Scubapro vs Aspek with Nitrox?

[Sylvie]

Genesis once bubbled...
is indeed adjustable.

One thing to be aware of - on long dives you may get SEVERE cotton mouth with the S600. It is an all-plastic second (internally) which means that all the moisture you exhale will go into the water, and none will be re-evaporated into the next breath.

I get SEVERE cotton mouth with it; the G250 (a much older second!) which has a metal air tube doesn't do this to me to nearly the same degree.

YMMV of course.

Hi Genesis

Thanks for letting me know about the severe cotton mouth side effect with the Scubapro. Despite drinking (guzzling) 4 to 6 litres of water a day I still get cotton mouth after diving, as well as score and sometimes swollen lips from the salt water despite applying lip balm before each dive. I wonder if this has any connection with having used scuba pro equipment?

Thanks also for clarifying the adjustment option on the Scubapro. I thought that the Scuba pro MK25 / S600 was adjustable from the marketing literature that I’ve seen, but the sales person at the dive shop only showed me the adjustable option on the Apex CTX 50, where it was clearly more visible on the side. Perhaps I tested the Scubapro while it was on it most open setting, which could explain why it was really effortless to inhale.

I’ll keep you posted once I make my decision

Cheers

Sylvie

PS: What does YMMV mean. I'm obviously a newbie at chat boards

 

[6474286]

Sylvie,

I have read your thread with great interest, as I recently had a cheap regulator set freeze up on me at 30mtrs.

However, although I cannot comment on the Apex regulators, as I have never used one, I would definately say go for the scuba pro. I know of deep technical divers that swear by the old MK25/D400 set up, and personally I would recommend the Mk25/X650, which although is a little more expensive than the S600. I think it is definately worth the investment and wait.

It is extremely comfortable and very very reliable.

I have heard of people being able to buy it for €450 including octopus in the Netherlands from Lucas Diving. http://www.lucas-diving.com

I would wait a little longer and buy the top of the range model, that way you know it is going to last you years and years without any problem

I hope my comments helps and good luck

Paul:wacko:

 

[Sylvie]

6474286 once bubbled...
Sylvie,

I have read your thread with great interest, as I recently had a cheap regulator set freeze up on me at 30mtrs.

However, although I cannot comment on the Apex regulators, as I have never used one, I would definately say go for the scuba pro. I know of deep technical divers that swear by the old MK25/D400 set up, and personally I would recommend the Mk25/X650, which although is a little more expensive than the S600. I think it is definately worth the investment and wait.

It is extremely comfortable and very very reliable.

I have heard of people being able to buy it for €450 including octopus in the Netherlands from Lucas Diving. http://www.lucas-diving.com

I would wait a little longer and buy the top of the range model, that way you know it is going to last you years and years without any problem

I hope my comments helps and good luck

Paul:wacko:

Hi Paul

Thanks for your words of advice re regulators. I haven't made my purchase yet. However, I still have six weeks left before my holiday, so perhaps I'll find something.

It's unfortunate that I didn't have that link before leaving for the Netherlands. I had a bit of time off while I was there. Although I was near the coast, I didn't find any dive shops. Nor did I find any local (or German) dive magazines for tips. They were all sold out in specialist magazine shops!

Better luck next time.

Sylvie

 

[DA Aquamaster]

6474286 once bubbled...
I know of deep technical divers that swear by the old MK25/D400 set up

"Old" Mk25/D400 set up? SP just discontiuned it this year. "Proven" maybe, but not "old", and I would be one of the divers who swear by the D400, cold deep, whatever - great second stage anywhere anytime.

I also like the G250 and see no performance advantage in the current trend toward smaller and smaller diaphragms. A small diaphram is not a disadvantage on a pilot valve second stage, but does I think give up some advantage in a more conventional reg design. The alledged advantages of smaller cases are about 99% marketing hype.

Personally, if I were looking for a new reg, I'd go with a G250 (since the D400 has been discontinued) and not wait for the X650. Given SP's problems with newly released products, I'd want to wait a couple years for the bugs to be worked out.

