New equipment

[FreediveWI]

We had a lot of freeflow problems with the Apeks regs when they first came out, but only when diving air. They were never a problem when diving mix.

Apeks soon fixed this with a metal sleeve that fit into the second stage- the more metal you reg has the less likely it will freeflow. Since they put that sleeve on I have heard of very few freeflows. Dropping the IP down tp 120psi has fixed all of the other freeflows that I did hear of.

One other observation that I have made is that most any regualtor will work for icediving, but drag it out on Lake Michigan for a deeper wreck dive in January and they will ALL freeflow eventually. The water can get colder out there, because of the currents, and the prolonged exposure to the elements on the way out to the wrecks seem to make a bigger difference. I remember one charter in which only 2 of the 14 divers got to dive because everyone's regs freeflowed. Once again, no such problems since I dropped the IP down to 120psi.

I have heard about the increasing problems with the Apkes regs since Aqualung took them over- shavings being left inside and the infamous Aqualung HP seats blowing out after only a few uses. Bad HP seats have been a prennial problem for that company for at least 10-15 years now.

You don't need to own an Apeks to dive a DIR regulator. George has recently worked with Atomic to design a new DIR reg that can be ripped apart easier underwater. This is not that important for recreational diving, but can be critical for any deco diving- which is another reason why we don't use Posidens.

Diverite has a good reg, based upon the Apeks model, that doesn't cost very much. I am sure that Mares, Oceanic, Atomic, and others can come up with the same.

Things to look for:

1-Balanced diaphram
2- Standard port sizes- no odd-ball special hoses to buy
3- Easily removable cover on 2nd stage
4-Downstream valve
5- No swivels on first stage- extra o-ring+extra failure point

As long as your regualtor meets these requirements you should be able to buy the correct hoses and be ready to dive. Making sure that the regs have standard size ports will save you a bundle on hoses.

Jon