What regulator for me?

[11bravodiver]

Hey thanks everyone! So far from what I have put together is the atomics are the best performers and the scubapros are the easyest to get serviced.

Now what is this that I hear about Titanium regs? I heard the can burst into flames when connected to 100% O2. Is this true? If so what does it have to do with diving? There is no way someone whould hook it up to pure 02 right? As I said earlier I am a beginner so please go easy on me. I see the titanium regs going for twice what other regs are going for so what are the advantages with those other than they are less prone to corrosion and they are lighter?

I need something that will work in colder water so I need something that is enviormentaly sealed right? My future with diving is unknown so I want a reg that can basicly do it all. What I mean is I want a reg that can be used in cold water, be nitrox ready etc... I want this to be the only reg I buy so I am not afraid to spend the money. Just as long as it is once.

 

[Tekdiver10]

On all titanium regs the manufactor will set the maximum amount of 02 you can use with them. For most its is 40% and thats the same with most other regulators. Personally I don't think there worth the extra $ you could use it on better stuff like training or another piece of gear. I have a Scubapro Mk25/G250HP and I am quite pleased. My recomendation would be stay away from Ti and go with a Mk25AF/S600 or X650 or G250HP. And also Apeks makes great regulators.
Some stuff to look at like reviews:
www.scubapro.com/
www.apeks.co.uk/
www.scubadiving.com/
www.diversnet.com/
Good luck and if you can try out a few models before you buy!

 

[AtomicWalrus]

The advantages of titanium are supposed to be light weight and corrosion resistance. Titanium is lighter than brass or stainless steel, but realistically you're looking at 1.7 lb for the Atomic T1x all-titanium reg vs. 2.6 lb for the Monel/brass/stainless Atomic M1. Not a huge difference. The corrosion resistance is something to be considered, I suppose, but not really a big improvement over conventional regs. Corrosion isn't a problem with brass regs unless you really don't take care of it. The Atomic M1 has its key 1st stage internals made out of Monel, which is a nickel/copper superalloy used in some jet turbines - if you're concerned about corrosion, that'll take care of you.

Now here's the problem with titanium: it's not good at high O2 concentrations, just like you thought. As a fairly light metal, titanium is a lot more combustible than other metals. (As a note, just about ANYTHING will burn in high pressure O2 unless you're careful!) Titanium regs are typically rated to 40% O2 mixes, and then only if they're kept in a nitrox-cleaned condition.

So, there's not a huge advantage to a titanium reg, at least not for the 2x cost differential! (in my less-than-humble opinion! )

Environmental sealing is a pretty good idea for cold water and also for diving anywhere that the water isn't exactly gin-clear. The environmental sealing basically keeps garbage out of the balance chamber of your reg; like silt, biological stuff, and rust particles. All of that debris can scratch up the inside walls of your reg and eventually cause you problems.

Now here's the catch: only piston regulators really need to worry about environmental sealing - they're the only ones where water can usually get into the balance chamber. Examples of piston regs are Scubapro and Atomic. They usually accomplish an environmental seal by filling the balance chamber with some sort of lubricant and covering it with a rubber boot. That makes servicing trickier & kind of messy, and therefore a bit more expensive. On the other hand, diaphragm regulators are INHERENTLY environmentally sealed. Examples of diaphragm regs are Apeks and Aqualung. Of course, they tend to be a little more mechanically complex, so again tend to be a bit of a pain to service.

Personally, I dive an Atomic M1, and I love it!

Hey thanks everyone! So far from what I have put together is the atomics are the best performers and the scubapros are the easyest to get serviced.

Now what is this that I hear about Titanium regs? I heard the can burst into flames when connected to 100% O2. Is this true? If so what does it have to do with diving? There is no way someone whould hook it up to pure 02 right? As I said earlier I am a beginner so please go easy on me. I see the titanium regs going for twice what other regs are going for so what are the advantages with those other than they are less prone to corrosion and they are lighter?

I need something that will work in colder water so I need something that is enviormentaly sealed right? My future with diving is unknown so I want a reg that can basicly do it all. What I mean is I want a reg that can be used in cold water, be nitrox ready etc... I want this to be the only reg I buy so I am not afraid to spend the money. Just as long as it is once.

 

[O2Addict]

I would always get an enviromentally sealed reg. Saves on corrosion as well as icing.

 

[alemaozinho]

If you can,then rent a few differend models and try them out before making a buying commitmend.The Poseidon Odin or the X-stream is my favourite,i also have the Atomic B1 but it cant touch the Poseidons in performance/air delivery.The X-stream could be your first and the last Regulator you,ll ever need.Check out ,how often Regulator Models have been changed (differend manufacturers) throughout the years and then have a second look at the Poseidon Range.peace

 

[11bravodiver]

So far after a little searching I have found that the Apeks ATX100 or ATX200. Also as said in this tread the Atomic M1.

Now I was looking at the website for Apeks http://www.apeks.co.uk/home_frameset.htm and I noticed that the two regs I metioned seemed like they only came in the DIN style. Is this true? Mabey not but the pictures were all that style. I like the way the yoke style is so I kinda wanted to stick with that.

Any other suggestions?

 

[eod]

I use a Mares MR22 abyss which has perfomed flawlessly through the Swedish winter. I would recomend it to anyone as a good cold water regulator. Apeks is also a very good reg, many of my friends use it and has nothing bad to say about it.

 

[AtomicWalrus]

Yoke is a pretty good idea if you're diving in North America - that's pretty standard for rental tanks around here. Most regs will come in a yoke version, but something you could do is buy the DIN reg and then also get a DIN-to-yoke adapter. The adapter spins onto the DIN fitting, and costs ~$50. The drawbacks of this approach are that you add an extra potential failure point into your rig (seal between the adapter & reg), and it also adds some length to your reg when it's sitting on your tank, making it a little more likely that you'll bang your head on it.

DIN is actually a much better connector design, but not that common in North America unless you're doing tec diving. DIN is stronger mechanically, and the o-ring configuration is more robust so you're less likely to get an o-ring blow-out.

So far after a little searching I have found that the Apeks ATX100 or ATX200. Also as said in this tread the Atomic M1.

Now I was looking at the website for Apeks http://www.apeks.co.uk/home_frameset.htm and I noticed that the two regs I metioned seemed like they only came in the DIN style. Is this true? Mabey not but the pictures were all that style. I like the way the yoke style is so I kinda wanted to stick with that.

Any other suggestions?

 

[David A]

I looked at the Apex ATX range, but decided against them because the short exhaust can cause bubbles rising in front of your face. Not great if you want to take up photography at any stage. The TX range would be better for this, as it's the same technology, but in a slightly bigger set up. I eventually went for the Aqualung Legend LX Supreme, with Legend LX Octo. Fantastic.
I've heard that Atomic are very good, but here in the UK they are hugely expensive.
David

 

[jbichsel]

I just finished my open water course and like everyone else, I AM HOOKED! Now that I am gonna start the advanced course and I want to buy my own stuff. I will be diving mostly in NH and Mass so it will get cold. I don't know that much of a difference between most regs but I want something that I will keep for a long time. I don't mind paying top dollar but I don't want to spend money that isn't nessessary.

Thanks, Mike

BTW, This is my first post.

Aqualung Legend LX, easy to find dealers/service, outstanding performance. I have used mine in excess of recreational limits without any problems. Also quite affordable from my out-of-state dealer.

PM me if you would like details.