The New Atomic TFX

[Nemrod]

How a deep dive can be done in Nitrox?
I you dive at 50m or more, It will be air. Deep air, which Cmas, Bsac and other agencies still consider fully recreational, alongside with "light deco".
Such deep air dives are the real critical test case for a regulator, and this is what the Pilot or the following Air1 was designed for

Well, perhaps I am one of those folks.
I like my 109s, modified to BA.
I actually tune them VERY light, with the knob fully out they hiss also outside water.
But with one or more turn on the knob they stop hissing.
I get this tuning not simply screwing in properly the orifice, but also bending the lever, if required.
This way I have still a very minimal gap between lever and diaphrgm.
I usually dive with the knob screwed in. I like to suck the air slowly and with some effort, keep a 5s inspiratory pause and exhaling slowly, with again some effort due to the small valve of the 109.
I learned to breath this way when I started diving, as at the time training was done, for months, using a single-hose pure oxygen rebreather.
This highly controlled respiratory cycle is a good way of preventing to loose control of breathing, as it happens under heavy load, swimming against current, etc.
But when needed, as in the case you cite, I can unscrew the knob and get effortless inspiration (perhaps with some air lost, if swimming against current and if I unscrew too much).
Still exhalation requires some effort. Which is not a bad thing, it keeps on average your lungs at positive pressure, preventing IPE and still forcing you to perform slow deep exhalation, which prevents CO2 accumulation and loss of breathing control.
I fully understand how divers who just "breath normally", following PADI recommendations, with shallow breathing and no inspiratory pause, can prefer (or, better, need) a light-breathing reg with small expiratory effort.
This is one of the typical cases where equipment is called to circumvent a skillness/training problem.
I am fully aware that the 6-months-long introductory diving course done using a CC rebreather is unacceptable nowadays, and that 99% of divers "just breath normally".
So these high performance regs are really useful for them, they can literally save their life.
I posted just for explaining the position of us old divers trained in another way, and why we prefer every day a 109 over a Pilot or its descendents...

In the example given, @rsingler, the Vandenburg, been there and done that a couple of times and would not want to do that on a 109. A G250 yes, a 109 no. Two reasons, the current depresses the 109 soft purge annoyingly so causing free flow (the G250 will also ff but not as much and it also has the Venturi vane to help control when it does) and the other is that the small exhaust valve of the 109 becomes clearly a restriction at high and sustained work loads further increasing breathing stress and anxiety. And, not specific to the 109 but any regulator tuned that I would need to "suck" on it, will after several days of diving, cause me to have a slight cough and fluid build up in my chest.

With the 109 and similar small valve (old) regulators, I notice at high work loads my mask fogging up. This goes back many years, it is because I begin to relieve my need to exhale by additionally exhaling through my nose thus fogging the masks. The old small valve 1085s were the worst, egads.

I wish Atomic well and hope they sell many regulators. And the same for Scubapro. I would love to be able to afford (and justify affording to my wife) an Atomic or Scubapro titanium regulator. I would be in high cotton for sure .

 

[stuartv]

How a deep dive can be done in Nitrox?

As a pedantic, nit-picky aside, 22% oxygen (78% nitrogen) IS Nitrox. So, for PRACTICAL purposes, you can do as deep a dive on Nitrox as you can on Air.

Regarding a desire for regs that don't have the best breathing, well, that may be what some of you crusty old-timers need in order to achieve your best (lowest) RMV. But, I certainly would not recommend that to anyone as a way to achieve a lower RMV for themselves. In fact, I would be more inclined to call THAT an equipment solution to a skills problem than I would the reverse.

I.e. if you cannot achieve your best/lowest RMV without the aid of a hard-breathing reg, then that is a skill you could consider to work on.

I hate hard-breathing regs! I'll take the best-breathing, lightest-tuned reg I can get, every day. As long as it has an adjustment I can use in the water when I need it, to stop freeflowing from occurring in situations like swimming into a current or driving a DPV.

Speaking of which, I am unclear on how the TFX works in that regard. I think I read something about the lever on the side not changing cracking pressure? It only changes how much venturi effect you get?

Is that correct? If so, how do you stop it from freeflowing, if you're driving a DPV into a current? This is, of course, presuming you have it tuned to the best breathing it can handle. I.e. 0.5" cracking pressure or thereabouts. (Man! 0.5" cracking pressure sounds awesome!)

 

[Nemrod]

Nitrox, it is like breathing dinosaur air. The higher O2 concentration of ancient air (at times) for example has been implicated in how there were dragonflies with three feet wingspans! Maybe it is best there are no giant dragonflies to bite our heads off but I might still enjoy a dive into the Jurassic sea with free Nitrox, all I could ever want for the taking . And I would bring a G250 and a Mk 2 Evo. Or that new titanium rig y'all gushing over (and me too).

 

[BoltSnap]

of you crusty old-timers

@Angelo Farina is probably still driving stick shift car too

 

[lexvil]

In the example given, @rsingler, the Vandenburg, been there and done that a couple of times and would not want to do that on a 109. A G250 yes, a 109 no. Two reasons, the current depresses the 109 soft purge annoyingly so causing free flow (the G250 will also ff but not as much and it also has the Venturi vane to help control when it does) and the other is that the small exhaust valve of the 109 becomes clearly a restriction at high and sustained work loads further increasing breathing stress and anxiety. And, not specific to the 109 but any regulator tuned that I would need to "suck" on it, will after several days of diving, cause me to have a slight cough and fluid build up in my chest.

With the 109 and similar small valve (old) regulators, I notice at high work loads my mask fogging up. This goes back many years, it is because I begin to relieve my need to exhale by additionally exhaling through my nose thus fogging the masks. The old small valve 1085s were the worst, egads.

I wish Atomic well and hope they sell many regulators. And the same for Scubapro. I would love to be able to afford (and justify affording to my wife) an Atomic or Scubapro titanium regulator. I would be in high cotton for sure .

Hard work makes my mask fog too, mostly because hard work makes me cry

 

[Shabaday]

Does anyone know where I can pre order just the TFX second stage?

 

[Joneill]

Does anyone know where I can pre order just the TFX second stage?

Nowhere - it does not appear to be available as a separate item yet.

 

[Geo7]

I hate hard-breathing regs! I'll take the best-breathing, lightest-tuned reg I can get, every day.

Same here! Angelo always has amazing input, and it's good to hear a counterpoint. Breathing is subjective and I know more than one diver that share his preference. However, I want effortless air, and the entire diving community, from medics, Navy, manufacturers to legislators, all worked to make sure we weed out the hard breathing regs.

 

[rsingler]

If so, how do you stop it from freeflowing, if you're driving a DPV into a current?

I'm just speculating, but I'll guess that like the D420, the frontal configuration of the reg on a scooter puts the purge control at a very steep angle, more parallel to the water flow. Thus, unlike a standard barrel reg, there's very little surface purge "button" area presenting itself to get depressed.

But if I'm wrong, there is no way to stiffen the cracking effort during the dive. Changing the Venturi will not turn off a freeflow, if it's physical pressure of water while scootering that's activating the valve

 

[Geo7]

But the front plate has holes that point backward, so using a DPV will not put pressure on the diaphragm, as the front cover is likely stiff enough to withstand the current? Similar to the D400 with the side exhaust. Here they point backwards.