Time for a re-think - any input

[Griffo]

After yet another failure on the weekend, I have been ordered by the minister for finance to throw out my current regs and invest in some new ones.

I don't really want to go into the details of the problems I have had, or the brand, as it will just drag this thread off into a direction that I'm not interested in.

Anyway, so it's time for a new set of regs, and this time i'm trying to invest in a direction that will serve me well for a much longer time and see my through my progression. I'm keen to go down the path of Tech 1/2 and maybe even some Cave one day, so i'm hoping that this time what I buy will serve me well as I progress.

In trying to pick a new reg set, i'm trying to think long term and not just look at features / price.

For example

Parts Availability - I want to ensure that parts for the regs are not only available today easily to me (i.e not sold exclusively to "trained techs"), but are likely to remain available for some time
Parts Availability 2 - I do a lot of travelling, and it would be nice to be able to get parts throughout asia-pac at least
Parts Cost - there seems to be a wide range in the cost of service kits, obviously cheaper the better
Parts Compatibility - the less differences in the kits between primary regs, stage and deco regs etc will mean less kits to be kept in the toolkit, maximising flexibility, minimising cost etc
Standardised - no proprietry hose fittings or anything equally stupid
Robustness - I'll admit it, i'm not always the most carefull packer at the end of a long day of diving, so it needs to stand up to the occaisional bump
02 Compatibility - must have regs in range that can be used for 02 deco

Then of course we can jump into features, where I am pretty much looking for cold-water, balanced diaphragm, with adjustable seconds and high performance.

I'm thinking that the above drives me to pretty much on the Apeks regs, but am obviously on here looking for advice and input.

All the above requirements are really based on hard lessons, is there anything else I should be thinking about that i'm missing?

 

[elan]

Define cold water

If you are thinking about below 4C, then G250V, MK17/S600/G250V or Apeks XTX50. or DS4/XTX 50.

If above 4c you can throw MK25 into the mix. IF you have extra money A700 really is a good reg that is all metal but you cannot unscrew the face plate so might be not an option for cavers.

Below 4c my personal preference would be MK17/G250V

For stages I mostly use pistons for the ease of cleaning in case of flood, so from this point - MK25.

 

[Griffo]

Thanks elan

When I say cold, I mean above 4C but below 10C which I believe is the cutoff point for "cold" water when talking regs.

I think i'm leaning towards the XTX50 - DST/4 combo but wanted to make sure I hadn't "not thought" about anything. I've learnt the hard way for instance that maintenance is just as important as featureset - it only takes a couple of un-expected service kits to make the original savings on purchase null and void.

Cheers

 

[chrpai]

Well, according to your posting history it's either Scubapro, Aqualung or HOG. I'll go out on a limb and say Hog.

I know you say you don't want to go there... but what are we talking about here? 1st stage problems, 2nd stage problems? Did you have a tech "fix" something and make it worse? I understand you are in Australia which as I recall from Chris that there aren't any dealers over there.

Personally I look at Hogs as somewhat disposable due to their price point relative to the labor cost for service. It sucks if you have some bad luck but statistically speaking you should still come out ahead.

 

[buddhasummer]

I would go Apeks, parts are fairly easy to come by, all, except flight, use same service kit, very simple regs to service, if you go with XTX or ATX 40 and above cold water compatible, don't require any specialised tools but if you do want factory tools eg 2nd stage face plate tool they can be found without too many problems, now owned by AL service around the world should not be an issue and even if a shop doesn't specifically service Apeks if you have a service kit and schematic any competent reg tech should able to service them. I've been diving Apeks for years without any problems. As a comparison just bought an Atomic and its been playing up from day one tried to get it looked at in Thailand but no service agents so was SOL, back to Apeks. If you decide to go with Apeks and requires service kits or tools pm me. Good luck.

 

[gcarter]

I would go Apeks, parts are fairly easy to come by, all, except flight, use same service kit, very simple regs to service, if you go with XTX or ATX 40 and above cold water compatible, don't require any specialised tools but if you do want factory tools eg 2nd stage face plate tool they can be found without too many problems, now owned by AL service around the world should not be an issue and even if a shop doesn't specifically service Apeks if you have a service kit and schematic any competent reg tech should able to service them. I've been diving Apeks for years without any problems. As a comparison just bought an Atomic and its been playing up from day one tried to get it looked at in Thailand but no service agents so was SOL, back to Apeks. If you decide to go with Apeks and requires service kits or tools pm me. Good luck.

FWIW, I have ATX40s and although I do really like them and have never had any issues at depth or temperature (37 meters, 3.5C) if I had to by Apeks again I would go at least to the 50 as it has the variable adjustment that the 40 lacks. I think this is the only real difference between them.

 

[halocline]

I like older SP regs, and parts are widely available through alternate sources and they're fairly cheap. Assuming you want DIN, you could get a pair of MK10s, pack the chambers for very cold water, and use a couple of balanced adjustable (converted 109) metal 2nd stages. Then you have essentially a G250 in a metal case. Tough to get more bulletproof and simple than that. I like the MK5 better, but the DIN situation is much more complicated because the universal SP DIN retainer won't work.

My doubles set is a pair of packed MK10s, a D300 for my primary 2nd, a converted 109 for the alternate. But the D300 adds parts and a bit of specialized service; not a problem for me because I work on them myself and I have a lifetime supply of poppets for them. But if simplicity and ease-of-parts-and-service is a priority, the 109 is a better choice. The G250 would be as well.

Can't help you with new regs, as I would have no interest in spending that kind of money.

 

[TSandM]

Well, ScubaPro has made it very difficult to get parts kits unless you are a trained tech. I don't know about the other brands, but if you want to do self-service, that's not one I'd pick.

 

[Centrals]

I love my DS4 but the replaceable ARCAP valve seat of the FSR would be very useful in long run.
Unfortunately the FSR is normally paired with XTX-200(over-priced).
Avoid the TEK 3.
FSR + XTX50/ATX-50/TX-50 would be ideal.
Find a competent technician to learn how to service Apeks regs.

---------- Post added April 8th, 2013 at 02:11 PM ----------

FWIW, I have ATX40s and although I do really like them and have never had any issues at depth or temperature (37 meters, 3.5C) if I had to by Apeks again I would go at least to the 50 as it has the variable adjustment that the 40 lacks. I think this is the only real difference between them.

Adjusting screw AP2029 if you can find it.

 

[keyshunter]

FWIW, I have ATX40s and although I do really like them and have never had any issues at depth or temperature (37 meters, 3.5C) if I had to by Apeks again I would go at least to the 50 as it has the variable adjustment that the 40 lacks. I think this is the only real difference between them.

Adding the adjustment knob to your ATX 40 is pretty simple.