recreational diving, maybe 2) is the better indicator

 

[HEMAN]

so far very informative, I am a brand new OW diver and am looking to pick up my first regulator for a trip next month. $200+ difference for the two swivels is a lot, almost enough to purchase a secondary Z2, but the titanium first stage sounds really nice to have as well.

I saw a great deal on it through divers-supply.com and wanted to know if anyone has purchased through them and how reliable are they? I'm talking $650 + $100 gift card for the B2, vs $430 for the B2. Opinions, thanks in advance

 

[Scared Silly]

I have bought gear from divers-supply. Very responsive and fair prices.

 

[Islandheart]

I'm an Atomic believer, used the B2 and just love it, and the swivel. Added an Apex xtx20 as my Octo. Very sweet setup.

I had to buy AL Legend Supreme for classes and much prefer the B2 over it, and I added a swivel to the Legend 2nd.

 

[HEMAN]

i guess B2 it is... thanks for all the info on this thread.