Piston vs diaphragm first stage?

[Fishpie]

With the exception of the previous generation Mares seat and the first oceanic diaphragm reg, I have found diaphragm regs more stable than piston regs between (sometimes very extended) servicing intervals.
I will admit my criteria for "best" reg is different from most divers.
My best reg is one I can put away wet in a boat lazerette (hot, humid and salty) and then haul it out after 6 month or more and have it work perfectly without any tweaking.
My choice of reg to put on a sailboat for an indefinite voyage in remote locations would be a Conshelf, SEA or any Apeks.
I would also expect it to be able to do this for 5 years without servicing.

 

[EarlyDolphin]

With 5 posts here and no information about your real world experience, you don't really have much of a track record to go spouting off about "best" and "most" reliable EarlyD.

Well roared, lino
Sorry … didn’t know it’s necessary to have a certain number of posts to be allowed to write my point of view. Should go reading the ScubaBoard rules again.
Where did I use the word “best” and “most” in connection with reliability? I also said, that the whole regulator construction has to be considered, combined with regular and qualified service.
… or maybe I have been misunderstood because I used the wrong words.

And Scubapro and Atomic make alot of pistons, what is your point?

And in over 1000 dives, I know far more diaphram regs which have failed due to IP creep (a few dozen) than piston regs which have frozen (none).

My “real world experience” is, that all of the diaphragm regulators from me and my buddys have also never failed during my 12 years of diving (Aqualung, Apeks, Poseidon, Cressi, Mares). But I saw already two piston regs fail, unfortunately both were Scubapro MK20 or MK25 (no idea if they were really frozen and if they had been serviced correctly).
Did I wrote all piston regs are rubbish? No! Just wrote my opinion and why I think so. If you think different, that’s ok, because this is a discussion forum (I hope it is?).

Ask the question piston vs diaph. in Europe (or Germany) and you’ll see that piston regulators in general have not the best reputation in relation to cold water or technical dives. Maybe Scubapro’s and Atomic’s piston 1st stages are very good and reliable and therefore an exception. But I wonder why most of the regulator manufacturers today only offer diaphragm regs as equipment for extreme or cold conditions (Apeks/HOG, Aqualung, Beuchat, Cressi, Mares, Oceanic/Aeris, Poseidon, Seac, Tusa, Zeagle).
Or take a look at the models authorized by the US Navy: http://www.supsalv.org/pdf/ANUView.pdf (1.4: Regulators / Cold Water Service)
The topic's creator lives in Norway. Maybe he wants to dive there in the future?

 

[Hatul]

Well roared, lino
Sorry … didn’t know it’s necessary to have a certain number of posts to be allowed to write my point of view. Should go reading the ScubaBoard rules again.
Where did I use the word “best” and “most” in connection with reliability? I also said, that the whole regulator construction has to be considered, combined with regular and qualified service.
… or maybe I have been misunderstood because I used the wrong words.


My “real world experience” is, that all of the diaphragm regulators from me and my buddys have also never failed during my 12 years of diving (Aqualung, Apeks, Poseidon, Cressi, Mares). But I saw already two piston regs fail, unfortunately both were Scubapro MK20 or MK25 (no idea if they were really frozen and if they had been serviced correctly).
Did I wrote all piston regs are rubbish? No! Just wrote my opinion and why I think so. If you think different, that’s ok, because this is a discussion forum (I hope it is?).

Ask the question piston vs diaph. in Europe (or Germany) and you’ll see that piston regulators in general have not the best reputation in relation to cold water or technical dives. Maybe Scubapro’s and Atomic’s piston 1st stages are very good and reliable and therefore an exception. But I wonder why most of the regulator manufacturers today only offer diaphragm regs as equipment for extreme or cold conditions (Apeks/HOG, Aqualung, Beuchat, Cressi, Mares, Oceanic/Aeris, Poseidon, Seac, Tusa, Zeagle).
Or take a look at the models authorized by the US Navy: http://www.supsalv.org/pdf/ANUView.pdf (1.4: Regulators / Cold Water Service)
The topic's creator lives in Norway. Maybe he wants to dive there in the future?

If the piston reg were sealed, as in the Atomic M1, would that not provide the same resistance to freezing as a sealed diaphragm?

Adam

 

[Tristan.ak]

I have an Aqualung Titan with a diaphragm 1st stage with a environmental seal, it works great for cold water (35*) I haven't had a free flow and it breaths easily. When I get another reg its going to be a Scubapro s600 mk25.
Well for cold water it varies some people say 40F is cold, others say 30F is, to me cold is a thin layer of ice on the surface of the sea.