Suggestions for cold water regulators?

[Dipper Mouth]

I have Aqualung Legend LX Supreme and I am very happy in hot and cold water performance

 

[El Diablo]

Thanks all for the very quick replies. Some interesting suggestions here. When it comes to Poseidon, the name has come up once or twice in my "research" but I felt they were more for advanced tech diving and not recreational. I know that Atomic, SP, Apeks and Zeagle are major brands in scuba diving, HOG and Sherwood I have heard of but Deep6 is a completely new brand for me which I haven't heard of before.

What about servicability of these regulators? Are any of them easier/more difficult to service and find parts for? I've heard that some like the Apeks MTX-R/RC are easier to service. From what I can tell my LDS provides products from Mares, Aqua Lung, Scubapro, Poseidon, Cressi and Apeks but not sure about their selection of regulators. That would likely mean that such brands would be easier for me to get serviced but what is your expert opinion and experience of getting regulators serviced?

There seems to be some suggestion that I pass on the in-line shut off, but what about swivels?

Swivels are fine BUT if you are going to use any kind of Miflex hose, totally unnecessary.
If you are sticking to the OEM rubber hoses, it might reduce jaw fatigue. Mind that thousands of divers use non-swivel regs with traditional rubber hoses with no issues whatsoever. It is a (welcome) luxury feature but it wouldn't be my primary selection factor.

Deep 6 is an American company that started business in 2016/2017. As a fellow European I would not invest in the brand as:

a. A relatively new company (end of 2016) so we don't know if they will be here tomorrow (parts?)
b. Import taxes and shipping costs might change
c. Support is not granted overseas

Regarding the other brands, there are top-tier and mid-tear in that list. Some brands are focused not only on the performance but also the design, others have more of an 'industrial' look, at the end of the day, buy whatever pleases your eye as you will probably stick to the brand BUT make sure that the service coverage in your area is good. That would be my priority n.1

ps. Poseidon are IMO great however, peculiar. You have to try them and compare them before buying.

 

[El Diablo]

I find it interesting that there are so few recommendations for SP and Apeks "flagship" models (MTX series and SP MK25 with an A700 or S620). What is it about the suggested models that make them better or more suggested? Are the flagship models "over priced", overkill or just not as good?

So far, suggestions have been for the XTX50 or XTX200 with FSR or DST 1st stage, or the SP MK17 or MK19 with G260 2nd stage. What makes those models better than the others?

At the moment, I am interested in the Apeks MTX-RC, Aqua Lung Leg3nd Elite and (SP MK17 or MK19 because they are so suggested), although with SP I am a little confused due to their assortment of different 2nd stages. What makes the G260 the go-to reg over the A700 and S620? And what is the difference between the MK17 and MK19, other than the swivel turret?

And why no mentions of the Leg3nd? Not as good as Apeks and SP?

Theoretically, environmentally sealed regulators are more resistant to freezing in extremely cold temperatures, that's why you see the Mk17 & Mk19 pop-up more often than the Mk25. IF you are diving on ice, it would make sense. However, if you are just diving in cold water, the Mk25 beats both diaphragm regs marginally.

2nd stages like the G260 have a greater surface area and breathe easy. Smaller variants like the S620Ti are very, VERY close. lighter as they are smaller and some use Titanium therefore are even more resistant to corrosion (never had any problem with any reg). I would avoid the A700 based on weight alone, it is a beautiful, hand made, high performance looking reg BUT all metal and chrome. Will take well the material abuse but will show and carry aesthetic damage worse than composite regs.

Regarding the turrets & swivels, I already gave my opinion previously. They are great IF you are using the OEM rubber hoses as they might reduce jaw fatigue (hoses have to bend less). However, with fresh new hoses this is not a real problem AND if you switch to Miflex hoses, all that is irrelevant. I dive an Mk17 & Mk25.

ALL brands and especially models that you are mentioning are high-end and will cover 99.9% of your needs. Buy (in this order) whatever has good service coverage in you area, whatever you like aesthetically and obviously fits your BU target. Believe me when I say that there's absolutely no need to over-complicate things UNLESS you are going to make some very specialized diving, then some regs might be a little more suitable than others. Cold water is not a problem for any modern regulators. I believe all forum members have already agreed on that.

You will also see that ALL divers in the forum have their brand preferences. This happens because we tend to stick to the brand(s) we start with, that' all. That's why I said, buy whatever you like aesthetically. Performance wise and at this price level, the differences are negligible and unless you are switching between regs back and forward and directly comparing them, you will not find any substantial difference.

