I just came back from a shoot in Honduras where I had the opportunity to dive the A700 and I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt that this reg lives up to all the hype. I was a hardcore user of another major brand of regulators (and a very specific model) for almost a decade and I have absolutely no problem leaving them in my dive locker and starting a new love affair with the A700.
I chose to get the MK17 first stage for several reasons, but the most important was it being environmentally sealed. As a New Englander a fair amount of my diving is cold - really cold. So I was glad for the option. I've also never been a fan of first stages that swivel, but that's just a comfort thing.
I'm not a tech diver, don't squeeze myself through caves or do bridge welding under HAZMAT conditions, so I know a lot of you reading this may not be that impressed by what I'm about to say in relation to your own set of standards, but here's what I can tell you: I dropped it numerous times, took it way past recreational limits, breathed it down to about 100psi on a couple of occasions and let it sit caked in all manner of saltwater unholiness and sub-equatorial sun for days and it never flinched. I actually did rinse it once in 10 days. I never noticed the metallic second stage because it didn't hang in my mouth. I actually forgot about it. The fact that I was happy with the factory-applied mouthpiece was, to me, one of the best arguments for the lightweight claim Scubapro made.
In terms of its breathability, I don't know that it gets better than the A700. There may be some regs that come close to matching it, but I guarantee you they won't surpass it. The broad and fine intake adjustments on the second stage were also a plus in my book.
I'll be putting it to the test on some New England wrecks later on in the summer, but based on how it performed last week I have absolutely no reason to think this reg won't deliver in a way that I'll notice a single difference from location to location.
If you're a chest-thumping techie or you simply have a TV show about diving, it doesn't matter. Regardless of your background or objectives, we all need high-performance gear that we can depend on to support us when it counts. Me, I want gear so good that I can forget about it and concentrate on getting the shot. So I'm very happy to give the A700 a full endorsement.
here's a couple of pictures I thought you might enjoy...
