Cold water: AL Legend vs Apeks XTX50

[rico68]

Below are the two regulator setups available to me. The question is, for cold fresh water diving, say mid to low 40's, which of the two has the advantage in performance? Your preference? Why you go that route? Or is there enough of a difference between the two to even matter?

Thanks.

Apeks XTX50 with Egress octo
Aqualung Legend with LX octo

 

[FrankPro1]

I am on the fence right now between these two regulators. Both have very similar features and are known to be great cold water performers. I wanted a G250v w/mk17 but my local dive shop doesn't service them. Anyone have any reasons why we should go with the Aqualung Legend Lx w/ACD over the Apeks XtX50? Or visa versa?

 

[mhinagoya]

You will probably get a lot of opinions and most will be valid to some extent.

I have dived an LX and I own a TX100. I have had both well past 130 fsw in water as cold as 36 degrees F.

If there is any difference between the two, I couldn't tell you what it is.

I believe Aqualung owns Apeks (or at least they did). If memory serves, Aqualung acquired Apeks before they came out with the LX. That may have influenced the design of the LX to some extent.

Honestly guys, both are great breathing machines. If I had to choose between them, I would buy the one I found the most cosmetically pleasing.
I service my own regulators and for me, Apeks service kits are the easiest to obtain. That is the deciding factor in my case.

On a sensitive, calibrated breathing machine under controlled conditions, someone may be able to prove that one is superior to the other. My lungs aren't that sensitive. I have gone a whole dive with my regulator in the 'entry/surf' setting with the cracking pressure cranked all the way up and never noticed.

I have dived some sorry equipment, including a dual hose Healthways reg. Some of that junk would leave my chest hurting by the end of the dive. With the high performance stuff, it is all so good that I don't even notice I'm breathing from a regulator. That is the case with the TX100, LX, anything Atomic, Most ScubaPro, Most Mares, most Oceanic, most Beuchat, etc. Feel free to be offended if I didn't mention your favorite brand or if I slighted your favorite brand.

It's fun to argue about on the internet, but in the end, very few of us could tell what reg was placed in our mouth if we were blindfolded (junk regulators excepted).

There are brands I will not use and would not own, but I keep those opinions to myself. I am very fond of the Mares MR12 first stage and I like metal second stages. Hence, my pony bottle sports a MR12 Voltrex. At depth, in cold water, the Voltrex breathes great. My deepest dive on air was with the Voltrex. Again, I can't tell the difference when using different high performance regulators.

I've never had a good regulator freeze up and I've never over breathed one.

I learned to dive on a dual hose. That should give you some idea of how long I've been doing this.

Bill.

 

[leapfrog]

On the AL you will want the Legend Supreme (LX or not) or the Glacia. The Legend is a tank in the good sense of the word. Bulletproof.

You can't go wrong with Apeks if you can get it serviced. I was talking to a guy who is an official service of Apeks the other day. He says the XTX 200 is easier and less expensive to service than the XTX 50. Apparently it's do with the number of parts and the cost of them.

On the octo front, the Egress is probably of more use to you than the LX. The Egress is to me the "ultimate buddy octo". It's excellent for you to help someone out when you have to or want to swim some distance with them underwater and not just head for the surface (overhead environment, long way back to the boat and you have plenty of air and he doesn't).

I use Legends for working with students (tools of the trade) and I'm saving up for an Apeks XTX 50/200 and Egress for my fun dives. Let me know what you buy and what your experience is, please.

 

[Tortuga68]

With reference to cold water - it would depend what first stage you are using; which you don't mention

Any second stage reg is only suitable for use in cold water if used with an appropriate first stage

 

[DA Aquamaster]

Aqualung owns apeks but not all AL dealers sell apeks, so Aqualung regs are easier to get serviced.

 

[tc_rain]

I thought the only difference between the AL Legend LX and the LX supreme was the IP setting as far as the first stage go. I could be wrong though.

 

[leapfrog]

Aqualung owns apeks but not all AL dealers sell apeks, so Aqualung regs are easier to get serviced.

That is 100% correct which is why I a on ALs as my work gear and not Apeks.

 

[soilure]

I personally dive with and love the Legend ACD, but I have worked on both the Legend and APEKS regs. APEKS second stages and the Legend use the exact same pneumatically balanced design. Both use overbalanced first stages, increasing performance at depth. The water temps you expect to use your regs in are cold, but nothing either of these regs can't handle.

Honestly, if I were in your shoes price would be my deciding factor. You can pick up a Legend ACD for considerably less than an APEKS. Yes, both regs come with parts for life, but you must have your reg serviced annually in order to stay in the program. If you fall out of the cycle you are back to paying for your parts kits, and the Aqualung kits are also considerably less than APEKS. Remember, both regs require a serparate kit for the first and second stages. Unlike many second stages, the low pressure seat on the Legend and APEKS seconds cannot be flipped, so the second stage kits are usually required annually versus every other service.

One final note, I opted for the Legend ACD (the base model) instead of the LX because I did not see a need for the effort adjustment knob. When you think about it, most people turn the knob to the easiest breathing position and never, ever touch it again unless they get into a situation that they need to detune their reg. The ACD has a rubber plug on the venturi assist lever that you can pull out and adjust the breathing effort with an allen wrench. However, I wouldn't recommend backing it all the way off, as it will free flow when inverted or in a slight current, which I personally found out. I hope this helps you with your decision, if you haven't decided already.

 

[Trakker]

The ACD has a rubber plug on the venturi assist lever that you can pull out and adjust the breathing effort with an allen wrench.

Does this mean that, in reality, the Legend ACD is identical to the LX version with regard to the breathing adjustment feature, except that it has a blanking plug instead of the adjustment knob? Sounds like AL are charging a heavy premium for the LX for just a plastic knob in that case, which is probably right?!