The Rolls Royce of do it all regs?

[Tropicsdelight]

Hello. I am new to this board.

I am currently doing a maritime archaeology masters and getting pretty heavy into diving in the next 30 years or so of my life. I am currently working on getting the gear going so that I do not have to borrow and rent stuff anymore and I want to get some high end reg setup that will allow me to do cold water dives on the West coast of Canada, dive deep on wrecks, and generally be the reliable, high performance, do it all reg.

With all the brand names out there and the massive amount of LDS's that tend to hype different brands (based on what they sell), the advertising where every companies high end reg is "the best reg on the market today", is there such a thing as a reg that stands above the rest as a high end, and do it all reg that is trustoworthy with your life?

Things I have looked at are the Apeks ATX 100/200, Black Pearl. Scubapro MK25/600. I have not really looked at the Atomics stuff atm, but supposedly it is good too. Then the Aqualung Legend got mentioned here and also was hyped in a LDS I was in today.

Looking at the things in the LDS's was all good, the second stage of the Scubapro was nice, the dials for adjustments seemed to be a little more solid looking then the Apeks. On the other hand the Apeks first stage was a heavy solid looking piece of equipment, the environmental sealing seemed a great thing until reading the article on this board by the british guy, now I am clueless yet again on it.

If money was no object, going for a non-titanium reg to dive in all conditions, what is the Rolls Royce of all regs?

 

[Kennedydive]

I'd go with Apex. I have 4 regs all DS4's. I dive deep and cold and have had no problems with them. From what I understand the Black Pearl is the same as a 200 but with a larger price tag beacause it looks pretty. I'm not sure on the 100's and 200's but the DS4's are very easy to service and are a workhorse. Someone on the site I'm sure knows more about these and the other models you mentioned.
Jason

 

[Henryville]

Hello. I am new to this board.

I am currently doing a maritime archaeology masters and getting pretty heavy into diving in the next 30 years or so of my life. I am currently working on getting the gear going so that I do not have to borrow and rent stuff anymore and I want to get some high end reg setup that will allow me to do cold water dives on the West coast of Canada, dive deep on wrecks, and generally be the reliable, high performance, do it all reg.

With all the brand names out there and the massive amount of LDS's that tend to hype different brands (based on what they sell), the advertising where every companies high end reg is "the best reg on the market today", is there such a thing as a reg that stands above the rest as a high end, and do it all reg that is trustoworthy with your life?

Things I have looked at are the Apeks ATX 100/200, Black Pearl. Scubapro MK25/600. I have not really looked at the Atomics stuff atm, but supposedly it is good too. Then the Aqualung Legend got mentioned here and also was hyped in a LDS I was in today.

Looking at the things in the LDS's was all good, the second stage of the Scubapro was nice, the dials for adjustments seemed to be a little more solid looking then the Apeks. On the other hand the Apeks first stage was a heavy solid looking piece of equipment, the environmental sealing seemed a great thing until reading the article on this board by the british guy, now I am clueless yet again on it.

If money was no object, going for a non-titanium reg to dive in all conditions, what is the Rolls Royce of all regs?

You'll get lots of opinions, here's mine: there isn't one. And you wouldn't want it anyway. You want the Lexus, and that could be either the Apex DS4/Tx50 or the Scubapro combination you mentioned. You'll find these on the backs of a lot of serious divers.

IMHO, the Black Pearl is very nice and fancy but you might find another use for the extra money you would spend on purely cosmetic features.

Lastly, from somone who bought and ebayed a lot of gear before I got what I like, you should seriously consider renting/demoing some of these things for now, seeing what you like, and buying later.

Good luck and have fun!

 

[Hoppy]

Well my 0.02 worth.

I swapped this year from Apeks ATX 50's to Legend supreme LX and I am delighted !
UK waters must be fairly similar to your environment if mt memories of Vancouver Island are anything to go by.

Black pearl is indeed just a cosmetic job, the 200 is not much different in spec to the 100.

One decision you will need to bear in mind is servicing, depending on where you do most of your diving that may influence things. I hear that Apeks is not always readily servicable in some parts of the world.

If your LDS is any good they should be able to lend you regs to try, mine did with the Legends. It worked 'cos I bought em !

Hope that helps some.

Hoppy

 

[wmspdi]

Hello. I am new to this board.

I am currently doing a maritime archaeology masters and getting pretty heavy into diving in the next 30 years or so of my life. I am currently working on getting the gear going so that I do not have to borrow and rent stuff anymore and I want to get some high end reg setup that will allow me to do cold water dives on the West coast of Canada, dive deep on wrecks, and generally be the reliable, high performance, do it all reg...........


If money was no object, going for a non-titanium reg to dive in all conditions, what is the Rolls Royce of all regs?

Based on the specifications you have listed my vote is for the Atomic M1. I voted with my dollars on this one by selling off my Scubapros (2 MK25/X650 and 1 MK20/S600) and replacing them with a M1 for myself, another M1 one for my son, and I am looking to get a B2 or T1x for vacations as soon as I sell the MK20/S600.

