redkev
Registered
There were many reasons why I purchased new Apeks ATX 200 regulators for myself and my buddy/wife but in all honesty, the real reason is that, I am a diving junky, and I could afford to do it!
I own 2 sets of well cared for Scubapro MK20s with G250 first stages. Over the years I have had my fair share of free flow problems, usually occurring shortly after service. The most recent was a month ago during a dive charter I had organized over the Fourth of July weekend for 5 days. My wifes G250 started free flowing uncontrollably on the 6th dive of the trip. Were talking warn water and shallow depths. I live in Egypt and the majority of my diving is in the Red Sea. The IP is fine on the first stage and the R190 Octo was not free flowing. The two external adjustments on the G250 had no effect on the free flow. No sand etc was found in the second stage.
Additionally, I have had problems with Scubapro warranty service (which is unavailable to me in Egypt), and dealers in the USA refusing to honor the life time warranty (regs were purchased over the counter in the USA from an authorized dealer). Finally I just decided to try something else.
Bob3 was extremely helpful in assisting me with a transaction for the Apeks regs. The prices were great too. This was a complicated transaction with limited payment options (I refuse to use Paypal) and specific shipping instructions. Everything went smoothly. I highly recommend doing business with Bob3 if he can get what you need.
This weekend I did a short 2 day live aboard in the Red Sea. I made 6 dives with a maximum depth of 32 meters. Water temps were 25C to 27C. I found ATX 200 to be an easy breather at all depths and tank pressures. Although this was not very challenging diving, we did kick against the current a few times and got the heart and lungs moving. I found no problem with bubble interference, which had been one of my main concerns. I generally have a camera with me while diving and if the bubble interference was any different than my G250, I did not notice. The quality of the breathing on the ATX 200 seemed different than the Scubapro. Although they both delivered as much air as I needed, the Scubapro delivers it with much less finesse. My wife noticed this too; she said that breathing on the ATX 200 was much quieter.
I also own and occasionally use a Mares Abyss (my back up reg). The ATX 200 was closer in breathing quality to the Mares than the Scubapro. Maybe this is a piston vs diaphragm first stage thing. Since the vast majority of my diving experience is with Scubapro regs, I am glad to learn that there is an alternative and finally, that there is life after Scubapro!
I own 2 sets of well cared for Scubapro MK20s with G250 first stages. Over the years I have had my fair share of free flow problems, usually occurring shortly after service. The most recent was a month ago during a dive charter I had organized over the Fourth of July weekend for 5 days. My wifes G250 started free flowing uncontrollably on the 6th dive of the trip. Were talking warn water and shallow depths. I live in Egypt and the majority of my diving is in the Red Sea. The IP is fine on the first stage and the R190 Octo was not free flowing. The two external adjustments on the G250 had no effect on the free flow. No sand etc was found in the second stage.
Additionally, I have had problems with Scubapro warranty service (which is unavailable to me in Egypt), and dealers in the USA refusing to honor the life time warranty (regs were purchased over the counter in the USA from an authorized dealer). Finally I just decided to try something else.
Bob3 was extremely helpful in assisting me with a transaction for the Apeks regs. The prices were great too. This was a complicated transaction with limited payment options (I refuse to use Paypal) and specific shipping instructions. Everything went smoothly. I highly recommend doing business with Bob3 if he can get what you need.
This weekend I did a short 2 day live aboard in the Red Sea. I made 6 dives with a maximum depth of 32 meters. Water temps were 25C to 27C. I found ATX 200 to be an easy breather at all depths and tank pressures. Although this was not very challenging diving, we did kick against the current a few times and got the heart and lungs moving. I found no problem with bubble interference, which had been one of my main concerns. I generally have a camera with me while diving and if the bubble interference was any different than my G250, I did not notice. The quality of the breathing on the ATX 200 seemed different than the Scubapro. Although they both delivered as much air as I needed, the Scubapro delivers it with much less finesse. My wife noticed this too; she said that breathing on the ATX 200 was much quieter.
I also own and occasionally use a Mares Abyss (my back up reg). The ATX 200 was closer in breathing quality to the Mares than the Scubapro. Maybe this is a piston vs diaphragm first stage thing. Since the vast majority of my diving experience is with Scubapro regs, I am glad to learn that there is an alternative and finally, that there is life after Scubapro!
