Recreational Regulator conversion to Sidemount Setup

[tbone1004]

it's heavy, but not really any heavier than the Apeks, both around 1.5lbs. They are very big, and that is one advantage of piston designs, they tend to be smaller and lighter.

The freeflow issue I wasn't aware of, but that just means that they shop they bought it from didn't do their job and tune it before they left the door. Easily remedied if you know what you're doing or ask the shop to verify performance before you buy. Regarding performance, they are regularly going to 300+ft cave dives and quite deep in the ocean as well, so if some of the big names in the sport trust them and are using them on expedition style diving, you shouldn't have any issues with them either... If you're state side and mechanically inclined, you can take a course to learn to service them and that will save you time/money at the shops, but more importantly may save a trip if something does go wrong, you can always fix it yourself. Very difficult to get Apeks parts kits.... Atomics are a bit easier, but still not as readily available.

 

[nakatomi]

Very difficult to get Apeks parts kits....

Not so much.

If you check Ebay, there are plenty of sellers in Europe who ship them to the US for very moderate prices.
There is one in Austria who will sell a service kit bundle (1st. and 2nd stage) for 35 EUR plus 4 EUR shipping to North America.
That is $45 for both kits, shipped. They also sell individual kits and other spare parts.

Taucher Werkstatt, Atemregler Werkzeuge Artikel im Batterie Erneuerung Shop bei eBay!

Last I remember, this is cheaper than buying the totally overpriced Hog service kits in the US.

 

[tbone1004]

that's not bad, didn't realize they were back, there were a couple shops that lost their dealer status for doing that a few years ago. There are also the aftermarket kits that Northeast sells, but my comment was mainly to official kits in the US. Good to know on ebay.

The Hog kits aren't much worse, about $50 retail, but the price difference is offset by the somewhat lower purchasing price, but $40-$50 for a pair is about average. Atomic is $25/stage, Dive Rite XT is $50 for the pair, Hollis is $50 for the pair, Poseidon is a bit higher or lower depending on which version it is. Now, these are all "totally overpriced" for what they are, but that is due to dealer markups, so make nice with your LDS and try to get a passthrough on these. The Poseidon kits are over 100% markup...

 

[adamchooi]

I got 2 of my buddies who will be doing SM with me to get the HOG D3 set and they are really stoked about it. Great value and save them the trouble of converting their existing set.

As I will be getting a new Atomic B2 Din, I have a task to upgrade my existing same reg from yoke to din configuration. My LDS is quoting me a whopping US$140 for the din conversion kit. I noticed that there are fall cheaper din conversion kit out there that ranges from US$40 to US$60. I could save some dough for me to purchase a pair of Din to Yoke conversion kit as well.

Are the size of the thread and socket of the din/yoke conversion kit universally same on the first stages ? Will conversion kit from different manufacturer/brand fit one another?

Is there any 3rd party conversion kit I may purchase that is usable from my atomic B2 ? Some technician mentioned that apeks/aqualung/scubapro can share the same DIN conversion kit.

 

[tbone1004]

the din conversions are regulator specific, I'm sure there is some overlap somewhere, but you don't want to try unless you know for sure, it also can be an issue at service if you go with another brand if they use different o-rings or bronze filters in there. Best to either eat the $140 and deal with it, or at this point get the D3 set since it sounds like it is going to be cheaper after you factor in new hoses, any angle adapters, at least one extra SPG, the DIN conversion kit, etc. Most shops also want to do a full service on the regulator if they convert it, so add that to the list