I understand what ou have all said about the differences in the two. But I also know that I will not be worrying about strong currents in the Great lakes, and or the lake I live on. If I travel to an area that has currents, chances are I will be renting cause I flew their anyway.
Yes, the looks are important. I'm trying to get all matching gear and I wont buy a 400+ dollar reg and first stage setup and then think that an extra 50 or so bucks more is a big deal. This is totally a personal taste issue and really cannot be argued, simply put- If they perform the same in regular non-extreme diving conditions (ice diving), get the one that is visually more appealing to you, get what ever "floats your boat!"
I also know from what I was taught in my diving class, a large purge helps make your gear easier to use for you and your partner in an emergency. I'm not a specialists in this area and don't claim to be, but is some cases I believe that bigger is better. It is one less thing to think about if you need to clear your reg and have no air left in your lungs to purge it (for whatever reason). No fumbling for a button, if you push anywhere on the front of the reg it purges... sounds like a good thing to me.
But please understand that I'm new to diving, and hope you don't flame me for this. I'm trying to play it safe for my new diving partner and I (my little sister 19 yrs old). Anything I can do to make it easier for her to get air from me in an emergency I will try to accomplish. I agree with giving her my 1st and go to my second. Correct me if I'm wrong, but it would be better for my buddy and I to have equipment that is as simple and easy to operate as possible. (not to say we are idiots! Were booth actually very intelligent). Less room for error, at least till we get some dives under our belts and are somewhat comfortable with the water.
I'm purchasing a halcyon eclipse setup here as soon as my tax refund comes and a reg,1st stage, and octo. I believe I will be a dir diver (seems hands down to be the most logical, sensible, and safest diving standards). I see that scuba pro is highly regarded in dir configurations, and besides the purge button size dir is the other MAIN reason why I have so far come to concluded that the MK25/S600 is a wise buy... Not to be a thread pirate, but do you have any suggestions?. (positive criticism only please)