Recommendations for a Cold/Temperate Water Reg?

[Nathyne]

i recommend apex but im sure this was already said. as for zeagles or scubapros nothing but problems with them. zeagles are a poorly designed reg that sometimes even blow apart in the water (think this may be a minor prob how about you?). ive seen quite a few scubapros as well with problems they say "cold water" but ice diving 90% of the time i guarantee its a scubapro that ends up free flowing

 

[Luis H]

I have two Poseidon Cyklon 5000 Metals and an old [circa 1998] Aqualung Arctic. The Cyklons have been around for 45 years or something and were the first single-hose reg. They are pretty paired-down and there are zero frills, but man do they ever breathe nicely. I basically always dive in cold water and have never had them freeze-up. They're robustly built and you'll often see them in the most demanding diving situations, b/c there is little to fail i.e. they're simple units. I'm sure there is better breathing regs out there, but the Cyklon is pretty bomber and breathes beautifully especially at depth. They're expensive to buy and maintain.

I don't want to highjack the thread, but would like to point out a couple minor mistakes.

The Cyklon first came out in 1957, that makes it actually 51 years old. But the first single hose was the Australian made Dolphin which started in production in the early 50's, about 5 years earlier than the Cyklon.

It is the longest second stage still in production and a great second stage it is.
The fact that you can still get it in metal makes that much better for a cold water regulator.

 

[Jimmer]

i recommend apex but im sure this was already said. as for zeagles or scubapros nothing but problems with them. zeagles are a poorly designed reg that sometimes even blow apart in the water (think this may be a minor prob how about you?). ive seen quite a few scubapros as well with problems they say "cold water" but ice diving 90% of the time i guarantee its a scubapro that ends up free flowing

Are you kidding me? Poorly designed regs that blow apart underwater? Is this the same logic that caused you to state that "if you just cut off the outter sheath of a regular hose, it's a myflex hose now"? For starters they were based off your beloved Apeks regs, and then had the high pressure seal improved upon, so it wasn't a sharp edge sealing it, and that all the pieces of the HP seat are replaceable and not machined or forged into the first stage body, like in the Apeks.

So do share, which models of Zeagle reg have you owned and had blow apart? I've only personally known of one reg to actually blow apart, and that was an Apeks DS4. Also, why would the reg not blow apart upon initial pressurization, but rather in the water, where the net internal pressure is actually less?

And have you ever heard of a Scubapro Mk17? Great cold water reg.

 

[anzac65]

Are you kidding me? Poorly designed regs that blow apart underwater? Is this the same logic that caused you to state that "if you just cut off the outter sheath of a regular hose, it's a myflex hose now"? For starters they were based off your beloved Apeks regs, and then had the high pressure seal improved upon, so it wasn't a sharp edge sealing it, and that all the pieces of the HP seat are replaceable and not machined or forged into the first stage body, like in the Apeks.

So do share, which models of Zeagle reg have you owned and had blow apart? I've only personally known of one reg to actually blow apart, and that was an Apeks DS4. Also, why would the reg not blow apart upon initial pressurization, but rather in the water, where the net internal pressure is actually less?

And have you ever heard of a Scubapro Mk17? Great cold water reg.

To the original poster, go with Jimmer on this one. I'll be surprised if you can find anyone else on this board who will criticise any Zeagle reg. The poster who said they blow up and are poorly designed speak heap big tosh with forked tongue . I have a DS-V/ZX and it's outstanding, not to mention amazingly good value. I think Jimmer knows a bit too. To my recollection, he owns six Zeagle regs..... (correct me if I'm wrong, Jimmer)

 

[Jimmer]

I think Jimmer knows a bit too. To my recollection, he owns six Zeagle regs..... (correct me if I'm wrong, Jimmer)

5 actually...try not to exagerate the facts

 

[Nathyne]

i dont really care how many zeagle regs you own, if you want to brag about owning regs i have... 6 ds4s and 2 tek 3s plus more second stages than i know what to do with. also i can get any reg i desire except for tusa. i have seen the zeagle regs blow apart underwater and after seeing that there is no chance in hell i would dive one. and the reg was on a stage bottle so perhaps was not pressurized before taken into the water but still either way i would not want to have to stay longer on the deco in freezing cold water because of a poor reg.

Also you can argue all you want i know i am correct if there is 1 reg i recommend to stay away from when im selling them its the zeagles and i am not a cyber diver who believes whatever the majority on the internet believes.

 

[Jimmer]

So please enlighten us, what exactly "blew apart" on these Zeagle regs, and how many times has it happened?

 

[Nathyne]

So please enlighten us, what exactly "blew apart" on these Zeagle regs, and how many times has it happened?

it was the environmental seal with the diaphragm and all that i've seen blow off. i've heard of this happening 4 times so far and seen one.

 

[Jimmer]

So just the enviro diaphragm? So the reg still breathed fine then. The DS4 that I know of blowing up in a parking lot, actually rendered it unuseable, and I have also heard of others doing it. My opinion on Zeagle regs is based on over 100 dives with my Zeagles, in everything from the tropics, to ice dives, and they are the only reg I've used, or my buddies used, that haven't ever given them even minor issues.

If I had to wager I guess, I'd assume that the enviro cap blowing off had something to do with the service, and not the reg itself. If there was an inherent problem with them from the factory that would cause that to be a regular occurance, you can rest assured that Zeagle would rectify it. Just as Apeks has issued recalls to rectify any problems they have had.

Long story short, my trust (and MANY others here on the board) in Zeagle regulators is based on personal experience, using, servicing, and being treated well by the staff at Zeagle. We all have been "burned" by a product at some point, and once that has happened, you tend to write off that particular thing, but I found it a little arrogant to spout off blanket statements like "they are a bad design and tend to blow apart underwater" when you have one confirmed report, and some hearsay about an event that doesn't result in any catastrophic failure mode.

Case in point, Oceanic had a major recall from HP seats splitting. Now that would be a catastrophic event. They issued a recall, fixed the problem, and moved on. No scuba manufacturer is infallable, including Apeks, who have a recall out currently.

To the OP, do some reading on here. You'll find tons and tons of extremely satisfied Zeagle reg users, and extremely few unhappy ones, and in the event that there was some kind of issue, Zeagle has possibly the best customer service in the industry, which is a lot more than can be said for Apeks/Aqualung.

Jim

 

[firemedic8082]

I will back up the Zeagles. Ive heard nothing but good things about them and just ordered my own VI's....cant wait to get them. Ive tried out one and it breaths as smooth or better than my buddies Atomic.