The Scubapro is a nice reg but not good for cold water diving. The service interval is one year and the annual is required to maintain the warranty (a problem if you are on an extended dive trip when the overhaul is due). They do have the advantage of world wide repair if it breaks when you are away. Nitrox limit is 40%.

The Atomic M1 has no titanium where the Nitrox mix will make contact so it is rated for up 80% O2 (as long as you only run Nitrox or hyper pure air through it). The VIVA control is automatic so there is no switch to mess with, it is very well made using Monel and Zirconium for corrosion resistance. The first stage is a sealed unit so it is much less prone to cold water free flows than Scubapro. You can get a Cave Ring to simplify underwater disassembly if needed, and they also make a nice swivel hose for comfort. The second stage has a nice wide exhaust "T" to keep the bubbles out of your face. They make an M1 octo so your safe second will be the same as your primary. The recomended service interval is 2 years thanks to a special seat saving feature. The warranty is not dependant on maintaining the recommended service interval. The only downside I have found is the regulator needs to be pressurized when rinsed. Check it out at www.atomicaquatics.com

BTW- I have the MK20/S600 on eBay right now if you are interested in SP.

 

[docmartin]

if you're going to dive that much you may also want to service your own regs. under that aspect apeks is great because it is easier to get the service kits than for other regs. personally i own a couple of atx200s. however, as far as reliability and performance an apeks ds4/(a)tx50 combo is hard to beat and - even better - it comes at a very reasonable price. if i had to do it again i would not spend the money on the atx200.

 

[Walter]

Send a PM to DA Aquamaster. He has tons of experience both using and working on many different regulators.

 

[nwdiver2]

You don’t necessarily want the Rolls Royce of regs. I worked underwater for years doing bio surveys and found the Rolls type regs is more like a Ferraris you need to constantly baby sit and tune it to get that Rolls performance.

I think you need solid, works when out of tune never puts you in a spot type of reg.

I used the AL Micras for many years (I just sold the last pair, as I comfortable with my new choice) along with many other regs, I kept coming back to Micras. Several years ago I moved to the Apeks ATX 50 when it came out; I like the size (I used the smallest reg built for many years) and the simplicity of the design.

I have 2 complete ATX 50s and one compete extra second stage that I use as my alternate air, this gives me the redundancy of a spare reg or with an added alternate a 2 reg twin setup or I use it on a side mounted backup bottle when needed.

Go for something that is easily maintained, rugged and get two of the same reg don’t try two different brands just to try them, you will have them for a long time. Having two of the same reg will give you the ability to mix and match should you need to.

 

[84CJ7]

I asked the same question and got 50 completely conflicting answers as well, long story short I have an instructor who uses his Mares mr22/abyss for ice diving as well as everything else up here. Plus that one guy used one to set the solo deep diving record. And they set them so the hp seat only needs replacement every other year, plus with an extra $50 or so in parts during regular overhaul you can upgrade it to the scs stuff so its internally identical to the newer v32 1st (though 25% heavier) if that suits you.

And though I may get in trouble for saying this, scubatoys which has the full mfg warranty support has it on sale for way below the normal cost, and way way cheaper than the other stuff your looking at. Only problem ive seen is the matching abyss octo seems to be a euro only model though you can order them online anywhere. The proton seems to be the octo of choice with it for the US.

My only current question is whether or not the proton ice is better, or just more expensive, the jury is still out on that. Currently I reccomend the mr22/abyss with scs upgrade if u hafta have the latest tech from them.

EDIT: O and as far as what breathes better, with the high end stuff its like asking whether a ferrari or a lamborghini is faster when the volvo in front of you is doing 50 kph. In other words you likely never need or probably not even noticed the extra.

 

[Greg Barlow]

My only current question is whether or not the proton ice is better, or just more expensive, the jury is still out on that. Currently I reccomend the mr22/abyss with scs upgrade if u hafta have the latest tech from them.

The Abyss has better exhaust bubble dispersion, but is more difficult to finely tune due to lack of a side access port. The Proton breathes as well as the Abyss, but does have a problem with bubbles (unless you are moving forward in a horizontal position). I own and use both designs, and have serviced many Mares regs over the years.

The upgrade to SCS is not mandatory, now that the newest style HP poppets are available. They have thus far been more durable than those used in the past. The polymer compound appears to be similar to that used by Apeks/Aqua-Lung.

Personally, I own several MR12 first stages, and two MR/V16 first stages. For single tank diving, I prefer the V16/22 series for better hose routing. The MR12 works well for doubles, but does place undue stress on some hoses when used for singles. The MR12 does offer the benefit of being very simple, with relatively few O-rings. It is also an easy reg to properly adapt to high oxygen levels service.

Mares second stages are very easy to tune. They offer very good breathing characteristics with a robust design. When set properly, they are very stable and flutter free. Ideally, the cracking effort should be set at 1.25". BTW, I also own and use Apeks products. Yes, the adjustable Apeks second stage can be finely tuned to the dive's conditions, but many divers don't want to bother with the controls.

For the vast majority of dives and divers, Mares regs are a fine choice. As are most of the regs from the world's leading manufacturers.

Greg Barlow
Former Science Editor for Rodale's Scuba Diving Magazine