Piston vs diaphragm first stage?

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guyelix

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Messages
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Location
Bergen, Norway
# of dives
100 - 199
Very simple really! any ideas floating about on the subject? Pros and cons? Serviceability? Aqualung/Apeks vs Scubapro?

Guy
 
I am in camp diaphragm, specifically environmentally sealed diaphragm. They are tougher to service but perform better in cold water.
You can get scubapro regs serviced pretty much anywhere in the world, and I would suspect Aqualung regs are also not difficult to get serviced. As for Apeks, I am not sure.
 
The BP Scubapro is a great regulator from the MK5, MK10, MK20 and MK25 it has been there corvette of regulators. I breathes great and it can be O2 cleaned for O2 service. The MK17 is a diaphragm and is a sealed design great for cold or dirty water (Also keeps salt out) but it cannot be used for O2 service. It really depends on what you want to do with it.
Hose routing is easier on the MK25 and the swivel LP turret. Service is worldwide as stated above.

MK17 is easier for me to service with less parts.

SP made a MK19 in EU that was the MK17 with a swivel LP turret but not available stateside.

The HOG D1 is a diaphragm, swivel LP turret and 5th port with up to 100% O2 service. Parts are available to service yourself and they are a lot cheaper than SP.

Again this depends on what you will use it for.

I have the MK2, Mk10, MK16, MK17, MK 25 and HOG D1.
 
I own one piston reg and one diaphragm reg. They're both dependable and serviceable. Might opt for a diaphragm reg if I were diving Norway.
 
Are we talking servicing yourself?

Both brands (Apeks/Aqualung come under one umbrella anyway) are very common in Europe so you should have no problems finding a shop to service anyway.

If you do need parts then there's a shop in Germany that I order all my APEKs parts through. Not sure if I'm allowed to advertise that though :confused: PM if you need the website.
 
I dive Scubapro only, MK20/G250's, mainly because they breathe really good and are easy to service myself. But then my definition of "freezing" is 13°C/55°F.

Around here Apeks are very popular because people think diving in sub-freezing water (4°C) is cool. Apeks are serviced by Aqualung shops, so that shouldn't be a problem.
 
guyelic, both piston an diaphram are bloody marvelous... One cheaper to service then other one, and both yeh do what they supose to do. Me personaly I 'think' I would go for diaphram next time just to se bit diference and because enviromental sealed sound so cool and ''''bullet proof'''' to me...
..make my mind hapier :D
 
Forgot to say that I'm very happy with my Aqualung Titan LX, but I'm Scubapro MK 25 curious. The selv-service bit attracts me and since I do most of my diving outside Norway so freezing isn't really a biiiig issue! I'm a wimp, I know! :))
Maybe I should just go and try a MK 25! Says who you can't have two rigs, right?
 
For the area you are diving go with the diaphragm.
 
For the area you are diving go with the diaphragm.

The same goes for Switzerland: everybody I know here dives Apeks...
And that's the reason why I can buy used MK20 CHEAP! Nobody wants them, so they go for 50-75 euros. And the service kit is 14 euros instead of 24 euros for the MK16/18 (diaphragm).

But then the Titan LX is a very good reg too. I have a non-LX that breathes noticeably less well than the MK20/G250, but it's a simple downstream design, whereas the LX is a balanced poppet design very similar to the G250.
 

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