Deep6 Excursion Vs Signature

[TheBeepBoop]

Hey Folks,
I was looking at getting a new Regulator and have narrowed it down to Deep 6 (Or Dive Rite, but I think Deep 6) I can't decide if I should spend the extra on the Signature or save the money with the Excursion (I believe this used to be called the scribble series) I was curious if anyone had any experience with either? Do they breath the same? I know the Excursion doesn't have the 5th LP Port, have y'all found that that makes a large difference with hose routing for long hose setups? I also know the Excursion doesn't have a free first service, so I have been thinking about that as well, though I am thinking I would take the service class through them anyway since I like repairing my own things.

Thanks for any help!

 

[andrewmcc]

As a follow up, I purchased an excursion 1st to try and set it up with a signature 2nd. It worked great and appears to be almost identical to an Apek DS4 which will make it extremely easy to service. It also came with a service kit. I will be switching my family over to this set up for travel and will be using it for the younger divers coming up. It is a great option for a great price.

 

[rsingler]

What the Excursion has that the DS4 doesn't, is a proper thickness diaphragm that doesn't leak at the 1-2 year mark, as observed by several Northern European divers.
Metal to metal diaphragm clamp specification doesn't provide the security that a specified torque value does. Yes, you can have an exact space for the diaphragm as determined by the computerized milling of the brass bullet. But getting your third party manufacturer to provide you with a reliable thickness part that will get clamped to a consistent degree has been repeatedly unsuccessful, as several Apeks divers have demonstrated with the champagne bubbles spewing from their joint.
BTW, the Scubagaskets replacement for Apeks diaphragms works great, if you stop torquing at perhaps 250-270 in-lb, and don't try for metal to metal contact.

 

[andrewmcc]

What the Excursion has that the DS4 doesn't

Thanks Rob. That is good information to have.

 

[deimosphobos]

There's also the X 2nd that they brought (back?) out for the Black Friday deals.
Are there any differences in the internals of the X vs the Excursiozn?