Leisure pro - voided warranty????

[sell66]

Here it is.... Recall of Titan / Conshelf DIN Handwheel Retainers

 

[mike_s]

I found the last years model Titan LX for a really good price... but I heard that some have been recalled. Has anyone heard of this?

Yep. there was a recall on the Titan. But getting it fixed is covered by the recall. newer ones will have the fix incorporated. Just when buying check the manufacturer date to see if it's affected in case a shop has an old one still on the shelf.

here is the recall. from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (US GOV)
Aqua Lung Recalls Scuba Regulators and Adapters Due to Drowning Hazard

I didn't make a price comparison because the OP didn't ask for a price comparison.

yep... but the OP didn't ask about the Atomic either.

The LX's secondary has a mouthpiece that's made out of rather hard rubber and tends to jam into my gums. I suppose I could spend an extra $20 and replace it with a soft orthordontic mouthpiece one of these days.

I know folks that hate the AL mouthpiece and others that love it. everyone's mouth is different and they have to get what works for them.

The flow adjustment knob is also sensitive. If cranked opened to easy breathing, it tends to freeflow on the surface.

That's why it's there.... so you can crack it open to breath easier and crank it down to reduce free-flows. It's designed that way....

 

[Splash-X]

LeisurePro is an authorized dealer for many of the items in their inventory, but not all. I believe that they had recently become an authorized dealer for Sherwood.

I bought my Aeris Elite T3 (same as Oceanic VT3) from my LDS for $750. $100 more than Leisure Pro. Big deal. If anything were to ever happen to my dive comp, my LDS will be there to immediately address the issue by either giving me an immediate replacement or lend me a dive comp while mine is returned to the manufacturer for repair.

My main dive buddy bought a Sherwood Wisdom 1 from Leisure Pro. It had gone back to them twice already for the same problem (computer just decide to fritz out and have all sorts of crazy displays with alarms going off non-stop). Supposedly LP sent it back to Sherwood for "repair", yet the same problem persisted. My LDS would have simply gave him another dive comp and handle the issue with Sherwood on the defective unit. BTW, my LDS lent him a cheap Gecko to dive with while Leisure Pro "handled" the warranty work. He didn't even buy the damn thing at the LDS (but he did buy a lot of other things at that LDS), but the LDS helped him out anyway.

So tell me, how much is that extra $100 or $200 worth when you're missing out on some good dives?

Anyway, it's the OP's money and he should spend it any which way he wants. I know how I spend my money and it ain't at LeisurePro or ScubaToy.

I couldn't agree more with you. It's the OP's money. If you're looking to get a good deal LP may be the best deal you can find.

If you're looking at the much larger picture and not just a single purchase, your LDS may be able to offer you a better deal in the long run. My LDS takes care of me just like yours.

LP sells me stuff cheap but I get what I pay for. Same products, one comes with the support of my LDS and the other comes with mail-in support.

 

[fnfalman]

Y
I know folks that hate the AL mouthpiece and others that love it. everyone's mouth is different and they have to get what works for them.

I love the design of the mouthpiece - makes for very secure placement in your mouth, but I hate that hard, cheap rubber it's made out of. To the OP, the rubber mouthpiece in the Titan LX's second stage has not just the bite piece but a conical shape rubber piece that goes between the lips and the gum so that there's a lesser chance of water entering your mouth via the breathing process. And that it helps the mouthpiece sit there without you having to bite too hard on the bite piece. It's just that the rubber is kind of hard and tends to rub against your gum. Gets irritating after a short while.

That's why it's there.... so you can crack it open to breath easier and crank it down to reduce free-flows. It's designed that way....

True, but the OP wouldn't know about it and it didn't really mention in the manual (not that I recall reading about), so I figure he'd probably like to know about the peculiarities of this set of regs other than "it's good, buy it".

