Buying a new reg...Help?
- Thread starter Bennero
- Start date
Please register or login
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
- Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
- A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
- You can make this box go away
ProfessorAronnax
Contributor
- Messages
- 3,164
- Reaction score
- 6
This link might help:REGULATOR REVIEWS
The difference between a Mk 20 and Mk 25 varies as both changed a bit over time.
A late production Mk 20 is identical to an early production Mk 25 with the exception of the adjustable seat retainer - a feature that is only useful to the technician adjusting the intermediate pressure and is something that is definitely not worth upgrading. The seat retainer is otherwise the defining trait of a Mk 25, but it's value is basically nothing to the diver.
If you have a early Mk 20 with a stainless steel piston or a mid production Mk 20 with the brass tipped piston, it is worth upgrading the piston to the late Mk 20/current Mk 25 composite piston.
The only other substantial differences are the swivel cap. The holes in it leading to the ambient chamber got larger and oval shaped, and shortly after the Mk 25 was introduced, they added fins to improve heat transfer. The new swivel cap spawned a new LP port turret. Neither are really worth upgrading as neither has any real effect on performance.
Given that your Mk 20 is paired with an S600 it is almost certainly a late production Mk 20 and it probably already has the composite piston so I don't see the purpose behind "upgrading".
Early and mid production Mk 20's use a yoke retainer that has been sceduled for replacement at annual service but SP dealers do that at no charge. The last Mk 20's produced already had it.
If you want another first stage, the Mk 17 is hard to beat offering excellent performance, light weight, compact size and the best cold water performance you can buy anywhere.
In my opinion, stepping down from a Mk 20 S600 to an Apeks, especially anything less than a top of the line Apeks, is going to be disappointing due to the performance hit you will suffer. Changing regs frankly does not make any sense, unless you just want to do it to make a needless change and waste money.
A late production Mk 20 is identical to an early production Mk 25 with the exception of the adjustable seat retainer - a feature that is only useful to the technician adjusting the intermediate pressure and is something that is definitely not worth upgrading. The seat retainer is otherwise the defining trait of a Mk 25, but it's value is basically nothing to the diver.
If you have a early Mk 20 with a stainless steel piston or a mid production Mk 20 with the brass tipped piston, it is worth upgrading the piston to the late Mk 20/current Mk 25 composite piston.
The only other substantial differences are the swivel cap. The holes in it leading to the ambient chamber got larger and oval shaped, and shortly after the Mk 25 was introduced, they added fins to improve heat transfer. The new swivel cap spawned a new LP port turret. Neither are really worth upgrading as neither has any real effect on performance.
Given that your Mk 20 is paired with an S600 it is almost certainly a late production Mk 20 and it probably already has the composite piston so I don't see the purpose behind "upgrading".
Early and mid production Mk 20's use a yoke retainer that has been sceduled for replacement at annual service but SP dealers do that at no charge. The last Mk 20's produced already had it.
If you want another first stage, the Mk 17 is hard to beat offering excellent performance, light weight, compact size and the best cold water performance you can buy anywhere.
In my opinion, stepping down from a Mk 20 S600 to an Apeks, especially anything less than a top of the line Apeks, is going to be disappointing due to the performance hit you will suffer. Changing regs frankly does not make any sense, unless you just want to do it to make a needless change and waste money.
Similar threads
