Is SP still one of the best today?

[Nemrod]

In your opinion/experience, is Scubapro still one of the best in terms of quality regulators based on it's history and number of regulators produced since its beginning? Does SP design fancy regulators to make more sales with unnecessary features/parts and has it's quality gone down to cut cost? I understand that most divers are brand loyal so feel free to express your opinions as well. Be nice, no fighting. Thanks.

This question can lead to no good answer, "best" is not a definable concept that everyone could agree on. I would agree that Scubapro plastic is just as good as AL or Apexko plastic. Maybe better.

Scubapro is a Johnson Outdoors company, one of several companies owned by them. It appears that JO is not robbing Scubapro like AMF did Harley, they have come out with good products and seem to still have some direction, they have quality products if a bit bland.

If by "best" you mean will all the guys on the dive boats swoon when you deck out in Scubapro and pronounce you a demi-dive-god for your complete Scubapro ensemble, forget it, nobody will be impressed other than the LDS that off loaded all the gear on you.

Regulators should be made out of metal, not plastic with bling rings to fool the customer by providing a "metal" look. I mean, they know metal is better, that is why AL does the bling ring and Scubapro now has that silver bling badge on the 600. Just make it out of metal and then they will not have to try and fool the customer .

N

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

Slightly off topic but related: It is often assumed that you need the newest, most expensive, most exotic regulator for "extreme" diving. But I just happened to stumble across this webpage today:

Pascal Bernabé - Record -330m

Pascal Bernabe set a world open-circuit record of 330 meters.

His regulators at max depth? Apex ATX100 and the Aqualung Titan.

If he was comfortable taking what many would consider a "mid-range" regulator (Titan) on this dive, it says a lot for the safety and engineering behind most regulators on the market today (the Titan is a terrific reg).

Best wishes.

 

[AquaNSun]

Any idea when Atomic came into the scuba market? I seem to remember in the pre-Atomic time, SP and Aqua Lung seemed to be the most popular ones. Now, there are new comers such as the XS Scuba, Zeagles, and 1ST trying to compete against the big ones and they do very well. Then there are the seemingly disappearing ones like Dacor and Sherwood. I know I must have missed to mention a lot more brands. Please add to it.

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

Any idea when Atomic came into the scuba market? I seem to remember in the pre-Atomic time, SP and Aqua Lung seemed to be the most popular ones. Now, there are new comers such as the XS Scuba, Zeagles, and 1ST trying to compete against the big ones and they do very well. Then there are the seemingly disappearing ones like Dacor and Sherwood. I know I must have missed to mention a lot more brands. Please add to it.

Atomic = 1995.

ATOMIC AQUATICS: Born of Passion

Two engineers from Scubapro formed the company (if I recall correctly).

Many folks (not all!) consider the Atomic regs to be what Scubapro "should have been".

I'm also a little hazy on the Apeks/Zeagle relationship, other than that after the two companies split, Zeagle went on to design their own regs (beginning with the Flathead VI ??). Some now consider the Zeagles to be an evolution of the Apeks design, similar to the relationship of Atomic to Scubapro I think.

There are a lot of good brands. You'd have a VERY hard time finding a BAD regulator today. Alphabetically from memory:

Aeris
Apeks
Aqualung
Atomic
Beauchat (sp?)
Cressi
Dive Right
Edge/HOG
Mares
Oceanic
OMS
Poseidon
Sherwood
Scubapro
Tusa
XS Scuba
Zeagle

And I'm sure I've missed some.

Best wishes.

 

[Nemrod]

I never feel outgunned with my Titan LX and if I do then I pull out the PRAM. If I still feel winded at depth then I pull out my MkV clone/Tekna T2100 and if that don't do the job that probably means I am having a heart attack!

I got me a new baby, a cool Scubapro R109 on MkV, cool, it is so 70s and modern.

There is nothing wrong with owning a 1,600 dollars regulator but a Titan LX may spank it at 1/3 the price or even less.

N

 

[rigdiver]

Slightly off topic but related: It is often assumed that you need the newest, most expensive, most exotic regulator for "extreme" diving. But I just happened to stumble across this webpage today:

Pascal Bernabé - Record -330m

Pascal Bernabe set a world open-circuit record of 330 meters.

His regulators at max depth? Apex ATX100 and the Aqualung Titan.

If he was comfortable taking what many would consider a "mid-range" regulator (Titan) on this dive, it says a lot for the safety and engineering behind most regulators on the market today (the Titan is a terrific reg).

Best wishes.

Yea, and in 1994 Jim Bowden went to 925ffw with SP's he paid for.

 

[Greg Barlow]

Regulators should be made out of metal, not plastic with bling rings to fool the customer by providing a "metal" look. I mean, they know metal is better, that is why AL does the bling ring and Scubapro now has that silver bling badge on the 600. Just make it out of metal and then they will not have to try and fool the customer .

N

Nemrod,

As you know, I love vintage regs. However, when I am diving with modern gear, I almost always reach for my Mares Proton Metal regs. It is a real shame that Mares and (now) Scubapro are the only ones who "see the light".

Greg

 

[Nemrod]

Yeah, Mares, but, see, just me, I got tired of not being able to get service and while it was long ago, it left me with a sour taste for Mares. But, they do make a metal regulator as does Scubapro, kudos for them and your quality tastes. I would trust Scubapro for long term service, Mares, hmmmm, not so much, could be wrong. Not everyone is like you (or me or a few other regulars roundabout here parts) and will dig through dusty boxes, rob pieces from here or there or even make the parts if need be. N

 

[BlueWaterDiving]

OMG who left that tank standing up by it self.

 

[Greg Barlow]

I never feel outgunned with my Titan LX and if I do then I pull out the PRAM. If I still feel winded at depth then I pull out my MkV clone/Tekna T2100 and if that don't do the job that probably means I am having a heart attack!

I got me a new baby, a cool Scubapro R109 on MkV, cool, it is so 70s and modern.

There is nothing wrong with owning a 1,600 dollars regulator but a Titan LX may spank it at 1/3 the price or even less.

N

Nemrod,

Both of these regs posted ANSTI simulator numbers that easily exceed the EN250 standards for "modern" regs.

The Voit/Swimaster MR12 posted a score of 2.15j/l at 165ffw and a RMV of 62.5lpm. The maximum score permitted is 4.0j/l...Not bad, eh?

The Scubapro MK V/109 had a 2.71 run at the same standards. If I had a silicone diaphragm installed in the second stage, it likely would have lowered the WOB by at least 0.4j/l.

Let's put it this way...The engineers at Scubapro's R&D lab were quite impressed with results like that from two regs that were designed in the late 1960's.

At the recreational level of 132ffw and 62.5lpm, the MR12 delivered an overall WOB of just 1.68j/l. That one really raised a few eyebrows of the engineers. Especially when you consider that an alternate air source second stage was about as common as a Passenger Pigeon.