Help choosing b/t 3 regs

[rstofer]

Why would you prefer the first stage w/o the DVT? The DVT seemed like a really great feature offering a greater piece of mind while undoing your gear with wet hands and not worrying about getting water in the first stage. Another reason why I was siding with the Delta 4 was because it had the swivel on it. The swivel jsut seems as if it would provide a much greater comfort and manuverability. Also, why did you convert it to DIN? Did you do that becasue you are planning on doing tech dives or are you from the UK? I apologize in advance if these are amatuer questions. I am just trying to get a full understanding of the equiptment and the reasons behind certain decisions people make with them.

Well, opinions differ on DVT. I don't see where it serves a purpose, I have never had water get into my regulator and I see no reason to put more stuff in the airstream. It's a 'me too' marketing game. But, as I said, that's just my opinion.

As to the swivel - that's another piece of marketing hype. It isn't necessary and it just adds more stuff. One solution, if the hose seems stiff (and it won't, it's the most flexible rubber hose I have encountered) is to replace it with a Miflex hose. Besides, there is a school of thought that the primary regulator should be on a 5' hose. How does the swivel help this situation?

DIN? What to say about DIN... OK, the Dive Rite Hurricanes (a great cold water regulator) only come DIN and that's what I bought for my son-in-law. So, it would be convenient if 2 of our 6 HP 100s were DIN as opposed to his using a yoke adapter. But, HP 100s are 3442 PSI tanks. How do I deal with that if my Oceanic Omega II yokes (the 20+ year old versions) are only rated for 3000 PSI? OK, change them to DIN; problem solved. Now 4 of our 6 tanks would be DIN. What the heck, change the FDX10 to DIN and all of the tanks are DIN. Well, except for the Al 50s my grandson uses and a steel 72 I use with my double hose Mistral.

With DIN, you need to have both feet on one side of the river or the other. If we dive on a charter boat, they may, or may not, have DIN valves. We have adapters. But for our own tanks, it is convenient if they are interchangeable.

Besides, the non-DVT, non-swivel version of the Delta 4 is a lot cheaper. I don't pay for stuff I don't want, I get a superior cold water regulator and I still have the parts to change it back to yoke if I so decide.

Again, this is just my opinion and is unlikely to be shared by anyone.

Richard

 

[fnfalman]

Piston 1st stages work better than diaphram when the tank pressure drops lower. Diaphrams are simpler. So, there are advantages and disadvantages for either design.

The Atomic M1 series is more geared toward hard core cave diving because you can equip the second stage with "cave ring" so that you can disassemble and clean it underwater if it were to get clogged up with silt or mud. It also has the more solid cover in order to keep from free flowing if you have to swim against a very strong current (sometimes in cave dives, you get to a tight spot and the water channels through that hole can be fast enough to purge your regulator). It also has internals made out of monel (high nickel content stainless steel) for extreme corrosion resistance and is rated for much higher nitrox oxygen percentage.

The Atomic Z2 is the base of the line model but it's still a bad mamajama. It's cheaper because it doesn't have the cool rotating turret, and made out of cheaper materials.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Wow this is all great information, I really appreciate the insite! I live in NY and will mainly be diving in warm/cold waters. I am looking to do mainly reg recreational dives along with wreck diving and underwater photograpghy possibly. I am new to the diving world and the only real reason that I was looking at these higher end models was due to the simple fact that I wanted to make a one time (really good) purchase to last me for a while, especially when it comes to my breathing underwater, I wanted to make sure I had a really good and dependable reg. I have also looked at the GT3 and alpha 8's. Its so hard reading reviews because they are sooo different from person to person. So in all that, you would recommend me using a yoke and possibly taking a look at the Gt3 or aplha 8 in further depth? Oceanic has a great reputation right? Are you familiar with any Cressi regs?

Have never even seen a Cressi reg in use around here. The CDX5 first stage is an environmentally sealed diaphragm first stage. There is no additional kit to buy for it. I don't see anything wrong with the DVT in itself but see it as a solution to a problem that really does not exist for the responsible diver. The DVT is only good to about 4-6 feet anyway. Drop it off the boat or in a pool that is 10 feet deep & it's gonna leak into the first stage. It adds extra parts and in no way do it's benefits justify the $100 price difference to me. If you do not plan on going tech or diving in Europe get a yoke set up. I do use an adapter at times when on vacation but that's only if I don't take my warm water setup with me. that is an Alpha7 with DX4 first stage that is also sealed. Again my recommmendation is the GT3 with cdx5. It will last you for many many years in any conditions with regular care and service.