Mikron vs Core

[Black Cat]

Looking at purchasing an AL Mikron or AL Core regulator. Thoughts? Pros and cons to each? Thanks!

 

[tbone1004]

this really should be in the regulator subforum not the mfg's subforum since Aqualung won't actually answer this, so hopefully the mods move it.

Core gets you the ACD but otherwise they're identical first stages. I'm not a huge fan of either of them because they aren't sealed and don't have a swivel turret, but they are very good first stages. Not a huge fan of the ACD concept, but others like it.

Mikron gets you what should be a slightly better second stage, but it's splitting hairs at that point.

because this is in the aqualung forum, we are bound to live with their product lines, but make sure to check out their other regulator brand with Apeks, and please tell us why you narrowed down to those two regulators, and what your goals are in diving so we can give you more tailored advice if the mods move this out of this subforum.

 

[Black Cat]

Thanks for the reply. I'm brand new to the forum and didn't see the regulator subforum. I'll repost and add some more details to the question. Thanks!

 

[Black Cat]

Hello all. I'm in the market for a new regulator. I've been looking into the AL Mikron and Core. I'm a fan of AL products and what I like about these particular regulators are that seem to be compact and lightweight travel regulators. 90 percent of my diving is in Mexico and the Caribbean; so not much cold water diving. So my question is between these two models, which would you go with? Or would you not go with these two at all and go with something else? The main thing I'm looking for is ease of breathing and a compact second stage that would prevent jaw fatigue the most. Preferably in the $500 range but I could go up to $700ish if it was really worth the extra $. Thanks in advance!

 

[tbone1004]

Thanks for the reply. I'm brand new to the forum and didn't see the regulator subforum. I'll repost and add some more details to the question. Thanks!

you're fine, I reported it to the mods, so they'll probably merge the two together

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A ScubaBoard Staff Message...

Threads moved and merged.
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[tbone1004]

Hello all. I'm in the market for a new regulator. I've been looking into the AL Mikron and Core. I'm a fan of AL products and what I like about these particular regulators are that seem to be compact and lightweight travel regulators. 90 percent of my diving is in Mexico and the Caribbean; so not much cold water diving. So my question is between these two models, which would you go with? Or would you not go with these two at all and go with something else? The main thing I'm looking for is ease of breathing and a compact second stage that would prevent jaw fatigue the most. Preferably in the $500 range but I could go up to $700ish if it was really worth the extra $. Thanks in advance!

is that budget for just a first and second stage, or a full regulator set? Do you have a computer or are you using a console?
Do you have any interest in self service?
How diligent are you about rinsing and soaking your regs before the salt dries?

The supreme versions of those regs are sealed, and I would recommend a sealed diaphragm for maintenance ease. Doesn't add much weight, shouldn't add much cost, but it is the difference in being able to not worry about salt deposits in the spring/diaphragm chamber so you can be a bit less diligent in cleaning.
You can't DIY service these regulators due to lack of parts availability, at least officially, so you will have that expense.
In addition to that, to maintain the lifetime warranty, you have to pay for service every year. This is not cheap, so add in roughly $100 to your scuba budget on a yearly basis if you want to maintain your warranty. This is a ripoff as these regs can easily go 3+ years between service if you take care of them.

My personal recommendation is to go here
Deep 6 Gear Double Tank Regulator Package - Regulator Packages - Regulators
You're going to be in for call it $850, but here's what you get
Lifetime warranty not contingent on service
First service included for free, including parts *which are included in your purchase, so you can DIY service*. $75 in parts, and somewhere between $100-$150 in labor. Recommended interval is 2 years, but if you purchase an IP gauge *under $20 from dive gear express*, you'll find they can go a lot longer that.
Availability of DIY service, the labor savings is quite nice, and regs really aren't that difficult to repair. These only require a set of o-ring picks, a pin spanner, and set of allen keys. Quite inexpensive and easily paid for in the first DIY service.

Yes this is a doubles set. I am a firm believer in travelling divers buying doubles regulator sets. People everywhere will say that availability of service globally is important, especially while travelling. I call BS. What are the odds you can get an overnight turnaround without paying an arm and a leg for that service? Do you really know if the shop is going to have the parts kits in stock for you? Do you know the quality of their service? If it happens in the morning, unless a rental set is on board, you're going to miss the dive, and like the afternoon dive. With a doubles set, you have a fully configured first stage in your save a dive kit, and in under 5 minutes with an adjustable wrench, you can swap your hoses over to that first stage and not miss a dive. What is that worth to you? Yes it is an extra pound and a half to carry, but you shouldn't be checking regulators anyway, so throw them in your carryon which most places don't weigh to begin with.

The regs are top notch and have been used in some pretty intense cave dives and deep dives since the prototypes were released, so while you have probably never heard of the name, they come from the guy that started HOG and are an evolution of the D3/Zenith design. Better soft parts, better plating, some performance upgrades, etc. These are the real deal.