 

[PhilEllis]

HIJACK. Many people have complained about the hard mouthpiece. Take a look at this one. It is the same design, but much softer, more pliable rubber. While it may not last as long, it is more comfortable.

Comfort Bite Mouthpiece - Only $8.95 - Two Colors

Phil Ellis
www.divesports.com

I love the design of the mouthpiece - makes for very secure placement in your mouth, but I hate that hard, cheap rubber it's made out of. To the OP, the rubber mouthpiece in the Titan LX's second stage has not just the bite piece but a conical shape rubber piece that goes between the lips and the gum so that there's a lesser chance of water entering your mouth via the breathing process. And that it helps the mouthpiece sit there without you having to bite too hard on the bite piece. It's just that the rubber is kind of hard and tends to rub against your gum. Gets irritating after a short while.

 

[mike_s]

HIJACK. Many people have complained about the hard mouthpiece. Take a look at this one. It is the same design, but much softer, more pliable rubber. While it may not last as long, it is more comfortable.

Comfort Bite Mouthpiece - Only $8.95 - Two Colors

I didn't realize that one was made out of a "softer rubber". I might have to buy me one of those. (and just keep the old one as a spare).

 

[sell66]

Hi all again,

I'm sorry for all these questions but every time I speak with a LDS or SCUBA diver, I get different information.

Someone told me that the Titan LX is not balanced?? They also said to try Atomic regs. instead?

I'm starting to get confused, and don't know what reg. to go with. If anyone can suggest some regulators that would be awesome.

The reg. should fit my criteria:

-I'll be doing 95% shore/beach dives in Los Angeles (I'm debating piston vs. diaphragm)
-I want to be able to get free parts for the life of the reg (given i'll service every year)
-Not more than $600 retail

I really appreciate the help.

Thanks,

David

 

[fnfalman]

Hi all again,

I'm sorry for all these questions but every time I speak with a LDS or SCUBA diver, I get different information.

Someone told me that the Titan LX is not balanced?? They also said to try Atomic regs. instead?

I'm starting to get confused, and don't know what reg. to go with. If anyone can suggest some regulators that would be awesome.

The reg. should fit my criteria:

-I'll be doing 95% shore/beach dives in Los Angeles (I'm debating piston vs. diaphragm)
-I want to be able to get free parts for the life of the reg (given i'll service every year)
-Not more than $600 retail

I really appreciate the help.

Thanks,

David

Of course you're going to get different answers from different people. There are a gazillion different regulators out there available and everybody and their brothers have favorites.

If the free parts is important to you (not to me because it amounts to literally nothing), then Scubapro is the way to go. I don't know of anybody that offers that particular deal.

On the other hand, Atomic Aquatics have a recommendation of 2-years service intervals or 300-dives, whichever comes first. Atomic Aquatics is a very popular reg in the US and especially in California because the outfit is a local outfit. You can either have an LDS services it or you can drop it off/send it off to them directly for services.

$600 is plenty enough to get you the Atomic Z2 regulator which is the cheapest model but also the best performer on the breathing machine (go figure).

Pistons vs diaphram? Each have advantages and disadvantages. Pistons are easier to disassemble and clean out if you were boneheaded enough to dunk it in water without the waterproof cap on. Diaphrams are simpler in design. Pistons, at least the Atomic ones, gives you better breathing when the tank runs low and that's why Atomic specifically designed it that way in their regs (I talked with their president on this particular subject as to why they went with piston design - Atomic is small and their reps are all over the LDSs trying to get feedbacks from divers).

And I don't know who told you what but the Titan LX has a balanced 1st stage - which means that it automatically takes into account of the greater pressure of the depth you're in and adjust air flow accordingly so that you don't have to suck too hard at depth. BUT that does sound contradictory to what I've said before about how my Atomic breaths better than the Titan, right? It's because there's balancing and then there's balancing. You don't expect a $300 regulator to work as well as a $700 regulator, right?

