MK25 with S600 ?G250 ? or S555

[Chocoholic]

I am going cross-eyed reading all the info on Scubaboard, Scubalab reviews in Scubadiving magazine and looking at info on the Scubapro website.
So I have narrowed it down to Scubapro MK25 - I am aware of the freeze up problems associated with it but I have absolutely NO intention of ever diving in that cold of water again! If it is below 50F - forget it.
Well, I am considering the MK17 because of the environmental sealing - is it less likely that I could mess it up rinsing it or putting on the dust cap? - but I think the performance of the MK25 is what I want......
NOW i have to decide on which 2nd stage, so I am thinking about the S600 but then not sure why not go with the G250 or the S555? or S550? help.
The price range is $650 and higher here in Alaska, does that sound about right?

 

[sandersondiver]

You're right on about the price range. Scubapro anywhere in the US should be exactly the same price. It is part of the dealer agreement. As far as which 2nd stage you should get, I would go with either the G250 or the S600. They are pretty much the same regulator, but the 600 has a smaller can. They both even breath about the same. I would stay away from 500 series regs just due to the fact that there is no user adjustment. I like that feature in both the 250 and 600.
If you want to know what I dive, MK25/S600.

Dive Safe.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

The S600 and G250HP are idenitcal intenrally, the S600 just comes in a smaller case. The G250HP gives the same performance for less money and also has a better reputation in very cold water.

I'm an SP fan, but I get tired of their marketing hype. The Mk 25 is a real workhorse with a flow rate of 300 SCFM, but that performance is overkill.

The Mk 17 has a flow rate of 177 SCFM and that is more than enough for any recreational, deep or or trimix technical diving situation. So while the MK 25 has more theoretical preformance, it is not performance you will notice at the second stage. In fact I switched from Mk 25's to the Mk 17's on my doubles. I also use very finely tuned D400's with inhaltion efforts in the .7 inches of water range. If any second stage would notice a difference in first stage performance, they would, and they don't even at depths well below recreational limits. The Mk 17 breathes every bit as good as the Mk 25 even at depth under high work loads. The Mk 17 is also bullet proof in very cold water while the Mk 25 is at risk of freeflowing at temps below about 45 degrees.

My advice would be to forget what you read in divemags and SP's website and get a Mk 17 instead of a Mk 25.

Scubapro packages the Mk 17 with the S555 or X650 second stage. The Mk 17 X650 is a great combination, but any SP dealer can order the Mk 17 with any second stage and that expands your options and can save you some cash. The Mk 17 G250HP would offer peak performance on par with either the S600 or X650 second stage but will do it for less money. The S600 is another option, although cost wise it ends up being nearly identical to the X650 in a Mk 17 package, so it becomes a matter of preference and asthetics rather than performance.

 

[CrackedConch]

These guys said all there is to be said about the technical specs of these regs. My 2 cents is more personal opinion based on my own experience, but here goes...

What you are saying about staying out of cold water, the MK25/S600 is an excellent choice... Great performance, great reliability, great longevity--you won't be buying a new reg anytime in the foreseeable future. Good investment--it's a lot of money, but you are getting your money's worth.

I don't dive in less than 50 degree water myself. I've been diving my MK25/S600 for about 2 years and I've dived a lot of regs along the way. The MK25/S600 is my hands-down favorite.

 

[Chocoholic]

The S600 and G250HP are idenitcal intenrally, the S600 just comes in a smaller case. The G250HP gives the same performance for less money and also has a better reputation in very cold water.

I'm an SP fan, but I get tired of their marketing hype. The Mk 25 is a real workhorse with a flow rate of 300 SCFM, but that performance is overkill.

The Mk 17 has a flow rate of 177 SCFM and that is more than enough for any recreational, deep or or trimix technical diving situation. So while the MK 25 has more theoretical preformance, it is not performance you will notice at the second stage. In fact I switched from Mk 25's to the Mk 17's on my doubles. I also use very finely tuned D400's with inhaltion efforts in the .7 inches of water range. If any second stage would notice a difference in first stage performance, they would, and they don't even at depths well below recreational limits. The Mk 17 breathes every bit as good as the Mk 25 even at depth under high work loads. The Mk 17 is also bullet proof in very cold water while the Mk 25 is at risk of freeflowing at temps below about 45 degrees.

My advice would be to forget what you read in divemags and SP's website and get a Mk 17 instead of a Mk 25.

Scubapro packages the Mk 17 with the S555 or X650 second stage. The Mk 17 X650 is a great combination, but any SP dealer can order the Mk 17 with any second stage and that expands your options and can save you some cash. The Mk 17 G250HP would offer peak performance on par with either the S600 or X650 second stage but will do it for less money. The S600 is another option, although cost wise it ends up being nearly identical to the X650 in a Mk 17 package, so it becomes a matter of preference and asthetics rather than performance.

Thanks for all the info. I found a MK17/S550 for $418.00 and I am considering it. The dealer said that the S550 is last years model. I can't find much info on it, could you comment on this combination.

 

[fire_diver]

Thanks for all the info. I found a MK17/S550 for $418.00 and I am considering it. The dealer said that the S550 is last years model. I can't find much info on it, could you comment on this combination.

The s550 is the exact same reg as the s600, only without the user adjustable inhalation control.

FD

 

[DA Aquamaster]

The differences between the S550 and S555 are not sgnificant and are basically cosmetic.

The other thing Scubapro has been doing lately that annoys me is creating a confusing array of model numbers with little or no change, or worse, creating new models that actually have fewer features than the old ones they replaced (for example eliminating the viva adjustment on the R models.)

 

[Chocoholic]

Thanks for all the help, Choco

 

[Chocoholic]

thanks for all your help, especially to DA Aquamaster. I just got a MK17/S600 today.
Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday to me