Looking for a few regs

[opie712]

IM getting into sidemount and looking for ssome ideas I have a mk25/ S600, hog D1/ classic, also looking at but never dove apeks dst/ xtx 200

I want something I can get service kits for easy I know scubapro is pretty much an Ebay only with a few popping up here every now and then I figured apeks would be the same. hogs are easy to squire but the second stage is kinda large and IM not really fond of that part of them.
Apeks xtx what is the major/minor difference between the 200 down to the 40.
These will be warm and cold water regs but low 40s is the coldest I've been in and the mk25 has done well but I would prefer a enviro sealed with turret

 

[docmartin]

For sidemount you will want the DST with 5th port for best hose routing. Apeks kits are easy to buy from dealers in Germany, Netherlands etc (eg deepstop). In the US Northeast scuba sells kits, parts and tools for Apeks. The easy availability of kits is a key reason why I went the Apeks route.

 

[tbone1004]

Northeasts kits are 3rd party, not OEM, so keep that in mind. The XTX second stages are also no smaller than the Hog Classics, and the S600 isn't much smaller.... It's lighter because it has less metal in it, but it's not really any smaller.

If I were you I'd grab another D1 first stage from Hog, you already have one, so may as well use it, and if you don't like the second stages, just go find one you like. Another S600, the Edge Epic, I'm a Poseidon fan and the Xstream is awesome if you like small seconds, I prefer the Jetstream but to each his own. Would have to put an OPV on one of ports on your first stage, but they're like $3, downfall is they are quite expensive. Hollis regs are hard to get parts for, so that's out. Second stages don't need a whole lot of service, it's usually only the 1st stages that need it regularly, so if I were you I'd go get another D1, and another S600 unless you find a MK25/S600 set cheaper, they come up pretty regularly pretty cheap on here

 

[Colliam7]

IM getting into sidemount and looking for ssome ideas I have a mk25/ S600, hog D1/ classic, also looking at but never dove apeks dst/ xtx 200 . . . Apeks xtx what is the major/minor difference between the 200 down to the 40.

. You can use a variety of first stages for SM. Many people (I am one) prefer turret / swivel regs for SM, and these are available in various brand lines including HOG, Dive Rite, Aperks, Zeagle, and probably others. A number of these can be configured with a 5th port option - a 5th LP port comes off the top of the turret and this can provide easy routing for inflator hoses, for example. It is not essential, just convenient. I have a SM reg set with a couple of DST first stages, with the 5th port. I also have 3 other SM sets using Zeagle 50D first stages - turret regs but no 5th port - and they work fine as well. As for the Apeks second stages, the primary functional difference is that the XTX40 has a venturi cont6rol, but does not have a user-adjustable breathing knob. The XTX50 (and the 100 and 200) have both. So, going from a 40 to a 50, along with an increase in price, you get an additional functional feature (although a number of people don't find UAB to be necessary, or useful). The XTX50 breathes as well as the 100 and the 200, and I don't feel the need to spend extra $$$ to get a second stage that can be set up for a left side hose as well as a right side hose, which for me is a cosmetic not a functional, difference.

 

[opie712]

Thanks for the info I was really interested in the apeks line the 5th pressure port and the user reviews seem quite good. As far as service kits go I seen the north east kits are aftermarket how do they compare to oem