How much is too much?

[jeffinhburg]

Hello,

I guess I'm drowning in regs, and haven't had enough of a chance to try out a lot of different kinds in real water. My LDS only rents Scubapro, which I know I'm not thrilled with. Whether that's because of the model, me, or the way they have them tuned, I don't know. I borrowed some regs from others to try them out.

I liked the Protons, but decided that the bubbles, which don't interfere with putzing around the quarry, might be a problem with photos in the Carib or Red Sea. I liked the Titan LX quite a lot, but found that a dive shop where I vacation can sell me the Zeagle DS-IV for a little less than the LDS (even with the rebate) will sell me the Titan Glacia (the tech I would like to have work on my reg feels much better about me using a sealed 1st stage). The Flathead with the envoy octo would cost only a little ($25) more than the Titan with octo.

I will try to borrow a Zeagle to try out, but even so, could the top of the Zeagle line be more than I need or should have? I'm pretty much brand new, and thinking I'll be diving a lot in a local quarry in summers only (but who knows? -- I might decide to learn to use a drysuit to extend the season -- I don't intend to at the moment, but I do tend to have an addictive personality with my hobbies, so...), with about 10 dives a year in the Caribbean or the Middle East.

Before I get bombarded with Apeks recommendations, let it be known that they would be significantly pricier from either shop than the Zeagles or Titan.

I would appreciate thoughts on this -- even though the price on the Zeagles (DS-IV or Flathead) would be right, are they too much reg for this? If not, what would be the advantage for me (if any) of the Flathead vs. DS-IV?

 

[scubatexastony]

I dive a Flathead and the wife the DS, w/ZX seconds. They're good regs and I've heard they are accepted and used by cavers as well. Zeagle used to market the Apeks and just took the design and made their own. It has a big bore on the HP seat and delivers all the air one would want. I believe Mike has several and will tell you the same.

tony

 

[ChrisA]

All of the zeagles have the same internal parts and would threrfore
breate the same. The flathead has some larger diameter bore holes
but still the same parts inside. so pick one based on price, feature or
looks. Exact same thing can be said about the Apeks line.
The Titan LX is actually very good too.

I just went through the same thing and bought an Apeks ATX50
last month. But for me it was the lowest prpice of the bunch.

Auqualung Legends are $100 off this month (in the USA) and are
very comparable to Zeagle, Apex and of course the Titan. The
$100 off deal make them competitve too.

 

[djac5700]

Jeff,

For the purposes you've listed, I don't think there are too many advantages to the Flathead. With the choices you've provided, you also don't have any worries about quality. They are all great regs, so if price is your next consideration, go with the best deal. If you've found that the price is right, don't worry about how "high end" it is considered - all you'll end up with is a quality reg that may be capable of more demanding diving than you currently do - that's a good thing in my book.

Personally, I have a 50D/ZX combo. It's worth looking into... breathes superbly and has the convenience of the swivel.

Are you definitely going to buy from one of those two shops? Otherwise, I've had great experiences/deals with www.scubatoys.com.

 

[jeffinhburg]

Drew,

Actually, I use Scubatoys for most of personal gear, and gear for the kids. I love them, and was going to get the Proton from them, until the tech who I would most trust with my equipment (and my life) was adament about the enviro sealing (I wasn't all that convinced it mattered, but he's the one who is going to have to be working with it), and I wondered about bubble interference with photos.

Anyway, if I understand correctly, the Flathead is a great reg, but for my purposes will not be any better than the DS-IV or 50D?

The DS-IV would actually cost me a bit less than the sealed Titan.

 

[djac5700]

Based on what you've listed as your purposes, I think the DS-IV or 50D would serve you well. One note about the Flathead being an accepted cave diving reg is worth considering. But I'm also no expert on cave diving - you should ask the experts if that matters to you.

Again, just based on what you've written, I think you'd be happy with the DS-IV or 50D. Just consider whether or not you want the swivel.

 

[aquaoren]

If you're thinking about diving abroad, I'd not recommend a Zeagle, eventhough they make excellent regs, they are not very popular outside the USA.
I think you'll have trouble finding somebody to fix it when diving the Red Sea
Have you tried a pre Proton Mares reg? They have slightly larger second stages and larger exhaust T's, which helps a little with the bubbles. I have a Mares Abyss and can recommend it to anyone, who looks for a solid good reg. Maybe Scubatoys will be able to give you a deal since the newer model(V32/Proton) is already on the market

 

[djac5700]

Oren makes a good point, it will be difficult to service outside of North America. I completely passed over your Red Sea / Middle East note. They do have dealers in the Middle East and you can find out where they are on the Zeagle website, but they are few and far between. When you refer to the vacation site dealer offering the Zeagle, I'm assuming you are talking Caribbean.

If you are only going to service in the states, you'll likely find plenty of choices for Zeagle (still worth checking though to make sure you have a local choice for servicing, no matter what brand you go with) - but if you're staying out in the Middle East or any other country outside North America long enough that you might want/need to service it there, you'll want to consider other options.

 

[jeffinhburg]

Yes, that is a good point. I doubt I will be there for very long periods of time, just visits. Went to school there. Now, if my boss would ever let me go for more than a week at a time, I think I'd faint. :11: