SADivemaster
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Getting a new reg today - anyone have any worthwhile experience with either of the abovementioned regulators? Any problems experienced?
Scubapro S550 or S650
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ShakaZulu
Contributor
S650 was recalled a while back, but I believe they fixed the problems........APEKS guy myself.
The X650 problems have been fixed, repair kits have been shipped to dealers and the regs are shipping again.
I own one, I dove it twice and I am dissapointed with it. The X650 mechanically performs very well and the poppet has the potential to deliver extremely low inhalation efforts. However the placement of the exahust valve in relation to the diaphragm and it's shear size and ease of opening means that you cannot fully utilize the low cracking effort of the X650 unless you are willing to tolerate a very slight freeflow out the exhaust valve between your exhalation and inhalation.
In a normal swimming position, the exhaust valve is near the top of the case while the diaphragm is at the bottom. Consequently air leaks out the exhaust valve, the pressure then drops in the case and the diaphragm moves in to open the poppet slightly which then continues to feed more air to leak out the exhaust valve and continue the cycle. The problems is a result of a failure of the designer(s) to consider the concept of case geometry fault in the design.
In my case I dive cold water and frequently dive below the customary recreational limits so I regard even a slight freeflow as intolerable. This means I end up having to adjust my X650 to deliver a cracking effort of 2.0 inches of water to get the freeflow to stop between breaths. Consequently the X650 is pretty far down on my list of favorite second stages. Well actually to be totally honest, it's last on my list which is too bad as the regulator otherwise has a lot of potential.
Now, if Scubapro would modify the reg to incorporate a plate over the existing exhaust valve, incorporate a coaxial exhaust valve in the diaphragm and modify the purge cover to accommodate the new diaphragm, they would have a real winner on their hands. It would offer D400 performance with S600 or G250 ease of maintenance and adjustability. And the updates could be incorporated into older X650's for a still reasonable cost.
The S550 is a reliable reg, basically identical to the S600 but without the adjustment knob. Personally, if I were buying a new second stage today, I'd go with the G250.
I own one, I dove it twice and I am dissapointed with it. The X650 mechanically performs very well and the poppet has the potential to deliver extremely low inhalation efforts. However the placement of the exahust valve in relation to the diaphragm and it's shear size and ease of opening means that you cannot fully utilize the low cracking effort of the X650 unless you are willing to tolerate a very slight freeflow out the exhaust valve between your exhalation and inhalation.
In a normal swimming position, the exhaust valve is near the top of the case while the diaphragm is at the bottom. Consequently air leaks out the exhaust valve, the pressure then drops in the case and the diaphragm moves in to open the poppet slightly which then continues to feed more air to leak out the exhaust valve and continue the cycle. The problems is a result of a failure of the designer(s) to consider the concept of case geometry fault in the design.
In my case I dive cold water and frequently dive below the customary recreational limits so I regard even a slight freeflow as intolerable. This means I end up having to adjust my X650 to deliver a cracking effort of 2.0 inches of water to get the freeflow to stop between breaths. Consequently the X650 is pretty far down on my list of favorite second stages. Well actually to be totally honest, it's last on my list which is too bad as the regulator otherwise has a lot of potential.
Now, if Scubapro would modify the reg to incorporate a plate over the existing exhaust valve, incorporate a coaxial exhaust valve in the diaphragm and modify the purge cover to accommodate the new diaphragm, they would have a real winner on their hands. It would offer D400 performance with S600 or G250 ease of maintenance and adjustability. And the updates could be incorporated into older X650's for a still reasonable cost.
The S550 is a reliable reg, basically identical to the S600 but without the adjustment knob. Personally, if I were buying a new second stage today, I'd go with the G250.
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