Shore diving/beach diving is tough on equipment, especially your 2nd stage. I'm biased but I say Atomic Z2 (not the Z2X with the fancy rotating this and rotating that). Plain jane Z2. Keep it cheap & simple. Don't forget to add in the cost for an octo as well. I'd even say rig your regulator up DIR-style to have the main second stage on a long 5-7ft hose and wrap it around your body and have your octo on a short 22-24" hose attached to a necklace holder at your neck. That way both of your 2nd stages are more or less out of the way and not dragging at the bottom of the beach collecting up sand.

Since that you have a preference for beach diving, make sure to buy gears that are extra tough like a hard backplate with air bladder wings that are extra thick and higher grade of wetsuit/drysuit. Getting beat by the waves and blasted by sand is extremely tough on all your gears and not just your regulators alone.

 

[herman]

...snip...................Pistons vs diaphram? Each have advantages and disadvantages. Pistons are easier to disassemble and clean out if you were boneheaded enough to dunk it in water without the waterproof cap on. Diaphrams are simpler in design. Pistons, at least the Atomic ones, gives you better breathing when the tank runs low and that's why Atomic specifically designed it that way in their regs (I talked with their president on this particular subject as to why they went with piston design - Atomic is small and their reps are all over the LDSs trying to get feedbacks from divers).

And I don't know who told you what but the Titan LX has a balanced 1st stage - which means that it automatically takes into account of the greater pressure of the depth you're in and adjust air flow accordingly so that you don't have to suck too hard at depth. BUT that does sound contradictory to what I've said before about how my Atomic breaths better than the Titan, right? It's because there's balancing and then there's balancing. You don't expect a $300 regulator to work as well as a $700 regulator, right?.....................

.

Diaphram regs are more complex than most piston regs, there are more bits and pieces. All AL/USD diaphram regs (first stages) have been balanced since the Royal Aquamaster was intoduced in 1965. Assuming both first stages are balanced (AL and Atomic are) there will be absolutely no difference in the work of breathing of either reg as tank pressure changes - that is the whole reason to balance a first stage, this is not true of unbalanced first stages but that is another discussion. Balanced is balanced, reguardless of how it's done. Balancing has nothing to do with depth, it's purpose is to keep the IP of the first stage constant as tank pressure varies. Depth compensation is a totally different function and all scuba regs from the very first reg to the latest and greatest one depth compensate (with the exception of a few used in rebreathers - again a differnet subject). The purpose of depth compensation is to vary the absolute pressure (psia) of the IP so that the differential pressure between the IP and ambient pressure (psig) stays constant.
As to which breaths better, first stage design (assuming a properly working balanced design) has no effect at all on breathing until you get into very high flow rates, rates no diver can possibly breath at. Work of breathing is purely a function of second stage design and tuning.

 

[mike_s]

Hi all again,

I'm sorry for all these questions but every time I speak with a LDS or SCUBA diver, I get different information.

Someone told me that the Titan LX is not balanced??

The Titan LX is balanced.

see Titan LX 2009

The balanced diaphragm first stage, by the nature of its design, is environmentally sealed and provides superior, consistent performance from beginning of dive to end of dive

A pneumatically-balanced second stage results in superior ease-of-breathing​

They also said to try Atomic regs. instead?

Good solid performing reg. you won't go wrong with Atomic either.

-Not more than $600 retail

You can get the Atomic for that, but prob not including the Octopus and a gauge console. The Titan LX will definately fit into that budget including octo and gauge set.

also note that at least once a year that Aqualung runs a "free octo" special. Basically if you buy a new AL reg, you get a free octo. Not sure if that is in effect now or not... but something worth checking.

If the free parts is important to you (not to me because it amounts to literally nothing), then Scubapro is the way to go. I don't know of anybody that offers that particular deal.

Aqualung offers "Free parts for life" if you get your reg serviced annually per their requirements. So does Tusa, Dive Rite, Sherwood, etc and I think a few others.