Halcyon manifolds
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matt t.
Contributor
Halcyon is the same as Dive Rite and Seal Elite. There are some small finish details that are different, but looks and performance wise all are equal. Go with the Sea Elite sold on E-bay sometimes or at "Divers Supply". At this time I think they are about $160. If you search here or "The Deco Stop" there are many posts on this subject.
I own one. I like it. I don't have any experience with either of the other brands.
While Halcyon is similar to others, the internal workings are not the same. Go to a dive shop that carries them all. See how many turns of the hand wheel it takes to open or close the valve. It is not the same with all of them.
I have had OMS valves in the past and never had a problem with them. I also have Halcyon valves. I think that they are engineered well but I think that they have some quality control issues with their assembly in the factory (which I find common in Halcyon products in general).
Given a choice, I am somewhat partial to Halcyon. Though I have never owned Sea Elite, I think that they should be your last choice.
I have had OMS valves in the past and never had a problem with them. I also have Halcyon valves. I think that they are engineered well but I think that they have some quality control issues with their assembly in the factory (which I find common in Halcyon products in general).
Given a choice, I am somewhat partial to Halcyon. Though I have never owned Sea Elite, I think that they should be your last choice.
Soggy
Contributor
Halcyon and Sea Elite manifolds *look* identical, but one major difference is that the Sea Elites only require like 1 1/2 turns to shut a valve down vs 3+ with a Halcyon. Sea Elite manifolds are top-notch, though and the price is certainly right. The OMS manifolds have had a few recalls and the knobs are made out of a hard plastic (breakable). OMS has a position on this (http://www.omsdive.com/faq.html#faq-valves), which I disagree with, but they are entitled to their own opinion. They also have a triple o-ring on the manifold crossbar...Make your own decisions on whether that is good bad or indifferent. The Sea Elite and Halcyon have double orings with soft rubber knobs that won't break.
sharky001:
While the Halcyon and DR / Sea Elite look the same the are actually made in different parts of the world. The DR and Sea Elite are made in a great factory in Taiwan that makes excellent products. The Halcyon is made in Italy by a very good factory as well. The Halcyon has a slightly different hand wheel turn count ( i dont recall the exact amount). But overall they will all serve you well.
However ... only the Thermo has the protected saftey assembly in a recessed area on the valve that protects the saftey assembly (burst disc) from damage if the valve is subject to impact.
Regards,
Scubaroo
Contributor
No longer the case - the last batch of Sea Elite manifolds I bought take about 2.5 turns now. I have one of the older Sea Elites, and it takes about 1.5 turns. The new version also has 200 BAR or 300 BAR stamped on each valve, the olders ones do not. Something has changed.Soggy:
Otherwise, for all intents and purposes the old and new version look identical. Price is still great.
Soggy
Contributor
Scubaroo:
Too bad, that was a selling point for me. I'll still probably buy them based on the quality/price, though.
aquaoren
Contributor
Has anyone experience with Scubapro valves and manifolds? Opinions?
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