Balanced diaphragm with manometer OR unbalanced piston with manometer and depthmeter

[alfred1]

Thanks again to both of you for the insights provided.

Are there any books I can read out to better understand all those improvements you're telling me about, in order to make a wiser choice?

As of now I just discovered that 90° 1st stage seem to adapt better than straight-barrel 1st stages to streamlining hoses.
I've just read about 90° hose-2nd stage adapters, should I consider them too?

What do you think about the Mares Abyss 22?

Thank you

 

[tbone1004]

I think they help, but not quite as much as the 5 port turrets.

I prefer ball swivels to fixed adapters, but they are immensely helpful, see the "streamlined OW" configurations both videos and links that we posted earlier. This is by far the absolute best OW configuration out there.

I would never buy one, it isn't a bad regulator, but we have no DIY parts support in the US so that automatically rules it out for me. If you're looking at the big brands, Apeks XTX50/DST would be the only one I would look at. If you have a desire to ever DIY your regulator service, which will be all but a requirement for any tech diving goals, look into local consumer protection laws which may allow you to buy Apeks parts directly, but if not, then look at brands that will. Dive Rite XT's are also very good. Only dealer I could find in Italy is here
Acquamarina (Distributor)
Via Pietro Moriconi 63
Marina Di Pisa
Italy
Phone: 3905035601

 

[alfred1]

Thanks again for your help

Here Mares parts are easy to come by since this brand is (or at least was, don't know about economic resettlements) from Italy too.
Apeks and Diverite RX are comparatively harder to come by, guess it's due to Cressi, Seac, Mares, Scubapro, Technisub and Omer being national brands.

I don't know about servicing regulators myself since I'd feel confident only after studying hard how to do this, either in a specialty course or something like this.
As of now I am only confident at cleaning/repairing electronics, like disassembling them and putting erything back together with no newly found "spare" screws

 

[alfred1]

What you you think of the Apeks ATX40 + octopus ATX40 or Apeks Xtx20 + octopus xtx 20 VS the Mares Abyss 22?

 

[tbone1004]

I would choose that over Mares in a heartbeat.... I would aim for the XTX series over the ATX just for resale value as well as the ability to change to the wide exhaust T's, I prefer the XTX50's, but if you can get a good deal on the nonadjustable ones, they work very well. Our students train on AT20's which are the predecessors, but the important bit is that it is only small variations in things that separate them, i.e. the metal retaining nut vs. plastic, or the spring adjustment on the end of the barrel, the actual barrel and all other parts are the same and they are very high quality. I would recommend making sure you get the DS4 or DST for the first stage, it is worth spending a bit more there for the sealed versions.

 

[ams511]

What you you think of the Apeks ATX40 + octopus ATX40 or Apeks Xtx20 + octopus xtx 20 VS the Mares Abyss 22?

If you ask 5 divers on Scubaboard what they think, you will get 6 different opinions. lol.

The 5 port turreted first stage is the most adaptable and can be used for any type of diving. For example singles, doubles, sidemount. The two most famous would be the Apeks DST with the 5th port kit and the Scubapro Mk-25 for currently sold regulators. There are other models that offer 5 ports also. There is another school of thought which does not like regulators with a turret. They see the turret o-ring as a failure point. Turret failures are very rare but can happen, if it does both your reg and octo are useless.

I disagree with Tbone as I don't think that a sealed regulator is all that important. Many dives have been made in saltwater with unsealed regulators with no adverse effects.

While XTX-50/DST are great regulators, they are also pricey. I am wondering if we are moving out of your price range.

 

[alfred1]

Thank you both again for your answers

Yes, I also constated I'm kind of sliding about +$50/day on the budget, apparently the more I read, the more these purchases I'm considering seem to get heavier !
I admit I initially looked at the cheapest new gear out there and that's a shortsighted way to buy scuba gear as you kindly pointed out, however the more I'm reading about servicing, 1st and 2nd stages, streamlining etc., the more it seems I should look up on the price pyramid.
Apparently the only thing I can be sure about as of now is that no matter how much I spend, I will never be a gilled being able to breath underwater

 

[ams511]

I admit I initially looked at the cheapest new gear out there and that's a shortsighted way to buy scuba gear as you kindly pointed out, however the more I'm reading about servicing, 1st and 2nd stages, streamlining etc., the more it seems I should look up on the price pyramid.

If you purchase a reputable brand there is not a safety problem with a low-end model. Usually for most manufacturers the best value (price vs. performance) is in the mid-range. The high-end models offer little increase in performance for the price. The worst value are special editions.

You can purchase an inexpensive regulator and dive it for while and then when it comes time for service sell it. You could also purchase a low-end regulator and if your diving becomes more challenging move it to a stage or pony bottle.

The question is how cheap is cheap. Here a Seac regulator can be purchased for $ 125. At that price it really doesn't owe you very much, and you are probably going to get a few years of diving before it needs a rebuild. Will it breath as well as a SP S600/MK25 or an XTX-50/DST? Probably not, but those regulators are not going to breath 4 times better either.

 

[tbone1004]

regarding the price pyramid, I'll use Apeks because I'm more familiar with them

XTX40, doesn't have a sealed first stage, doesn't have an adjustable second stage, but performs equally as well
XTX50, sealed first stages, adjustable second stages, and aren't that much more expensive
XTX100/200 lots more money, no new features other than some glitzy chrome on the second stages, and the XTX200 has a replaceable HP seat crown in the first stage, but I don't know of any that have had to be replaced *this pretty much only occurs with regulators that have been damaged during service btw*

From that, the XTX50 with the DST/DS4 are the best values.

Regarding the sealed regulators, it's a point of contention, but for salt water diving I prefer them because they can take a bit more abuse with rinsing, i.e. if the regulators don't go straight into a fresh water bath that is flowing, salt buildup can occur which moves the required service dates up more due to needing to be cleaned than anything. The pistons are more expensive to seal than a diaphragm due to having to pack the housing with grease, so I try to avoid that if possible.

quick search of ebay
DIVING REGULATOR EROGATORE APEKS ATX 40 DS4 + ATX 40 OCTOPUS 2014 DA LANDISPORT | eBay

Apeks ATX40 DS4 Scuba Diving Regulator, ATX40 Octopus & 3 Gauge Console Set | eBay

Apeks Regulator Set | eBay

Apeks TX40 Scuba Diving Regulators 1st and 2nd stage | eBay

Atemregler 1. und 2. Stufe Apeks ATX 100 mit Octopus | eBay

Despite these being ATX or TX series, they still use the same parts kits as the current XTX series so there is no reason to be scared about using the slightly older technology. All of these are quite inexpensive and you'll save quite a bit after having them serviced.

 

[ams511]

The XTX-20 does not have the cold water features or the sealed first stage. The first stage on a XTX-40 is sealed.