ScubaPro Mk17/G250V questions

[a22shady]

My Girlfriend and I both have the MK17/G250v set ups, as well as an MK25/S600 that she uses. I use an Atomic M1 set. Either way you go your getting a great Reg. If you dive cold or dirty waters get the MK17 1st stage as it sealed to keep from freezing and keeps contaminents out. My girlfriend Like the G250V over her S600 For her she say's it breathes little better(again Personal opinon) plus she hs used the G250v Longer so might be comfort also. And she uses the S600 for her Pony Bottle. I think they both breath Very close. Your best bet is to find someone with a pool that will wallow you try them both out. I know my Diveshop "The Scuba Connection" Will allow you Try out the gear before you buy. we wound up tryin 8 different sets of reg's before deciding.

www.diveseekers.com If you are ever in NJ stop over there or call and make arrangements. Ask for Jason or Wayne

 

[AbyssalPlains]

Hi kathydee,

I'm in "pre-shopping" mode for regs, and the G250v is one that's on my list; can you explain why you like the S600 better? Who knows, maybe I would feel the same way if I knew what you do

Thanks,

B.

The G250 is about twice as big and heavy as the S600. Well, I'm exaggerating a bit here. I've had a the S600 for a while and it is one nice, small and lightweight reg. The G250 is a behemoth in comparison. I use the 600 as a pony reg, which is great as it stows away nicely. The reason I am interested in the 250 is that it's supposed to be a very reliable, cold-water resistant reg, and supposedly you can disassemble it under water, a prerequisite for cave diving. I also like the big metal adjustment screw, which is great for dry gloves. I want to keep my future options for deep/technical/cave diving open. If none of that is of importance to you and you simply want a reliable and sleek reg, there is no reason to get the 250 IMHO, you'll be much better off with the 600.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

I prefer the G250V for it's better heat tranfer and far superior reliability in cold water compared to the S600.

But more importantly on long dives, the metal air barrel in the G250V tends to cause exhaled moisture to condense on the colder air barrel and it in turn then moistens incoming air which helps reduce dry mouth. Few regs I have used produce more problems with dry mouth than the S600.

It is true the G250V is larger and heavier - but people tend to forget it is not just slightly heavier but also slightly larger and since we are submerged in water and it is filled with gas, the extra buoyancy offsets the extra size and weight in the water where it matters. There is essetially no difference in how they feel in the water.

Finally, the adjustment knob in the G250V is much simpler and uses a simple and very strong knob with a single but robust o-ring acting on a simple balance chamber. The S600 accomplshes the same thing with a plastic knob, plastic stem (I have seen both break) and 5 separate o-rings. Way too much complexity for what is a very simple job.

So in my opinion, the G250V wins hands down.

 

[Zung]

Both my 11 years old twins dive the G250 now, neither has complained, and they're not even 5' tall. So the perceived bulk is not a factor; of course, YMMV.

 

[Shawn@IReallyloveScub]

Some agencys and instructors recommend Piston Regs for stages and deco bottles. 2 reasons I can think of. First is High O2 in therory can mess with the Diapram MK17 materials. Second when you go deep their is an increased risk that when the air leaks out of the stage hose water will migrate up the hose into the reg and the first stage may partially fill with water. Piston regs are more forgiving than Diaprams regs in this regard. Some divers find that if you belive what I said above then they want all of their regs to match so they make their back gas regs match. This is why alot of tec and cave divers that like ScubaPro use MK25's all around. I dont care if they match and I use MK17's on the back gas and Mk25's on the stages with G250's all around. If you are on a budget and want the stage regs to act as back up's so you can rotate their use this might have a factor on ones decision. My first new regs where S600 and I can not say anything negative about them. I won an older style G250 on E-bay that came with a used MK25 that I wanted so I tried it out and at least my mind thinks it gave more air on demand than the wonderfull S600's I was using. So I switched to G250's. The only difference in side the G250 and the S600 is size of SOME of the parts and the metal air barrel in the G250( this is true except the G250HP is not metal). The few larger parts make the case larger but that is the only negative from my point of view. Some would think larger means heavier this is not true. They are both nutural in water.

 

[AbyssalPlains]

2 reasons I can think of. First is High O2 in therory can mess with the Diapram MK17 materials. Second when you go deep their is an increased risk that when the air leaks out of the stage hose water will migrate up the hose into the reg and the first stage may partially fill with water. Piston regs are more forgiving than Diaprams regs in this regard.

Thank you for those thoughts. Very interesting. I had no idea. Yes, ideally, I would like my regs to be interchangeable. Reason why I was looking at the Mk17 is that I already have an Mk17, which I use on my pony (with an S600). I thought that by getting the GV250 with another Mk17 first stage, I could then use those two regs on a doubles rig some time in the future. I also have an Atomic piston reg, which I could then make into a stage bottle reg down the road. The main reason why I was eyeing another Mk17 is because in my - naive - mind, the idea of diaphragm regs appeals to me in terms of reliability. Somehow I mistrust a piston reg because there are moving parts that could jam or break. But then, perhaps I'm too concerned about this, as I have never heard of a piston reg jamming up. So I guess I could buy the Mk25 instead of the Mk17, but I do like the cold-water resistance of the Mk17. Decision, decisions.....

 

[kathydee]

Hi kathydee,

I'm in "pre-shopping" mode for regs, and the G250v is one that's on my list; can you explain why you like the S600 better? Who knows, maybe I would feel the same way if I knew what you do

Thanks,

B.

My Mk17 is better for singles routing and my Mk 25's better for doubles routing. Love my S600 much better than G250V's for a primary.

Yoke to Din was easy.

Hi Blue sparkle ;-).

In Monterey we rarely dive colder than 46F and usually its around 53F. I dove the
G250V as a primary for a while, then switched to the S600. The weight and size of the S600 is more comfortable to dive and it appears to breath "dryer" with less moisture but I've never had any problem with a dry throat.

I now have a S600 as a primary and a G250V for a backup. I'm always happy when I switch back to the S600.

 

[Big Gonz]

I was diving in 43 degree water yesterday at a local quarry. I lasted about 12 minutes with the S600 before it started "trickling" out gas. 2 minutes later, it was free flowing. My dive buddy and I made it back to the surface safely, but his G250v kept right on breathing perfectly. Living in Northeast Ohio, I am now sold on the G250V as I plan to dive that cold more than just once. The S600 is a great reg as it is small and light-weight, but soooo not meant for cold water.