Regs for Doubles?

[taimen]

not quite. The HOG D1, and the DGX Deep Six regs are copies of the Apeks. The D3 is a huge improvement over it, and the Deep6 is a step change above that. Fit and finish on the Deep6 especially is easily on par with Scubapro/Apeks and the cost at least in this country is about 2/3's of what Apeks is.

I know this has been discussed many times, but it is somewhat difficult to dig out from the previous threads and very relevant here.

Do you consider D3 and/or Deep6 signature significantly improved over current Apeks DST? And what is the most important difference?
I also wonder if you can service a deep6 signature using Apeks service kits.

Apeks is strangely placed into premium market segment in the US while in Europe it is more mid range product. Also pricing in Europe for Apeks is very competitive and service kits are ubiquitous.

 

[tbone1004]

@taimen

they have flow improvements, physical format improvements *the "look" of the first stage actually makes a lot of hose routings easier/better*, and the second stage has some flow improvements and they breathe a bit better.
The biggest one is the plating is a lot better on the Deep6 and D3, they are a lot more durable than the Apeks chroming

Parts kits are not compatible to my knowledge. They were with the HOG D1, but I do not believe they are with the D3/Deep6. Several o-rings are different but the seats MAY be compatible. Haven't put them next to each other.

Apeks is stupid in this country, that's all I can really say about that.

So the Apeks sidemount set is $1585 in the US. The Deep6 set is $897 *only difference is the Apeks has the 90* elbow, but those are a couple bucks*. A DS4/XTX50 set is $1150 vs $835 and it's a DS4 so you lose a lot for hose routing. Add to that the fact that dealers in Europe have lost their dealerships for selling parts kits to the US and it is explicitly forbidden in the US dealer agreements, it just doesn't make any sense over here. I wish it wasn't like that, but it is. If I'm spending that much on regs, I'm buying Poseidons which allow you to not only buy parts but are also the only "big" manufacturer to have a service course for any diver.

 

[Random Dude]

1 SP MK17Evo with G260 - MYR 1800+
2 HOG D3 with Zenith - MYR2200
2 Apeks DST/DS4 with XTX50 (used) - about MYR 2500
2 Deep 6 Signature - MYR3300 if from another store, MYR 4300 if directly from the website
2 Apeks DST with XTX50 (new) - MYR 4299 * I've seen an online store selling 2 Apeks DST with XTX50 new around MYR3300, but haven't really checked out the reputation of that shop yet.

@tbone1004, these are around the prices from various sources in my region

 

[taimen]

One interesting doubles reg possibly becoming available later this year is the xDeep regulator project.

Now I am not seriously saying this is an option for the op right now, but the regulator looks interesting and would offer nice hose routing options (for anything from single tank to doubleles, sm and stages)
I read somewhere that the xdeep regulator will be built in Italy by one of the worlds largest regulator manufacturers.

 

[Random Dude]

Also, would like to hear about the routing on doubles with the Deep 6 and the new Mk17 Evo. I've seen it with the DST, DS4, and D3, but have not seen the routing of above regs yet.

 

[tbone1004]

@Melvin Moi Kai Sen routing of the MK17 is the same as the DS4 with the exception that you can put an SPG on both sides of the MK17. Everything else is the same, which is not ideal for backmount doubles, or sidemount IMO

with those prices, if you have parts availability, I'd be tempted to go with the used Apeks DST/XTX50. If you don't have parts availability, I'd get the HOG D3.

 

[taimen]

And the deep6 signature has essentially the same port configuration and hose routing as 5-port DST.

 

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

Out of those I recommend Deep 6. I have owned Apeks but I prefer Deep6 over Apeks. Dive Rite is also a good candidate.

 

[runsongas]

I know this has been discussed many times, but it is somewhat difficult to dig out from the previous threads and very relevant here.

Do you consider D3 and/or Deep6 signature significantly improved over current Apeks DST? And what is the most important difference?
I also wonder if you can service a deep6 signature using Apeks service kits.

Apeks is strangely placed into premium market segment in the US while in Europe it is more mid range product. Also pricing in Europe for Apeks is very competitive and service kits are ubiquitous.

I own both d3s and DSTs and I find no performance difference. The turret does completely swivel around on the d3 compared to the DST.

The US gets boned currently because the pricing was set when the GBP exchange rate was higher and there is a lot of margin on the US MSRP.

 

[runsongas]

1 SP MK17Evo with G260 - MYR 1800+
2 HOG D3 with Zenith - MYR2200
2 Apeks DST/DS4 with XTX50 (used) - about MYR 2500
2 Deep 6 Signature - MYR3300 if from another store, MYR 4300 if directly from the website
2 Apeks DST with XTX50 (new) - MYR 4299 * I've seen an online store selling 2 Apeks DST with XTX50 new around MYR3300, but haven't really checked out the reputation of that shop yet.

@tbone1004, these are around the prices from various sources in my region

I would go with the hog d3s unless if you can find the xtx50/dst cheaper used.