Scubapro G250V vs S600?

[halocline]

OP, please excuse me for continuing this tangent, but, beaverdivers: I notice you recommended the A700 as best twice in this thread. \

I think he works in a shop and was helping us out with a bit of info-mercializing. It's nice to have such helpful salesmen every where we go....

 

[beaverdivers]

We always tease our never ever reg repair techs that their "final" consists of having to disassy. and reassy. a reg underwater. Yes, it would be harder for them.

The A700 is handmade piece of art unique and solid.

 

[ams511]

Oreo another thing to consider for what it is worth is that Halcyon chose to rebrand the G250V as their own. So they think highly of it also.

 

[Blue Sparkle]

We always tease our never ever reg repair techs that their "final" consists of having to disassy. and reassy. a reg underwater. Yes, it would be harder for them.

The A700 is handmade piece of art unique and solid.

beaverdivers,

I wasn't saying it's not a good or solid reg; it's just that you said it was the ultimate, and I saw that as a potential point against it being the best reg for everything (which to my mind "ultimate" would mean).

I was thinking of divers themselves potentially needing or wanting to remove the faceplate/purge cover, whether it be underwater or perhaps on the boat or shore between dives.

 

[oreocookie]

as far as the A700 goes, at first I thought that might look pretty sweet next to the 109, new all-metal meets old all-metal but I can't imagine it would be so noticeably better as to justify the extra cost, which is probably all mark-up anyway since it can't cost that much more to manufacture an all-metal reg vs a plastic and metal one. Also, I find it interesting that the owner of the shop barely mentioned the A700, other than saying it was an option. He said more about the S600 than the A700, and even that was less than what he said about the G250v. I imagine that if the A700 really was THAT good, they would have promoted it especially if they make more money off selling a more expensive reg (maybe they don't, but it would make sense). Both the salesguy and the shop owner were promoting what they (at least claim to) use.

ams511, I just took a look a the Halcyon website. wow, somebody swapped the colors and thought scubapro is spelled with a H.

 

[oreocookie]

I went back to the shop today to get an opinion on whether any bits of the MK7 setup from my basement is worth salvaging for my new setup. The verdict: it's all serviceable but... the mk7 is probably best used now as a paperweight (fine by me, it weighs a ton and I didn't plan on using it anyway), the 109 and 108 are serviceable but not very cost effective (he was thinking $120 off the top of his head for service and parts if I wanted to upgrade the 109 to a Balanced Adjustable, less if I don't upgrade it, but it would still probably need a new hose... half the price of a new octo and I'd still have to pay for parts later on. The SPG should only need a new hose, so we have a winner there.

Now I just have to decide if I want a C200 or a R295 for the octo and I'll be ready to go. Leaning towards the C200 based on my SB search.

 

[ams511]

Oreo, hopefully some of the usual suspects will chime in. At least your LDS was honest and told the truth that everything is serviceable but I do not understand why it should cost over $120 to upgrade the 109, unless parts are so much more expensive in Canada. The parts to do the upgrade should cost between $20-$25 plus another $25 for labor. The upgrade should not add anything to the cost of the annual service.

If the reg is in poor condition and needs a new exhaust tee, exhaust valve, diaphragm, purge cover and mouthpiece then $120 is not a bad price. You get in essence a brand new 30 year old octo that will breath as well as your primary.

 

[ams511]

Oreo another option for you to look into is to purchase a Subgear (made by Scubapro) Bonaire or Cayman. I believe he first stage is the same as the MK17 and the second is the same as a R395. You could then add a the G250V and have the same same setup at a lower price. However there are differences in the warranties. You could also purchase a Subgear octo for less than a Scubapro one.

 

[oreocookie]

ams511, I think parts kits must be more expensive here. I had inquired via email about prices a year or 2 ago and was told parts kits were in the neighborhood of $25 for each of the 109 and 108, not upgrading. While I could be wrong, I was under the understanding that doing the upgrade requires more than just a parts kit... so figure more than what a parts kit costs for a BA. plus labour (they charge $69 for a reg service and don't appear to have a per stage price.) And then if I have to pay $25 for parts everytime it gets service, it'll add up quick enough, even if i did that stage every second year or something. I may still doing it in the future when free/pay parts are not an issue. The $120 figure was ball park based on the last one he upgraded.

 

[Zung]

You don't really need to upgrade your 109, especially if you're gonna use it as an octo. I did a side by side comparison, both balanced and unbalanced, and found it very hard to tell which is which under water.

Just a simple service for $25 is all it needs, if the rubber parts are good.