Which reg to get -- I like the Aqualung Legend

[dakota74]

Thanks -- you know, I looked at both pics so many times trying to figure out the difference between the regular and the LX I never noticed the knob! Ugh.

What about an Octo? I don't want to spend a lot of $$ on one, but since the Legend LX is Nitrox capable, I suppose the Octo should be as well right? Anyone have ideas on a low cost Nitrox capable octo?

 

[The Great Kazoo]

If you go with the Legend, you can not just use any Octo. It is pretty hard to find any reg/octo not nitrox capable on todays market.

 

[dakota74]

If you go with the Legend, you can not just use any Octo. It is pretty hard to find any reg/octo not nitrox capable on todays market.

How so, Kazoo? I mean, how do you mean I can't just use any Octo? What should I be looking for?

 

[keyshunter]

Dakota,
You can use just about any octo with the Legend, as long as it is properly tuned to the intermediate pressure of the Legend first stage. The idea that one has to use a particular octo is nonsense. But, if you get a Legend, it is probably better to get an Aqua Lung octo so that when you take your reg in for service, the dealer can service both the Legend and the octo. The Aqua Lung Calypso/ Titan is a good breathing and very reliable octo that is not very expensive.

 

[Twistedarts]

as a legend owner, you can use just about any octo. personally I use an inflator octo, no probs.

 

[dakota74]

Thank you to everyone who helped me out -- you've all been awesome! I'm going to go to the BC Equipment board now to get some ideas on a BCD.

Thanks again!!!!!

 

[The Great Kazoo]

From AquaLung...
A very good question, It is recommended that the Legend regulator be paired with a pneumatically balanced octo/alternate. The models of octo's that Aqua Lung carries are:

Any Apeks model
Legend Octo
Airsource 3

We recommend this due to the over-balancing feature of the first stage (which is also on Apeks first stages). The over-balancing creates higher than normal medium pressures especially as you do deeper dives, this is why the Legend and Apeks regulators are very high performance (especially as you go deeper).

Now on to the question you had regarding free-flow or damage. If a non-balanced octo is used on the Legend, there would not be any reason I can think of that would cause any damage to the regulator. The problem is when you start to go deeper and the pressure in the hose increases (as delivered by the first stg) it can overcome the spring tension in the 2nd stg octo which will cause a small freeflow to start. This freeflow will get worse the deeper you go.

I bet you want to ask now what is deep and when will this freeflow start! There is no accurate way to know until you get to that depth. Different models/brands of octo's will react differently. If you never dive deeper than say 80-100 ft, you will probably never have any issues, but this would of course be at your own risk.


This is the reason we cannot recommend using non pneumatically-balanced models with over-balanced first stages.

 

[keyshunter]

Kazoo,
I suspected that was what you had in mind. Overbalancing, if one believes the hype, is the best thing since sex. It compensates for the increasing density of the air and yada, yada. It certainly does help manufacturers sell balanced octos to people who never even come close to normal recreational limits. I don't know how deep is deep, but I do know that in our personal tests, using air, with an almost new (I think the IP was about 140) Apeks ATX 200 with a very finely tuned Sherwood Standard octo (much finer than one would ordinarily tune an octo), we had no sign of a freeflow at 155 fsw. We fully expected a freeflow, but nary a bubble. I am sure that if we could have gone deeper we would eventually have had a freeflow, but we were on the sand at that particular site. Overbalancing, which is a happy accident caused by adding the dry seal to a diaphragm reg is absolutely loved by advertising types, but is of little consequence to divers at normal recreational depths.

 

[The Great Kazoo]

I frequently pass rec dive limits. I dont want to find out at 200+' I bought the wrong one. For you average diver, you are correct.

 

[dakota74]

I am going to go with the Legend Octo.......

This would be fine for me, right? up to how deep will i be able to go using the legend lx acd supreme and the legend octo?