Scubapro D300 upgrade to S600 or A700 Query

[ams511]

He needs to justify the premium price of his products. There is no way a first stage should cost almost $400, it is just a piece of plastic with some metal components. I hate to say it because there are some great players out there but the scuba industry is largely run on BS and the ignorance of new divers. Especially from the big companies.

 

[buddhasummer]

Funny you should say that, many experienced divers I know do not dive flagship latest and greatest regs but many of those new to diving do. When I started out I bought the current top of the line reg as advised by my LDS. The one thing I've learnt through owning many regs over the years is that they all work, but some leave you poorer than others.

 

[reefrat]

Regs have fascinated me since I was a kid watching the first run of Cousteaus's Undersea World, as a result I have tended to be a regulator snob always buying and using higher end stuff. But it is a sobering experience to use "low" end regs and find that there is little difference in the performance despite the huge difference in price. I tried a friends Genesis GS2000 recently and it breathed sweetly- compared to anything out there!

 

[ams511]

Regs have fascinated me since I was a kid watching the first run of Cousteaus's Undersea World, as a result I have tended to be a regulator snob always buying and using higher end stuff. But it is a sobering experience to use "low" end regs and find that there is little difference in the performance despite the huge difference in price. I tried a friends Genesis GS2000 recently and it breathed sweetly- compared to anything out there!

And it has a dry seal and costs around $215 new. Sometimes cheaper on eBay. If Sherwood (I think they own Genesis) can offer such a regulator so inexpensively then why can't the other manufacturers?

 

[reefrat]

And it has a dry seal and costs around $215 new. Sometimes cheaper on eBay. If Sherwood (I think they own Genesis) can offer such a regulator so inexpensively then why can't the other manufacturers?

Also, the new Sherwood Magnum Pro (same first stage as the GS2000) is only a few dollars more at LP and apparently now has a balanced second stage! Haven't heard or seen anything about it though- always had a soft spot for the magnum's.

 

[ams511]

Also, the new Sherwood Magnum Pro (same first stage as the GS2000) is only a few dollars more at LP and apparently now has a balanced second stage! Haven't heard or seen anything about it though- always had a soft spot for the magnum's.

In my opinion, Sherwoods don't get the love they deserve either on Scubaboard or from the market as a whole. When properly tuned they are just as good as Conshelfs or MK2/R190. You can buy the kits off eBay or Ness for next to nothing and unlike other manufacturers the kit includes the parts for the first and second stages.

I think the main thing that held them back was their hokey regulator line-up. You had the magnum, replace the spring washers with blocks and you have the Brut, if you add a metal piece to retain the moisture from breathing you have the Oasis, take the Oasis and Teflon coat some of the parts and you have the Blizzard. Then you had some of the oddball models like the Maximus (add an adjustment), Ultima (use a Poseidon second) and the SR-1. Sherwood was/is slow in responding to changes in the marketplace.

 

[reefrat]

I was only ever really interested in the basic Magnum version. I would have to say that the Magnum II I owned for a few years back in the early nineties breathed better than the Conshelf XIV I had owned for 10 years by then and I wish I could remember what I did with it?!
The current Magnums are good regs but I wish the second stage could be conveniently field stripped for a thorough cleaning every now and then- also never quite comfortable with that schraeder valve concept in the first stage, but it seems to work very well.

 

[tridacna]

I've been diving with a S600 octo and S620ti primary. (Keyman is a fine thing). No matter what I do at any depth or temp, (rec only), or how hard I try, I can't tell the difference between the two. But then I couldn't really tell the difference between a S600 and a G260 either. D400 OTOH is definitely the easiest breather of the lot.

 

[buddhasummer]

I've been diving with a S600 octo and S620ti primary. (Keyman is a fine thing). No matter what I do at any depth or temp, (rec only), or how hard I try, I can't tell the difference between the two. But them I couldn't really tell the difference between a S600 and a G260 either. D400 OTOH is definitely the easiest breather of the lot.

Although haven't tried the 620ti I'd agree 100% with the rest and I'll add a G250 and 156 to the list. Just finished a dive with my D300, beautiful, effortless, even with a pesky slow leak. I'll throw out one minor negative about the D series, occasional bubble interference, certainly I notice it more than the G250/G260/156.

 

[ams511]

I was only ever really interested in the basic Magnum version. I would have to say that the Magnum II I owned for a few years back in the early nineties breathed better than the Conshelf XIV I had owned for 10 years by then and I wish I could remember what I did with it?!
The current Magnums are good regs but I wish the second stage could be conveniently field stripped for a thorough cleaning every now and then- also never quite comfortable with that schraeder valve concept in the first stage, but it seems to work very well.

My first regulator was a Conshelf 21, soon after I purchased it I helped a friend move and he gave me his scuba gear which was a Magnum I. So I owned them both. I have a Magnum II somewhere in my collection and that was quite easy to take apart the second stage. It had an easy to grip ring to spin off the cover. I am surprised more tech oriented regulators don't use that design.

I think the schrader valve is a step-up from the filter on the piston because it is replaceable.