Buying cheap Regulator Set??

[tridacna]

This has been discussed at length here on SB many times before... Leisure Pro is considered a grey market dealer for some of their products, and you often can't take their prices to your LDS to get any kind of deal.

LeisurePro is an authorized Oceanic dealer.

 

[ams511]

@ams511: By "metal tube vs. plastic" are you referring to the valve body/spindle?
I don't own the Apeks T20. I do know that the T20 lacks an inhalation adjustment knob and the heat exchanger nut. I was not aware that the valve body/spindle was made of plastic. AFAIK, the T20 uses the same valve body/spindle as the TX40 and TX50 (part# AP 2028). At some point, I was considering putting together a stage/deco reg consisting of the AT20 (newer version of the T20). If it has a plastic valve body, then I'll probably go farther up the Apeks line (XTX/ATX/TX40).

Or are you talking about a different metal/plastic tube?

On the TX-40 the heat exchanger is metal. On the TX-20 this piece is replaced by a plastic spacer. The TX-50 adds an adjustment screw. So if you do not need cold water performace and adjustability then a TX-20 would fit nicely. If you did you could always upgrade in the future by replacing the parts. I am talking only of the second stages not the firsts. Also I am not sure if Apeks changed some components when going to the ATX and XTX lines. I only have the original TX series. Which BTW was also rebranded by Zeagle and Beuchat.

 

[ams511]

Just to play the devils advocate (you started it , I initially opted for "cheap" 1st stage regulators for my pony and argon bottles. I don't remember the price or brand (but I can dig that up if you care). The point being I was going for "cheap", mostly because these weren't part of my primary life support. Some time after I bought these the company went out of businesss. Last time I had my regs serviced both 1st stages were out of spec, had no repair parts, and had to be replaced. That cost me a lot more than if I had purchased a decent (name-brand), mid-range set in the first place.

As for my primary regs, I knew I'd be diving mostly in cold water so I purchased accordingly.

Gerald, I said "name brand". My first reg was a Conshelf 21, which was the low end of the U.S. Divers (Aqualung) line. It cost me $99 in 1991 or 92. It still has parts availablity almost 20 years latter. If you by an off-brand then there is no guarantee parts will still be serviceable in the future. This is especially true of first stages where it would be dangerous trying to use generic components to replace the HP seat. If you wanted a cheap reg for an argon bottle or pony why didn't you just buy a used SP MK-2 or Sherwood? They are cheap, would work well for your applications and the parts are both available and inexpensive.

 

[ermaclob]

I think you may be right, some translation errors.
explosive- bombs and fire works are explosive
expensive- cost a lot like diamond rings....and the women they are hooked to.

I will just add that the inexpensive (cost little) octos are pretty bad preforming regulators. They will supply you air but are not good to breath from for a long period of time. You really do not want one as your primary regulator and I personally do not one as my octo. In my opinion, a used set of regs that are the middle price range models from one of the major brands (Apeks, Aqualung, Oceanic, Sherwood, Cressi, Scubapro, Zeagle to list a few, there are more) is a much better investment than cheap (inexpensive) brands.

LOL!!! clearly both of you have it wrong...... I am from Bizarro world, so i need explosive regulators to ignite the flammable gas in my scuba tank so i can breath.

some great advice from everyone, thanks alot. i think im going to buy the BCD and barrow a tank and regs/gage from family member until i can get a better longer lasting reg set i need to check the service cost at my dive local shop to decide on new or used.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

On the TX-40 the heat exchanger is metal. On the TX-20 this piece is replaced by a plastic spacer. The TX-50 adds an adjustment screw. So if you do not need cold water performace and adjustability then a TX-20 would fit nicely. If you did you could always upgrade in the future by replacing the parts. I am talking only of the second stages not the firsts. Also I am not sure if Apeks changed some components when going to the ATX and XTX lines. I only have the original TX series. Which BTW was also rebranded by Zeagle and Beuchat.

@ams511: So by "metal tube vs. plastic" you were talking about the heat exchanger nut vs. plastic spacer? I suppose you could call the plastic spacer a "tube."
Your terminology confused me. When you described a "tube," I got the impression that you were talking about the valve body/spindle.

BTW, I've also found that purchasing the extra little Apeks parts one-by-one gets pretty expensive quickly. The price of the XTX/ATX/TX50 inhalation adjustment knob is ridiculous! Moreover, I haven't been able to get an Apeks/Aqualung dealer to sell me any "internal" parts because they aren't technically user-replaceable. YMMV.

 

[ams511]

@ams511: So by "metal tube vs. plastic" you were talking about the heat exchanger nut vs. plastic spacer? I suppose you could call the plastic spacer a "tube."
Your terminology confused me. When you described a "tube," I got the impression that you were talking about the valve body/spindle.

BTW, I've also found that purchasing the extra little Apeks parts one-by-one gets pretty expensive quickly. The price of the XTX/ATX/TX50 inhalation adjustment knob is ridiculous! Moreover, I haven't been able to get an Apeks/Aqualung dealer to sell me any "internal" parts because they aren't technically user-replaceable. YMMV.

Bubble there was a guy in Hong Kong that was selling the adjustment knobs but it looks like he stopped due to the shipping costs. I looked at a past post on SB and someone mentioned it cost around $150 for the heat exchanger and the knob which at the time was about what a new second stage cost. The only advice I can offer is either purchase a TX50 on ebay and sell your TX20. Look for an old Zeagle Tech 50D from when Zeagle was the US distributer of Apeks. Alternatively, look for an old Beuchat VX-10 from when Beuchat sold rebranded TX50's. The Zeagles and the Beuchats would be at least 10 years old by now but the adjustment knob and the heat exchanger does not look like parts that would wear out.

 

[geraldp]

Gerald, I said "name brand"

You did

If you wanted a cheap reg for an argon bottle or pony why didn't you just buy a used SP MK-2 or Sherwood? They are cheap, would work well for your applications and the parts are both available and inexpensive.

In fact I ended up replacing my 1st stages with SP MK-2s. It was recommended by ScubaToys for such purposes. My originals had "Parkway SCUBA" stamped on them, and I paid $65 each for them.

 

[ams511]

Actually, Parkway Scuba was a name brand back in the 80's and 90's. From what I remember their stuff was low-end. I remember the material on their BC's were real thin. I am not sure what happened to them. I think I still have a shorty sold by them in my closet.