Scubapro MK17/S600 Classic avail in US?

[scubafanatic]

......does anyone know if / when this regulator 'combo' will be available in the US market.....I just saw the MK17/X650 reviewed in 'Divernet.com' (British mag) and it got good reviews........I'm interested in the MK17/S600 Classic 'combo'...or perhaps the MK17/S600 'combo'...if the metal 2nd stage of the 'Classic' isn't available.

(I prefer sealed diaphragm 1st-stages......and the MK16 only has 1 HP port, so I don't want that.)

......I'm even willing to place a special order with Scubapro if that's what it takes to get one.

......also, while I'm on the subject, I'd like to special order this really neat 'bubble deflector' ( extended exhaust T ) that I saw as an option on a New Zealand WWW site that fits the S600, S550, G500, R390, R380, R290 second stages.

Thanks in advance,

Karl

 

[sailingking]

The release date hasn't been anounced yet for the mk17. (that I have heard anyway)

My guess is that it will be around by next winter though.

As for the classic, I am not sure if it will be released to the US market.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

We have also not heard anything. New SP catalogs tend to come out around DEMA, or when they are running late, by early December. I would expect the Mk 17 to show up then. I would also expect the Mk 16 to be discontinued sometime after that as existing stock is depleted.

 

[Hoosier]

I think MK16 is already a clearance item in EU. Diveinn sold it at $102 about a month ago. As you know, MK18 is already gone. Do you think MK17 will beat MK25AF?

 

[sailingking]

The mk17 will be a sealed balanced diaphragm, where as the mk25 is a balanced piston.

The mk17 is tool to capture a segment of the market and directly compete with apeks.

The mk25 is their top of the line 1st stage and will continue this way until they upgrade it. This reg already outflows any other reg on the market.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

The Mk 14 was a quick to get on the market regulator to meet the needs of divers who thought they needed a diaphragm reg. It was not what I would call "great".

The Mk 16 and Mk 18 were SP designed diaphragm first stages that actually met that need very well but still relatively quickly.

The Mk 17 has been in the works for a long time with the goal of doing the job extremely well and in addition satisfy those people who feel they need a diaphragm first stage with a sealed ambient chamber (which in practice is a perceived need rather than an actual one if the reg is otherwise well designed). In that regard it is appealing directly to Apeks customers.

The only area where a Mk 17 will beat a Mk 25 is in terms of very cold water performance, where the Mk 25 is not 100% reliable. Frankly, I think SP really screwed itself by fielding a TIS system in the Mk 25 that was not 100% effective at water temps below about 40 degrees and further screwed themselves in writing off complaints of cold water freeflows as being due to "extreme conditions".

The unaddressed problem in very cold water undermined SP's reputation as the premier reg manufacturer and created an instant market among cold water technical divers(and divers influenced by technical divers) for lower performing but fully environmentally sealed diaphragm first stages (ie: Apeks).

SP should have gotten out of it's state of denial of the problem and responded (and still would) by fielding an extreme cold water kit for the Mk 25 based on the older SPEC kit but using Christolube or a similar O2 compatible material to fill the ambient chamber. It would give divers who dive in "extreme conditions" the option of having a Mk 25 that is 100% reliable in very cold water.

All it would require would be an already developed Mk 15/early Mk 20 swivel cap (about $20.00), an early Mk 20 style LP port turret (about 12.00), a late Mk15/early Mk 20 SPEC boot (about $4.00) and some Christolube (about $10-12.00). Most cold water technical types would not blink at $50.00 for a cold water upgrade.