Talked to Scubapro US yesterday and they said the Mk19 is a go

[Sevenrider860]

HP valve complete number for MK17 EVO is 10.117.209, for the MK19 EVO 10.719.209
The MK19 EVO balance chamber is 10.719.102
Diaphragm and spacer numbers are the same as for MK17 EVO....
Strange enough, for the HP Valve (37) it says 'not available, use 10.117.209' if you try to order it......
I wouldn't know what could be the difference between the 10.117.209 and the 10.719.209.
Of course there are some o-rings different, but that doesn't explain to me the higher price.....

10.117.209 is the individual HP Valve, 10.719.209 is the HP Valve component kit (item 40). The MK17 EVO is similar, 10.117.209 is the HP Valve component kit.

The difference between the MK17 EVO and MK19 EVO HP Valve components is the sleeve.
10.117.103 - HP Valve is identical between both regulators
10.117.106 - Cup is identical between both regulators
10.719.106 - is the MK19 EVO Sleeve part number and 10.116.106 is the MK17 EVO Sleeve part number.

The balance chamber is different between the two regulators, which likely explains why this part of the HP Valve component kit is different between the two models.

 

[RobPNW]

Thank you Bob and Newdive, that explains why its so long, balance chamber is buried in the turret end and the did a bit of shortening on the environmental seal end which explains the dual spring necessity, I’ll be sticking to the 17.

I think I'm with you for now. I already have the MK17 EVO. It seems compact, proven, and bulletproof. And I only dive a single tank. With flex hoses, the swivel isn't as big a deal so I see no reason to spend more money.

 

[rsingler]

I don't why the Mk19 keeps getting pooh-pooh'ed by y'all. Yeah, it's more expensive. But no one ever accused Scubapro of being a value-oriented company. They provide extraordinary engineering, precision machining, and at least average assembly/quality control. This is a new reg for the U.S. (if not for Europe), and SP is trying to make bank on it. We'll see if they've overpriced it, but I'm sure the price will come down in the next few years.
But for everyone who loves the Mk17, the Mk17EVO and Mk19EVO have fixed the one Achilles' Heel of the Mk17: a wide IP spread from full to empty tank.
Add a turret, and what's not to like?
(I know - the price)

But I love mine. If you're a Scubapro customer, it's sealed (unlike the Mk25). That single factor has allowed Atomic to make great strides in the U.S. on the piston front. If you believe in sealing as I do, that puts the Mk25 waaay behind Atomic and even Sherwood, for piston divers. And the fact is, sealing an Atomic is a PITA and the squishy seal tends to lose grease with rough handling, and will not make three years without adding a bit of lube to the boot every six months.
So if you wandered over to the diaphragm side like I did, IMO there is no better diaphragm made today than the Mk17/19 except Poseidon's. And if you want sealed (tho' there are tec reasons to avoid it) then that moves SP to the front of the line. Yes, Aqualung and Apeks can match SP on the first stage side, but I'll take issue with that assertion with their seconds. Just my opinion.

Anyway, my logic trail when weighing both diaphragm firsts and seconds leads me to Poseidon and Scubapro. And if you want a turret, that leaves you with the Mk19. It's all about choices.

 

[lexvil]

I don't why the Mk19 keeps getting pooh-pooh'ed by y'all. Yeah, it's more expensive. But no one ever accused Scubapro of being a value-oriented company. They provide extraordinary engineering, precision machining, and at least average assembly/quality control. This is a new reg for the U.S. (if not for Europe), and SP is trying to make bank on it. We'll see if they've overpriced it, but I'm sure the price will come down in the next few years.
But for everyone who loves the Mk17, the Mk17EVO and Mk19EVO have fixed the one Achilles' Heel of the Mk17: a wide IP spread from full to empty tank.
Add a turret, and what's not to like?
(I know - the price)

But I love mine. If you're a Scubapro customer, it's sealed (unlike the Mk25). That single factor has allowed Atomic to make great strides in the U.S. on the piston front. If you believe in sealing as I do, that puts the Mk25 waaay behind Atomic, and even Sherwood for piston divers. And the fact is, sealing an Atomic is a PITA and the squishy seal tends to lose grease with rough handling, and will not make three years without adding a bit of lube to the boot every six months.
So if you wandered over to the diaphragm side like I did, IMO there is no better diaphragm made today than the Mk17/19 except Poseidon's. And if you want sealed (tho' there are tec reasons to avoid it) then that moves SP to the front of the line. Yes, Aqualung and Apeks can match SP on the first stage side, but I'll take issue with that assertion with their seconds. Just my opinion.

Anyway, my logic trail when weighing both diaphragm firsts and seconds leads me to Poseidon and Scubapro. And if you want a turret, that leaves you with the Mk19. It's all about choices.

