Opinions and info needed on a couple regs.

[MaizeNBlue88]

Well as stated in my bio, I'm new to diving. I'm also currently on the market for my first set of gear, and before you ask, yes I do know I can rent. This is more for informational purposes to set me up for a future purchase. A couple months from now when I'm certified, I'll need to get my own gear. But on to my actual question:

Out of these three regulators...

- Apeks XTX50

- Aqua Lung Core Supreme

- Atomic Z3

...which would get me the most bang for the buck in terms of usability? What I mean is, which is the best mid-range reg that would be good for a new diver who plans to possibly move on to more technical dives later? Something that I wouldn't have to upgrade the second I want to do more than recreational warm water dives. My main concern is that I'll get one and then a year from now think: "Damn, should've spent just a little more on the other one." One thing I would love to have, is for it to work well in colder water. Being that I live in northern Ohio, I may want to dive earlier than May next year. Just please give me a breakdown on the differences, the advantages/disadvantages, and perhaps personal experiences. I appreciate any relevant info.

 

[tstormdiver]

I can not say that I am very familiar with Atomic products. The Apeks XTX 50 is a middle- of- the- road regulator. Breathes decently, but not the best I have ever breathed. I'm not sure if it may be the best for cold water because the 1st stage is not environmentally sealed (normally) & the second stage can be a little touchy about free flowing. My LDS uses these regulators for basic OW classes. Although I have not seen nor serviced a Core Supreme, it looks to be of standard Aqualung style like the Glacia, Legend & Titan LX Regs. The 1st stage is environmentally sealed & the second stage looks like a standard balanced Aqualung Second stage. I would say of those, that would be one of the better choices for cold water diving.

 

[Hickdive]

Apeks XTX50 has a DST first stage which is a dry-sealed turret. The second stage has a heat exchanger metal retaining nut for the cross-case body. The regulator is designed for use in cold water.

All Apeks regulators now not only meet and exceed EN250, they also meet and exceed, by a considerable margin, the forthcoming EN250A.

 

[Fishpie]

Plus the balanced AquaLung 2nd stages were designed by Apeks.

 

[tbone1004]

Tammy, the Apeks series are certainly not "middle of the road" sure it is the base model of the adjustable XTX series, but the second stages are fantastic and they are the preferred regulators for many technical divers. They xTX50 only comes with sealed first stages, DST/DS4/Tek3. To the OP, look at your location, where you intend to dive, this is going to have a few major points of interest for deciding on the regulator you choose

Local diving, do you intend on purchasing your own tanks? How soon do you realistically see yourself getting into technical type diving? If the answer is yes to the first and soon on the second *no reason not to start proper technical style training straight out of the gait*, then you will want to purchase din first stages with a yoke adapter for travel.

Do you intend on diving doubles or sidemount? For technical training you have to choose one. For sidemount it is highly recommended to go with turret style regulators, and I greatly prefer them for backmount doubles. This eliminates all of the Aqualung regulators, and all of the Apeks except the DST.

For local diving you may prefer a sealed diaphragm which is easier to maintain and certainly cheaper to service than having to have a piston regulator packed with grease every time for service, this is why sealed diaphragms are much more popular than pistons for most technical divers. This rules Atomic out as they only make piston regulators.

Don't be afraid to consider other brands of regulators, Dive Rite XT's for example are significantly cheaper than Apeks, but are basically the same regulator, Hog D1/Classic combo's are almost identical to the Apeks ATX50 series *non reversible*, and you can get a full set of doubles regs for about $500 right now, these are being used for tremendous exploration diving right now primarily because of the cost of the Apeks.

If you intend on technical training in the future, buy two firsts and two seconds right out of the gate, it is much cheaper to purchase regulators this way.

Depending on the type of technical training you are looking into, it may be valuable to take a GUE recreational class right out of the gate if you intend on diving doubles, it will be a bit more money, but it will save you time/money/frustration down the road when the technical instructors have to break you of the terrible habits most recreational instructors give to their students regarding buoyancy, trim, and propulsion techniques. Bob Sherwood is in NY and is the closest local instructor to you.

If sidemount appeals to you, I would recommend spending the extra money and flying down to Marianna and taking your OW in the springs from Edd Sorenson, similar to GUE above, this will get you squared away from the get go.

