Do rotating turrets really matter?

[CT-Rich]

I've used an MK25 for about ten years on around 300 dives. I have had it serviced a few times, never a problem with the swivel. Also, I have never heard of of the swivel being a issue with the MK25 (or any regulator for that matter). I have heard of hose swivels failing, but never a first stage swivel.

 

[ams511]

People bitch about swivel turrets being a failure point, and other people would bitch if they didn’t have swivel turrets.
How do we win here?

Buy an Atomic Z2, it has the 5th port but does not swivel. Also back in the day, there were a few Scubapro first stages with a 5th port and no swivel.

 

[ams511]

I've used an MK25 for about ten years on around 300 dives. I have had it serviced a few times, never a problem with the swivel. Also, I have never heard of of the swivel being a issue with the MK25 (or any regulator for that matter). I have heard of hose swivels failing, but never a first stage swivel.

I have heard of it twice in like 30 years. I don't think the problem was with the swivel but rather how the regulator was serviced.

 

[happy-diver]

This guy confessed to me he doesn't use a rotating turret



I'm buyin one

 

[scubadojo]

I don't see turret and fifth port as problem/failure point. it just preference of its functional use.
also it won't help much with jaw fatigue overtime, get omniswivel on it and jaw fatigue alleviated (yes, added another failure point)

top of the line regulator for many brands uses rotating turrets (Apeks MTXRC, SP MK25, MK19, Atomic Aquatics B,M,ST,T the list goes on)

it's good on hose routing for many configurations.

 

[CycleCat]

You didn't mention your configuration. In doubles and sidemount, swivel turrets and fifth ports make for excellent hose routing. In a single tank backmount configuration, it just doesn't matter.

I'm a single tank backmount diver... just a few dives short of my 50th. I guess that's why my non-articulating 1st stages have been good for me so far. These MK25s will give me the chance to try something else and they're a good excuse to buy more gear (that's always a good thing, right?).

 

[hedonist222]

I can sense it swiveling to accommodate the path the hose takes from the 1st to the 2nd stage coupled with how the regulator sits in my mouth.

 

[Centrals]

Additional failure point? Yes.
But I have been using one(Apeks DST) for over 20 yrs and never had any issue with it.
Look after it.
If in doubt, get an alternative eg. Apeks DS4.

 

[CT-Rich]

Buy an Atomic Z2, it has the 5th port but does not swivel. Also back in the day, there were a few Scubapro first stages with a 5th port and no swivel.

the MK25 has a 5th port on the the end of the turret. since it rotates around the axis, that would count as fixed.

What is the overall likely hood of a ScubaPro MK25 having any catastrophic failure? All possibilities of the regulator failing on a dive? Extremely low. A cheapo Ali Baba first stage with no swivel isn't going to be more reliable than the MK25 because they didn't include a swivel. It was just a cheap piece of cr*p without a swivel. I would buy the regulator based on the overall evaluation of the equipment, rather than it's PERCEIVED flaw by a someone on ScubaBoard.

If you can google regulator failures and find reviews that describe first hand accounts in either the real world or under test conditions that show it as a failure point, I wouldn't worry. I would focus on the overall performance of the product.

 

[Norwegian Cave Diver]

For Sidemount they are perfect. Allows the hoses to route up and over the back of your neck.