G260 Reviews - Warm and Cold Water

[ams511]

I have over 100 dives using the G260. It is an excellent reg. I strongly recommend it!

Beav, one of the reasons you get blasted so often is your posts really don't add much to a discussion. Look at the OP's first post and you will see that he is concerned about the newness of the G260 and is debating between that and an A700. You could give more specialized information to the OP.

 

[DiverEngineer]

Arms511 is right, I am concerned about the newness of the G260 and am debating between that and an A700.

I read on another forum post somewhere that the G260 is an A700 inside, but am not sure.

I read other posts that it is the G250-V on the inside except the hose can be mounted on the left or right side.

What are the small nuances between the regulators?

Maybe I'm falling into the paralysis of analysis here, but it is a pricey investment and the regulator is probably the most important piece of hardware while I'm under water.

 

[buddhasummer]

I'd bet money you couldn't tell the difference between the two in a blind test, or just about any other equally tuned reg.

If you think cold water is in your future the MK17, being sealed, might be a better option although numerous people on this board and many local divers in my neck of the woods use the MK25 in cold water without issue.

Personally, I'd buy the G260 over the A700 I think the A700 looks gaudy, not to mention its price, although being of metal construction I'm sure it is significantly more robust and will no doubt outlast the G260.

If you will be getting into technical diving in your future this may preclude the A700 as the face plate cannot be removed without tools.

---------- Post added December 9th, 2013 at 09:34 AM ----------

The G260 is not a new design it's a variation on an old theme. I don't think its being new in anyway makes it's reliability questionable, well no more than any other reg on the market new or old.

 

[ams511]

What are the small nuances between the regulators?

For second stages your choices are the A700, G260, and S600. I do not have the schematics for the A700 and the G260 because they are new. All three are barrel poppet designs, the main difference between the G250V and the S600 is the adjustment mechanism on the S600 is more complicated and supposedly better. The G260 is supposed to be a carry-over of the G250V in a smaller ambidextrous case. The A700 I think uses the same internals as the S600 in a metal case. Personally I do not think there will be much of a difference performance between them, they are all excellent regulators.

If you dive in cold water 45 F or below you are better off with the Mk-17 than the Mk-25. Some divers have reported problems with free flows at lower water temps. The three second stages I mentioned all have metal air barrels so they should work about the same in cold water with the edge to the A700 with the metal case.

 

[beaverdivers]

Look at the OP's first post and you will see that he is concerned about the newness of the G260 and is debating between that and an A700. You could give more specialized information to the OP.

I believe the G260 has been out long enough that newness is not an issue. You would usually see problems in the first 6 months on any new product. There have not been any issues with the G260 that I know of.

Both the MK17/G260 & the MK25/A700 are excellent regs. I often dive with both of them on the same dive.

Advantage of each stage:

MK17 - Diving in water that is very cold (less than 40F) or dirty water due to dry ambient pressure chamber

MK25 - Ultra high reliable airflow unaffected by tank pressure or depth due to air balanced piston
Hose configuration is more adjustable due to swivel

G260 - More sensitive to inhalation effort due to larger diaphragm
Freezing resistance due to metal inlet tube, orifice, inhalation control knob and hose connector
Versatile right or left hand attachment for side-mount or octopus preference
Premium balanced regulator due to 20 progressive previous designs over 28 years

A700 - Lower risk of freezing due to full metal housing
Breathes a little more humid ( no dry mouth ) due to full metal housing
Easier to adjust venturi due to co-axial adjustable venturi
Engineers dream " small & solid" due to 200 manufacturing operations
Exceptional balanced regulator due to 29 years of design evolution

You would be making a good decision going with either choice. Or you could pair the MK17 with the A700 and the MK25 with the G260.

Then there is the decision of yoke or DIN.

 

[halocline]

MK25 - Ultra high reliable airflow unaffected by tank pressure or depth due to air balanced piston

G260 - More sensitive to inhalation effort due to larger diaphragm

A couple of quick questions for the intrepid beav, maybe you can look these up on the manufacturer's sales material as well.

1. Are you saying that the 'air balanced piston' is what makes the MK25's air flow unaffected by depth? Are you saying that the MK17 is affected by depth because it doesn't have a balanced piston?

2. You say the G260 has a 'larger diaphragm'. Larger than what? The G250? How does that affect being 'sensitive to inhalation?'

I sure would appreciate any insight you have.

 

[beaverdivers]

A couple of quick questions for the intrepid beav, maybe you can look these up on the manufacturer's sales material as well.

1. Are you saying that the 'air balanced piston' is what makes the MK25's air flow unaffected by depth?

Yes, the Air-Balanced Flow-Through Piston is assisted by hydrostatic pressure.

Are you saying that the MK17 is affected by depth because it doesn't have a balanced piston?

No, the MK17 is not affected by depth due to a balanced diaphragm design.

2. You say the G260 has a 'larger diaphragm'. Larger than what?

The G260's diaphragm is larger than the S600 & the A700.

How does that affect being 'sensitive to inhalation?'

The greater surface area of the G260 diaphragm makes it more sensitive to inhalation.

Here's a video by Rene Dupre, the technical training manager for Scubapro - MK17 vs MK25

As he points out, the MK17 is better in cold/dirty water due to a dry chamber. There is no water to freeze. Note: Diapragm 1st stages are more complexed and have more moving parts than piston 1st stages.

The Scubapro MK25 delivers significantly more air than the Scubapro MK17 due to a larger orifice and less resistance. The MK25 works fine in most diving conditions due to its rugged design and few moving parts.

 

[halocline]

Yes, the Air-Balanced Flow-Through Piston is assisted by hydrostatic pressure. No, the MK17 is not affected by depth due to a balanced diaphragm design.

So, it's the balancing, piston or diaphragm, that makes it not affected by depth? Go ahead and take a couple of weeks so you can ask someone like for your last post.

---------- Post added December 21st, 2013 at 06:29 PM ----------

The Scubapro MK25 delivers significantly more air than the Scubapro MK17 due to a larger orifice and less resistance.

What resistance is that, beav? And are we talking more air to a diver?

 

[beaverdivers]

So, it's the balancing, piston or diaphragm, that makes it not affected by depth? Go ahead and take a couple of weeks so you can ask someone like for your last post.

It is the fact that both are exposed to the hydrostatic pressure at depth!

 

[halocline]

It is the fact that both are exposed to the hydrostatic pressure at depth!

Yippeee! Then, maybe you can clear up why you said:

---------- Post added December 23rd, 2013 at 07:12 AM ----------

the MK17 is not affected by depth due to a balanced diaphragm design.

Have I misunderstood something?