New equipment

[Omicron]

Good idea. Something that I will keep in mind for the future.

No helium for me yet though...

[Achtung]

Yeah I did not mention models of scubapro. Every brand has some problematic models. Pretty much everyone I know is diving Apeks. Right now I am diving DS-4 tx-50s. I love them but I really want the slick hose routing that only a scubapro Mk25 first stage has. Consequently a couple of us are now testing the MK25 G250 as primary with a Mk25 R380 as backup. We will see if these things live up to their name scuba-flow. We know they are working fine in water as cold as 45, we are not too much colder than that so we will see what happens. Otherwise they are fine as stage/deco regs or in warmer water.

The S600 is an overated reg. The best breatheing reg I have used is an atomic M1 but they are unproven for deep/cold diving.

I have never heard Jon's story about the poseidon but I will add it to my list. Everytime I have see a Poseidon it was freeflowing predive. The IPs are just way to high. I watched a guy screw with it for an hour and then dive it to 180 feet. That is not something I want to deal with.

If you buy one that cools. The people that have them usually seem to like them a lot. You can always sell it later! Be sure you carry a spare hose with you as most dive shops will not have a hose for it when traveling abroad.

Darren

[jasondbaker]

I'm diving with a apeks atx50 and atx40 backup. Great regs. Several of my buddies use them now. I have a question. I encountered a couple freeflows with the regs last year -- mostly while diving Superior. I took them into the shop and the tech put them on the bench for me. He showed me the IP, we tested the breathing, etc. He said everything was within manufacturer specs (I thought it was set in the 130's)

I've heard of people detuning the IP on these regs. What IP should I be looking at to minimize freeflows?

[Achtung]

Hi jason.

At point did it flow? Were you just breathing it and all of a sudden it started flowing, or were you purging it praticing OOA or something? You would be the first person I know with an Apeks flow problem. GI3 has been saying that the regs quality was going down since US divers bought them. Also if your reg is fairly new, there is a documented problem with some people finding metal shavings in the first stage. If one of these shaving gets caught on the seat you will get a flow.

The only way to get the shaving out are by taking it apart.

Remember the Tx-50 has two levels that control reg. You can always dial it back. If you have them wide open and purge the reg, they will flow until you flip the lever back.

As far as IPs on the apeks, GI3 recommends them to be set at 120.

[Colin]

Something else to be aware of, is that some of the Apeks first stages use an intermediate pressure boost at depth. That's why they are such great easy breathers at depth. This can/may cause some to freeflow, especially if someone uses them with octos not adjusted for the IP boost.

[Achtung]

I have heard this rumor before but have not researched it. I believe it is only a handful of some of the new Apeks first stages. I believe Posiedons also have this variable IP feature. The variable IP Apeks products where released after USD aquired them. The Apeks 1st stage of choice such as the DS4, US4, flathead six do not have this issue. These are the Apeks regs that are desireable in the "tech" community they are know for excellent reliablility, hose routing, and ease of breathing. Unfortunately these regs are becoming harder to come by.

Darren

[jasondbaker]

Achtung,

Thanks for the info. I'll take my apeks regs in for their annual service this week and have the tech set the ip somewhere in the 120's.

[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

[Vtach]

Hey there everyone!

New to the forum and was reading this thread. I have been a Poseidon diver for the last 5 years and I am DEFINITELY going to a different brand/style/design regulator. I initially was diving the Triton which was working pretty well for me but then I was informed that Poseidon would no longer offer parts to US Poseidon dealers so I "upgraded" to the Cyklon. Well, to make a long story short, it has locked up on me 3 times. The latest time was this last Sunday while diving on the Milwaukee (at about 90ft) it locked up on me enough that I could not get a full breath out of it. Switched to my Sherwood Blizzard which worked pretty well for a bit until that freeflowed (at least I was getting air). Aborted the dive due to crappy equipment. So, I have been looking at the Apeks and Zeagle regs. I am looking at the Apeks ATX200 or Zeagle Flathead. I have been diving actively for the last 11 years and heading toward the Tech/DIR route. I've heard many good things about these regs but this is the first from divers around this area of the country. So I am going to start shopping. Anyone heard of any problems with buying any of these regs off Ebay? There have been some Apeks regs for sale lately at not too shabby prices. Any input is appreciated.

Thanks,

Todd

[jasondbaker]

Hi Todd, welcome to the forum. I always recommend buying equipment from the LDS first so you get warranty/support/etc. But if that is not an option then you might look at diveinn.com. I know several people who have purchased their apeks regs from them. Let us know what you end up purchasing.