SP used to cataloge the old reg and it's intended replacement side by side for a few years. It was a good policy that appealed to the more conservative divers as well as the "newer must be better" crowd, and ensured that SP had that end of the product line covered if the new reg bombed.

 

[Sylvie]

DA Aquamaster once bubbled...


" Personally, if I were looking for a new reg, I'd go with a G250 (since the D400 has been discontinued) and not wait for the X650. Given SP's problems with newly released products, I'd want to wait a couple years for the bugs to be worked out.

SP has a histrory of problematic new products?! - yikes.

Sylvie - still six weeks left to decide, test and find a deal

 

[sasdasdaf]

Go with the Apeks, get the more reliable reg and save some money at the same time. Scubapro may (and I stress may) breathe marginally better but I would argue that this should not be a major issue if you are breathing the right gas at the right depth. Both brands will give you more than you need at 100ft on nitrox.

Apeks is definitely known to be more reliable and most come with sealed first stages.

Also, don't be fooled into buying an 'octopus' that is lesser than your primary reg... in an emergency the last thing you want is substandard performance.

 

[Sylvie]

sasdasdaf once bubbled...
Go with the Apeks, get the more reliable reg and save some money at the same time. Scubapro may (and I stress may) breathe marginally better but I would argue that this should not be a major issue if you are breathing the right gas at the right depth. Both brands will give you more than you need at 100ft on nitrox.

Apeks is definitely known to be more reliable and most come with sealed first stages.

Also, don't be fooled into buying an 'octopus' that is lesser than your primary reg... in an emergency the last thing you want is substandard performance.

Hi

Thanks for your comments. Funny enough I was having similar thoughts today. I was leaning towards the SP MK25 / S600 because it gave more air while inhaling, but in other respects I am leaning towards the Apex. I saw a good deal on a demo version from a dive shop I was at last Thursday for Apex ATX 100 set, but with the AT20 octopus. I didn’t go for it, precisely because it won’t help me nor my buddy in cold water. My local lake is 24C at the surface today (warmer than the air temperature actually), but at 9M under it drops down to 12C and it’s not uncommon for it to be 3C and deeper levels or once the autumn/winter season really hits. Burr. Not exactly a good environment for an ATX 20 octopus which is only suited for warm water. That said, I don’t think I want to dive locally any later than October. It’s just too cold both below and above the water. Ideally I’d like to win the lotto, and retire (or have enough money to start up a business) in some exotic tropical location where I can dive as often as I’d like, in just a thin suit with no worries about fancy cold water regs. Ahhh…

Back to reality

Here is another small worry. I purchased a second hand woman’s BDC “Sea Quest – DIVA”. It’s in excellent condition, but the BCD inflator hose is missing. This only cost €20, so it not an isuue. However I am not sure if it a problem using an Apex hose with it since it’s not of standard size? It should be, right? I’m obviously a newbie at buying equipment. Thank God I only have a regulator and a new wet suit left to buy. This and planning my holidays is really taking time away from my studies. Only two weeks left to write my report and six weeks till exam time. Yikes.

 

[squidguy]

Hi again,

In regards to the BCD inflator hose - this is a standard sized item. The only APEKS hose that is "non-standard" is on the primary reg (1/2') hooked to a ATX200/TX100/DST 1st stage, the DS4 is 3/8".

Most BCD's purchased new will include the inflator hose which hooks on the inflator/dump hose. ut:

 

[sasdasdaf]

Keeping it simple:

The best and cheapest combination for all kinds of environments (cold, polluted, etc) is the DS4/TX50 (or ATX50). If you don't care for external adjustments, get the DS4/TX40 combination. Your backup or octopus should not be any lower in performance.

 

[Sylvie]

Thanks again for your comments guys.

I noticed that I made a typing error in my last message i.e. I wrote "BCD inflator hose should be a problem" instead of "shouldn't" be. The consequence of rushing.

In any case, you're confirmed what I suspected - the BCD hose is of standard size, and I should have no worries if I choose an Apex ATX 100, ATX 50 or ATX 40 so long as the octopus is no lower than ATX 40 and also suitable for cold water diving.

I just can't wait to get the gear so I can try it out before the lake temperature drops even further.

Ciao for now

Sylvie