The Leg3nd kicks ass by the way. Amazing performing / looking reg. I would definitely get it if I didn't had my SP regs already. Aesthetically speaking, it looks nicer than anything any brand has to offer today (IMO). As a recreational diver, looking cool is paramount

 

[Jompa25]

Dyker du i Sverige

 

[Jompa25]

Försökte pm dig men behöver 5 inlägg innan du kan göra det.

 

[Jompa25]

Du har ett ganska bra svenskt forum där du kan hitta mycket info om dykning i svenska vatten

 

[Jompa25]

Allt om dykning

Här hittar du all information om dykning. Nordens största forum för dykare. Frågor om dykutrustning, dykresor eller dykcertifikat? Här finns svaren

www.dykarna.nu

.

 

[Jompa25]

Så nu har jag fått 5 svar så nu kan jag pm:a dig.

 

[Foch]

I have been using Poseidon for the last 20+ years or 600 dives with zero issues ever. Warm tropical diving in South Pacific to under ice in Great Lakes, Tahoe and Mountain Fjords. "Buy quality cry once." I am not a performance guy, I just want to dive. My equipment can not be a concern. I bought my Poseidon regs at a swap meet years ago. My LDS said I scored, easy service and years and years of service. They were Cyklons, now I use Xstreams.

 

[Gandalf-the-Diver]

Hi everybody of the scuba diving community!

I know this topic has been posted MANY times before, but from what I have found none of the previous threads match my circumstances perfectly or are recent enough due to updates in regulator technology. So now it is my turn to start a new thread on "cold water regulators".

My background: I am a newly "open water" certified diver who lives in Stockholm, Sweden. I've done about six open water dives in the Stockholm area but have always used rental equipment from my LDS (dry suit, BCD and regulator set). All of my dives were in February and March with water temperatures at 1-2°C, but due to the cold temperatures and cheap rental regulators (Scubapro but don't know the model) I kept getting free flows due to regulator freezing. NOT FUN when you have to keep going up to the surface every 10min due to free flows, so now I am looking to get my own regulator set.

I'm the type who likes to buy quality from the start instead of something half good now and having to buy again something better in the future. I'll continue to dive in the Stockholm area throughout the year but will likely also travel with my gear to warmer climates (did my first "try scuba diving" in Florida and loved the coral and wildlife). I plan on getting an "advanced open water" as well as "enriched air nitrox" certificate but am pretty unlikely to do tech/cave diving and wreck penetration, but who knows...

From my research in articles and lists of top regulators I have come to the following conclusions:

• The regulator MUST be environmentally sealed.
• It has to be DIN for me.
• I'd like two HP ports, one for a simple brass SPG and one for a transmitter for my dive watch.
• Piston seems to have better air flow characteristics according to articles i've read, but environmentally sealed regulators seem to be mainly diaphragm.
• I'd like both the first and second stages to be balanced if not over-balanced.
• Nitrox ready.
• Adjustable second stage for cracking pressure and venturi effect.

There are a lot of regulators that are "cold water" rated by the manufacturer but that seems to be a rather broad term. A few models keep popping up as top regulators:

• Apeks: MTX-R/RC, XL4+, XTX50
• Scubapro: MK25 EVO/A700, D420, S620
• Zeagle: F8
• Atomic: T3, B2, Z3, ST1
• Cressi: Compact Pro MC9-SC, AC2, AC25 Master Cromo
• Hollis: 500SE DC7, 200LX DCX
• Mares: Abyss 22 Navy II, Rover 2S
• Aqua Lung: Leg3nd, Calypso, Mikron, Core
• Sherwood: SR2, Blizzard Pro
• Oceanic: Zeo FDXI, Alpha 10 SPX, Delta 5 EDX

An extensive list I know. I have no experience with any of them so I'm asking for your opinions. Any that are truly good down to 1°C with good reviews? Any other regulators that I have not listed?

The setup I am planning is my own sort of long-ish hose (mix between tech/long hose and recreational setup) with some sort of swivel joint at the second stage (for comfort) and free flow shut-off switch on the hose (in case of second stage free flow). What are your thoughts on such add-ons when it comes to cold water performance and freezing? Would there be any problems with them being leak or freeze points?

I use a Hollis DCX / LX200 on my pony, and Scubapro MK25evo w/ G260 as my primary. One piston and 1 diagphragm. I dive in water 7C-11C. Never any problems with either in the cold water. I am diving 2 - 4 times a week.