having such a hard time deciding on a regulator! >

[TTwizted13]

so i expanded my search on aqualungs website to find a local retailer. i found one a bit out of the way but its what ever. gave him a call to get some information.

he said the xtx 50 new in box he can offer to me for 495$

then paused for a minute and mentioned he may have a very slightly used on in stock, went to check, and sure enough he does, in the DIN fitting which i want. he mentioned it was used by a tech diver and also mentioned he hes an atx 50 from the same diver that set up for pure o2. he said either one of those i can get for 295$

now that doesnt sound like a bad deal at all to me, so i told him ill make the drive out tomorrow on my day off to see them. with the xtx 50 vs the atx 50, only difference is the 100% o2 ussage? or are there other factors?

if i would like to get into tec diving down the road, would it be advised to get the atx 50 now at this price or the xtx 50?

 

[jefffalcone]

I would go with the xtx mostly because its probably newer. They market the xtx as the updated version of the atx. They are pretty similar. Both very good regulators. You will be happy with either one.

 

[koozemani]

Look carefully at HOG.

I went with an Edge Epic set-up (made by Hog). I'm very happy with my selection.

 

[Fishpie]

If you need a DIN reg you should look very carefully at HOG.
Essentially an improved copy of the Apeks ATX50.

 

[Shftrdog]

The Cressi MC9 got sport diver best buy. Another great option is the Oceanic Delta 4.2, you get a dry first stage and a great breathing reg.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I don't trust anything Sport Diver says because they do not actually go out and buy the regs to test. As for "dry" first stages, that is not much more than a gimmick that adds $100 or more to the price and if you hit the DVT with a stream of running water or drop it in more than 2ft of water it is still likely to allow water in. Too much money for a maybe. And no one needs to spend 400 bucks for a 1st and second stage.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

so i expanded my search on aqualungs website to find a local retailer. i found one a bit out of the way but its what ever. gave him a call to get some information.

he said the xtx 50 new in box he can offer to me for 495$

then paused for a minute and mentioned he may have a very slightly used on in stock, went to check, and sure enough he does, in the DIN fitting which i want. he mentioned it was used by a tech diver and also mentioned he hes an atx 50 from the same diver that set up for pure o2. he said either one of those i can get for 295$

now that doesnt sound like a bad deal at all to me, so i told him ill make the drive out tomorrow on my day off to see them. with the xtx 50 vs the atx 50, only difference is the 100% o2 ussage? or are there other factors?

if i would like to get into tec diving down the road, would it be advised to get the atx 50 now at this price or the xtx 50?

Makes no difference since if you plan to use it down the road for an O2 reg you'll need to get it O2 cleaned after using it with air, unless you can guarantee all the air you will use is O2 compatible. And you can O2 clean pretty much any reg. The HOG and EDGE regs I sell are both O2 clean from the factory to 100% for up to 2400 PSI and 80% up to 3400. And any reg is good to 40% because pure O2 will never hit the reg diving recreational nitrox.

 

[Aqua-Andy]

I would suggest HOG also, I have several HOG regs and love them. I just can't understand why anyone would spend $500 to $600 on a reg when you can get the same quality for half the price.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

he said the xtx 50 new in box he can offer to me for 495$

then paused for a minute and mentioned he may have a very slightly used on in stock, went to check, and sure enough he does, in the DIN fitting which i want. he mentioned it was used by a tech diver and also mentioned he hes an atx 50 from the same diver that set up for pure o2. he said either one of those i can get for 295$

now that doesnt sound like a bad deal at all to me, so i told him ill make the drive out tomorrow on my day off to see them. with the xtx 50 vs the atx 50, only difference is the 100% o2 ussage? or are there other factors?

if i would like to get into tec diving down the road, would it be advised to get the atx 50 now at this price or the xtx 50?

As has already been mentioned, regardless of what reg you purchase now, you'll have to go through a set of procedures to clean/service the reg and tank prior to 100% O2 usage. You're a beginner now, and you won't be tech diving for at least a few years. FYI, if you're serious about tech diving, you'll be dropping a bucketload of money on scuba gear and gas fills. Thus, for your purposes, the O2-clean label is irrelevant.

A very important difference between buying a new reg and a used reg is that the used reg will not come with any warranty. Moreover, you won't have access to the manufacturer "free-overhaul-parts-for-life" program. Under such a program, when the reg is maintained at the specified intervals (once a year or once every two years), the owner only pays for labor costs and the overhaul kits are provided gratis.

The Apeks ATX50 and XTX50 regs are both excellent. The XTX second stages have user-changeable exhaust tees. Not a big deal, though. During servicing, the XTX reg series can be switched from a righthanded configuration to a lefthanded one or vice versa. Honestly, this feature will probably make little difference to you. Also, the first stages sold with XTX second stages have standard sized 3/8 UNF low pressure ports. Contrastingly, the first stages sold with ATX second stages have one pesky "non-standard" 1/2 UNF low pressure port. You can purchase a 1/2-to-3/8 UNF adapter for a few bucks so that you can use a standard 3/8 reg hose with the first stage, but it's a somewhat cumbersome solution.