Mostly the 19 is ugly, that and not needing a swiveling turret sort of puts it in the back seat for me but one day I may come across one at a good price...

 

[Rusty Shackleford]

Is it significantly better than the Deep6 Signature series diaphragm first though? I am a huge Scubapro user, have MK5,10,20,25,16 and 17s but I recently bought a signature first. Admittedly, I haven’t used it yet but it’s a thing of beauty and it has the same form factor as a MK-25. Plus kits are easier to get. It seems to fill the same niche as the MK-19.

 

[rsingler]

Is it significantly better than the Deep6 Signature series diaphragm first though?...Admittedly, I haven’t used it yet but it’s a thing of beauty and it has the same form factor as a MK-25. Plus kits are easier to get. It seems to fill the same niche as the MK-19.

I will concede that the form factor @lexvil noted above is not very pretty. That applies to both the Deep6 and the Mk19, though I think the Signature is better looking. I own and have dived both. Without filtering output through the same second stage (which I haven't done) it's impossible to reliably compare performance. On an average dive, I would venture to say that you can't tell the difference. The price difference is huge. Deep6 promotes self-service and teaches you how to do it. It will sell you parts. That is a BIG factor that favors the Signature.

As a technician, though, there is one significant difference. The Mk17/19 has a removable volcano; the Signature does not. With careful service, that should make no difference. Unfortunately, that is an unlikely assumption. The number of times I have seen sandblasted volcanos, or a frank nick from mishandling is not small. Polishing a volcano deep in the reg is a challenge not often attempted by the vast majority of shops. I do it to keep a cherished reg (Conshelf) working. As a tech, replacing a volcano is a moment's work with the Mk17/19.
I can virtually guarantee keeping a Mk19 alive for 30 years. I can buy more than one Signature to accomplish the same thing, for less than the price of a Mk19 set. In short, 30-year cost of ownership may be closer to equal if you do not have superlative service.

 

[stuartv]

As a technician, though, there is one significant difference. The Mk17/19 has a removable volcano; the Signature does not. With careful service, that should make no difference. Unfortunately, that is an unlikely assumption. The number of times I have seen sandblasted volcanos, or a frank nick from mishandling is not small. Polishing a volcano deep in the reg is a challenge not often attempted by the vast majority of shops. I do it to keep a cherished reg (Conshelf) working. As a tech, replacing a volcano is a moment's work with the Mk17/19.
I can virtually guarantee keeping a Mk17 alive for 30 years. I can buy more than one Signature to accomplish the same thing, for less than the price of a Mk17 set. In short, 30-year cost of ownership may be closer to equal if you do not have superlative service.

That is a very interesting point. And I'll say that it's not just careful service required to have it make no difference.

(assuming I understood the tech that serviced my rEvo recently

I bought a used rEvo last Spring and sent it off to be serviced. I ended up having to pay for a new 1st stage reg (which are made by Apeks, but unique to the rEvo because of hose port placement).

The tech told me that one of the first stages was creeping on the IP and he tracked it down to what he speculated was: The previous owner got some salt water in the reg, then allowed it to sit and dry. Salt crystals formed and the next time the rEvo was used, some of those salt crystals got on the volcano and were ground into it enough to made scratches/nicks that resulted in a slight HP leak. The Apeks reg did not have a replaceable volcano, so I had to buy a whole new 1st stage.

Admittedly, it is only an educated guess that the damage was not from poor handling in service.

 

[rsingler]

Like this:

Or this:

 

[rsingler]

We are all taught about keeping salt water out of our inlet. We are all also taught that blasting air from our tank to dry the cap after a dive is an amateur move.
So let me ask you a question...

How often do you hear "PFFT!...PFFT!...PFFT!" on your boats when the crew races around changing your tanks for you? Answer: Never!

What does that mean? It means that every tank that caught some spray racing to the dive site has salt water sitting in the valve. And when that's connected to your perfectly dry, capped regulator for the second dive, that water goes right inside your first stage:

That's "corrosion resistant" Monel after three years...

Nobody changes my tanks but me.

 

[lexvil]

We are all taught about keeping salt water out of our inlet. We are all also taught that blasting air from our tank to dry the cap after a dive is an amateur move.
So let me ask you a question...

How often do you hear "PFFT!...PFFT!...PFFT!" on your boats when the crew races around changing your tanks for you? Answer: Never!

What does that mean? It means that every tank that caught some spray racing to the dive site has salt water sitting in the valve. And when that's connected to your perfectly dry, capped regulator for the second dive, that water goes right inside your first stage:
View attachment 639754
That's "corrosion resistant" Monel after three years...

Nobody changes my tanks but me.

What is this “boat” thing you speak of? Monel should not look like that, ever, what did it?