Make sure the Mask/Fins/Snorkel set you purchase for OW will work well for technical diving down the road to save money. No split fins, don't buy heavy Hollis F1's if you intend on diving sidemount, they don't work well. Get the cheapest J snorkel you can, no need for frills of any kind because as soon as you get out of OW training you won't have much of a use for it.

Lots of threads about general and specific gear recommendations but you really need to look at the future diving you want to do so you can make an informed decision so you buy once and are done with it. At this point you don't necessarily have to decide between sidemount or backmount twinsets, but if you're leaning towards sidemount or see cave diving in your future in sidemount, it's probably best to just make the jump straight in.

 

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

I use XTX-50 which is environmentally sealed and very well known in ice diving community. I have used it in extremely cold waters and ice conditions. I have also used XTX 100 and 200 and can not tell the difference between XTX-50 and its elder brothers. I used to have the Atomic Z2 (older version of Z3) and it did not come environmentally sealed. You have to pack it with christolube and I was told that the annual service will be more expensive. So I sold my Z2 and purchased the XTX 50 which I find to be awesome.

In your situation, I would go with the XTX-50.

 

[Colliam7]

Out of these three regulators...

- Apeks XTX50

- Aqua Lung Core Supreme

- Atomic Z3

...which would get me the most bang for the buck in terms of usability . . . which is the best mid-range reg that would be good for a new diver who plans to possibly move on to more technical dives later?

Of the three, I would select the Apeks XTX50. The XTX50 second stage is a good, solid, workhorse second stage that will do just about anything that you need it to do, it is widely used in technical diving (the Apeks Tec 3 regulator package comes with two of them; the Apeks sidemount regulator package comes as two XTX50s - the second stage and the DST first stage).

In past years, Apeks labelled their second stages and first stages independently, even if they often shipped certain pairings. So, you would / could buy a XTX50 second stage, and pair it with a US4 first stage, for example, and get the kind of set-up that Tammy referred to - an unsealed, so-so performance, first stage, with a second stage labelled XTX50. That is, as hickdive mentioned, no longer the case. The XTX50 is now the label for a regulator 'system' with a) the turret / swivel DST first stage (a good, very functional, environmentally sealed first stage) and b) the XTX50 second stage. I do not care for the new nomenclature, but apparently the marketplace at large does.

Personally, I do not see a particular need for a turret / swivel first stage for single cylinder diving (although my very first reg was a turret / swivel Zeagle 50D). But, they work just fine. And, until the introduction of the 5th port on the DST, which allows for somewhat nice hose routing for backmount doubles (and sidemounted cylinders as well), I seldom recommended turret regulators for technical applications.

Now, however, the XTX50 pairing represents a good choice for just the situation that you describe - something you can use now as a newer recreational diver, AND which you can continue to use as you develop as a diver, even including a trek to the dark side of technical diving - backmount or sidemount) if that turns out to be your cuppa.

 

[tbone1004]

Colliam, I really like the 5 port turrets for wet single tank diving actually.
Octo comes out 5th port, SPG down, then the inflator on the front side of the turret, "long hose" on the back side. Can be an actual long hose or it can be a 40" with an angle adapter. Looks exactly like the left post of a doubles rig with the extra regulator coming off of it which makes switching back and forth a breeze. Doesn't do so well with drysuit for that hose routing, but I try to avoid drysuit in anything other than doubles due to lead.

 

[rivers]

personally, i would save some money and go for an apeks atx-40 and ds-4 first stage. same internals as the xtx-50, no twiddly know though. and the second stage isn't reversible. but the regs are bulletproof

 

[MaizeNBlue88]

Concerning side mount or doubles, those are really lower on my list of priorities compared to the ability to use the regulator in cold water. Using it in cold water is really the only non-standard thing I see doing in the near future (such as the next year or two). I just wanted to have the ability to use it for doubles or side mount if I do decide to do so in the future. No offense tbone1004, but I'm more concerned about actually getting a regulator at this point than buying two so that I can use the other one two or three years from now. I understand the logic behind it, but being that I don't foresee needing the second reg in the immediate future, I don't want to spend an egregious amount of money right out of the gate on my first set of gear. The reason I'm considering mainly these three brands is that my LDS carries these brands. It will be easier/cheaper to get the gear I need and to get them serviced. Again, all answers are appreciated, and thanks for the info.