What 2nd has beat the G250?

[Nemrod]

That happened about twenty years ago. Atomic promptly corrected it, and it hasn't been an issue since.

So I have been told but regardless have seen a few with deteriorated covers. I just do not like a second stage with a soft cover. There are multiple reasons for this preference, to many to perhaps go into here so I will just leave it as I do not like soft covers.

 

[USdiver1]

Obviously a SP love-fest going on. G250V fanboy here, but the question was what 2nd stage can beat the G250?

Simple, the SP Pilot from 1977 - 1979. Find yourself one in working order and enjoy the best engineered regulator ever manufactured.

 

[lexvil]

Obviously a SP love-fest going on. G250V fanboy here, but the question was what 2nd stage can beat the G250?

Simple, the SP Pilot from 1977 - 1979. Find yourself one in working order and enjoy the best engineered regulator ever manufactured.

Pilot is excluded from the discussion by the rules in the first post, now if it were allowed to be discussed I may take exception with “best” engineered and substitution to “most over engineered “ but with shockingly great performance.

 

[USdiver1]

I think it's time for another bruising debate about the best second stage! But to avoid (okay, minimize) the thread hijacks, I'll restrict my comments at least, to the barrel design, end-balanced regs that mimic and maybe improve upon the G250. No center-balanced D400/TFX gushing here!

OK, so the undisputed world champ [Pilot - D400, center balanced regs are not eligible for this debate]. I'd have to then go with two SP competitors: 1) USD Conshelf metal [1085], and 2) the Voit MR12 II through Mares Navy Abyss [ just an evolution on the Voit] as the ultimate bulletproof reliable second stages ever built.

Maybe not quite as advanced and tunable as a G250, but boy can they take abuse! Couple a Connie or MR12 II with a SP Mk2 first stage and you have the ultimate shop rental / student proof / pool dive equipment known to man. I'd wager that there are several of these frankenregs still working 45 straight years without a rebuild.

Like I said, I'm a G250V fanboy, it does all I've ever asked from a 2nd stage, why should I retire it? No reason to do so.

 

[Nemrod]

I already put a vote in for the 1085 but it really does not match the G250 series for all around criteria, performance and durability. It has the durability and simplicity but not the performance. The "scrotum" regulators like the Pilot or more recent innovations of same from Atomic and Scubapro have the performance but are finicky and often difficult to tune and lack the reliability and simplicity of the G250 series. It is not just one thing that puts the G250/G260 on top, it is the whole package.

And regards "butt ugly" as stated by one, well, the "scrotum" regs, I admit that they have the G250 beat when it comes to "butt ugly"ness and then some not to mention also that the pricing for the new "scrotum" regs is ridiculous.

Just an opinion like all of this thread, I would not couple two unbalanced stages. Balanced first with balanced or unbalanced seconds and unbalanced first with a balanced second stage but not an unbalanced second.

The G250 is high performance, rugged, durable, repairable, simple and venerable. Parts support over decades, fiber reinforced polyamide cases, hard covers that need no tool to open. And beautifully ugly in that form should follow function.

Scubapro needs to give the C370 a metal barrel and de-bling the "V" on the cover. The G260 needs to have that bling ring replaced with a silicone or other miracle material bump guard. It gets beat up to easily. Patina can be good I guess.

G250:


G260:

 

[scubadada]

...Scubapro needs to give the C370 a metal barrel and de-bling the "V" on the cover...

Thread 'Scubapro C370 faceplate'

Sep 16, 2023

Very disappointed that the decorative metal trim on my C370 caught on something and bent up. Of course, this could not happen on my S600

• scubadada

• 

 

[CycleCat]

Some day I want to know enough to be as geeked out on regulators as much as you all are. For now I'm still learning and enjoying the conversation.

 

[Nemrod]

Some day I want to know enough to be as geeked out on regulators as much as you all are. For now I'm still learning and enjoying the conversation.

Ignorance is bliss and often advantageous .

 

[Pressurehead]

“most over engineered “ but with shockingly great performance.

Beat me to it , My first thought When I read it.
I was too polite to post it....

 

[rsingler]

Jeez, @scubadada !
@buddhasummer will kill you if you don't at least plug the holes with RTV and paint the old groove with a sexy nail polish. Preferably Scubapro blue...