Questions about the non-LX Aqualung Titan?

[Mantaray52]

After a couple other deals fell through, finally closed on some used but ready to dive reg sets for my wife and I. The sets include the last gen (2008?) Aqualung Titan (not LX) 1st and 2nd stage with an aqualung octo as well as SPG. The sets were $200 each including full servicing which makes my wallet happy. What I'm wondering is how much mileage I can expect to get out of these and how they compare to newer/better models. There are tons of discussions on the Titan LX but not much on the basic Titan, and essentially no discussion that I can find explaining differences (or lack thereof if that's the case) between the current, previous, and original Titan.

What I have been able to determine so far is that the Titan LX and Titan differences lie primarily in the 2nd stage, most notably with the LX being balanced and regular being unbalanced. In both cases the older 1st stages only have one HP port whereas some of the newer ones have two.

If I plan to stick to recreational diving in +50C water, at what point am I likely to find the regular Titan reaching its limits?
If I do dives below 20m, I understand that's where the breathing gets a little harder with the unbalanced 2nd, but is this usually an uncomfortable thing or just harder than an easy breathing balanced second?
If I get it serviced annually like I should, how long will it last?

 

[Fishpie]

You almost have it all correct.
The non balanced 2nd stage will have a very slightly harder breathing effort compared to the balanced LX but this will remain unchanged with depth. In other words it won't get harder to breath from as you pass below 20, 30 or 50m.
What you might notice though is it could get slightly harder to breathe from at very low tank pressure....under 50BAR.
In normal use I would expect at least 3 to 5 years before it would have to be fully serviced.

 

[axxel57]

@Mantaray52

The 2008 Titan model is probably the best model in the Titan series ever, so be happy that you can get tzhem for a reasonable price.

You got the Titan 1st stage where you can change the orifice for a cheap price and the 2nd stage orifice is of metal. The LP hose connection is normal, so you don't have to acquire the specific Aqualung hose of the recent models if your hose has a problem.

As Fishpie wrote the cracking effort should not be higher in the Titan than with a balanced Titan LX.

But in fact you can expect (theoretically) your Titan to breathe easier when you come to 50bars or less.

It's a very nice balanced Diaphragm 1st stage, so you got the lower IP on full tank and it is getting higher with lower tank pressure.

Since the IP change between full and near empty tank is usually only 2 -3 psi, you will hardly ( if at all) feel any difference in breathing effort.

If you get them serviced frequently and treat them right, they could be the last regulators you were buying ever ( if there shouldn't pop up in the far future a problem with the spare parts supply).

So good luck with your purchase.....

 

[Fishpie]

.......correct, IP with diaphragm regs will increase at low tank pressure.

 

[scubafanatic]

I've bought a number of the 2008 vintage Titan LX's over the last few years, have added DIN kits to 2 sets, and either bought with or subsequently added 1st stage sealed enviro kits to 8 of them. I've got 4 dive-ready sets, another 4 sets I'm in the process of finishing (like adding Atomic 2nd-stage swivel hoses, etc.) and another 3 or 4 sets to use in future for parts or to replace any damaged bits down the road. I wanted a commom, mid range reg that's widely serviced, long term parts availabilty, and a simple/mature robust design that's reliable. I do prefer the LX's balanced 2nd stage, and I prefer to equip all my 1st stages with the sealed enviro kits.

There are 1st stage port adapters if you need to be able to attach more than 1 HP device to the 1st stage, I use them on all my regs with no issues.