Just wondering, why does Apeks make a DS1?

[roakey]

The only difference between the Apeks DS4 and the DS1 are three additional LP ports (four instead of one). It would seem to me that the cost of stocking and distributing two regulators would cost far more than the manufacturing costs associated with drilling, tapping and putting in three plugs.

In addition, personally I don't consider a completely static O ring like a plug's O ring that much of a failure point. If one were to fail it would fail from degrading, which means it would probably leak for years before “letting go.”

Does it really make sense to make two such similar 1st stages?

Roak

 

[Jarhead]

My first thoughts are:

1. What's the price difference between the two?

2. How many ports do you need on a stage tank?


Could the DS1 be specialized for stages, argon, oxygen etc.?

Jarhead

 

[nickjb]

It is aimed at stage tank users. 1HP for a guage, 1 LP for a Reg. In the UK it is about £25 cheaper. If you use a lot a stages it is effectively buy 2 or 3 get one free.

I expect the port drilling is quite a large part of the manufacture process. Three extra holes at different angles with a counterbore and then tapped is probably a few machining operations.