Regarding jaw fatigue. I have TMJ so am very sensitive to jaw fatigue. Biggest things you can do are go with braided hoses, and/or swivels. I prefer ball swivels on rubber hoses because it allows you to adjust the regulator to the exact position you want it and leave it there. The 7' hogarthian loop routing allows you to have your neck support quite a bit of the regulator and hose weight as opposed to normal recreational routing where you have the whole hose sticking out and creating drag. The 7' hose is best done with a backplate and wing, but if you have a jacket bc, the 5' hose should work OK. I don't like them, but I also don't like jackets, so don't have to worry about it.
Next thing you can do is switch mouthpieces. I am a fan of the Apeks/Aqualung comfobites, where you don't have to hold the reg in your jaw, your upper teeth are sandwiched by the mouthpiece and it just kind of chills there. Others are fans of the Seacure which is moldable so you engage all of your teeth instead of the front ones. The #2 mouthpiece from them will fit the Deep6 regs above and are available from most dive shops. At $30, they're expensive, but many swear by them

 

[decompression]

I've got several sets of Mikrons, a fantastic reg. I've used them cold and warm but they are my go to travel regs, super light and breathe great. Parts and service anywhere in the world. When liesurepro had them for $250 I bought more.

 

[Black Cat]

is that budget for just a first and second stage, or a full regulator set? Just first and second stage Do you have a computer or are you using a console? Dive computer
Do you have any interest in self service? Not particularly
How diligent are you about rinsing and soaking your regs before the salt dries? Pretty diligent

The supreme versions of those regs are sealed, and I would recommend a sealed diaphragm for maintenance ease. Doesn't add much weight, shouldn't add much cost, but it is the difference in being able to not worry about salt deposits in the spring/diaphragm chamber so you can be a bit less diligent in cleaning.
You can't DIY service these regulators due to lack of parts availability, at least officially, so you will have that expense.
In addition to that, to maintain the lifetime warranty, you have to pay for service every year. This is not cheap, so add in roughly $100 to your scuba budget on a yearly basis if you want to maintain your warranty. This is a ripoff as these regs can easily go 3+ years between service if you take care of them.

My personal recommendation is to go here
Deep 6 Gear Double Tank Regulator Package - Regulator Packages - Regulators
You're going to be in for call it $850, but here's what you get
Lifetime warranty not contingent on service
First service included for free, including parts *which are included in your purchase, so you can DIY service*. $75 in parts, and somewhere between $100-$150 in labor. Recommended interval is 2 years, but if you purchase an IP gauge *under $20 from dive gear express*, you'll find they can go a lot longer that.
Availability of DIY service, the labor savings is quite nice, and regs really aren't that difficult to repair. These only require a set of o-ring picks, a pin spanner, and set of allen keys. Quite inexpensive and easily paid for in the first DIY service.

Yes this is a doubles set. I am a firm believer in travelling divers buying doubles regulator sets. People everywhere will say that availability of service globally is important, especially while travelling. I call BS. What are the odds you can get an overnight turnaround without paying an arm and a leg for that service? Do you really know if the shop is going to have the parts kits in stock for you? Do you know the quality of their service? If it happens in the morning, unless a rental set is on board, you're going to miss the dive, and like the afternoon dive. With a doubles set, you have a fully configured first stage in your save a dive kit, and in under 5 minutes with an adjustable wrench, you can swap your hoses over to that first stage and not miss a dive. What is that worth to you? Yes it is an extra pound and a half to carry, but you shouldn't be checking regulators anyway, so throw them in your carryon which most places don't weigh to begin with.

The regs are top notch and have been used in some pretty intense cave dives and deep dives since the prototypes were released, so while you have probably never heard of the name, they come from the guy that started HOG and are an evolution of the D3/Zenith design. Better soft parts, better plating, some performance upgrades, etc. These are the real deal.

Regarding jaw fatigue. I have TMJ so am very sensitive to jaw fatigue. Biggest things you can do are go with braided hoses, and/or swivels. I prefer ball swivels on rubber hoses because it allows you to adjust the regulator to the exact position you want it and leave it there. The 7' hogarthian loop routing allows you to have your neck support quite a bit of the regulator and hose weight as opposed to normal recreational routing where you have the whole hose sticking out and creating drag. The 7' hose is best done with a backplate and wing, but if you have a jacket bc, the 5' hose should work OK. I don't like them, but I also don't like jackets, so don't have to worry about it.
Next thing you can do is switch mouthpieces. I am a fan of the Apeks/Aqualung comfobites, where you don't have to hold the reg in your jaw, your upper teeth are sandwiched by the mouthpiece and it just kind of chills there. Others are fans of the Seacure which is moldable so you engage all of your teeth instead of the front ones. The #2 mouthpiece from them will fit the Deep6 regs above and are available from most dive shops. At $30, they're expensive, but many swear by them

Thanks for the detailed feedback

 

[tbone1004]

Thanks for the detailed feedback

why just first and second? what do you have already for gauge and secondary?

 

[uncfnp]

Aqualung makes a great regulator and as Jay said on the rare chance you have a problem traveling, service is available worldwide. I have yet to need anything more then routine maintenance and that only on an as needed bases. Its been about 3 years since the last service.

Our first regs were Mikrons and its still my recreational set, primary and backup second. Its also on my pony reg, Eric's pony and as his backup regulator to his Legend primary. He bought the Legend several years ago thinking it would breathe better then the Mikron but he says he can tell no significant difference. So that's 3 first stages and 5 seconds all in regular use.

Obviously I am a big fan of the Mikron for both its size, weight and for us at least, dependability. Between the Core and the Mikron you can't go wrong. The Core does have the ACD as does Eric's Legend. He seems to like it but since I am starting to service my own regs I prefer my not having that feature.