Scubapro MK17/R290 vs. Scubapro MK16/S550 Regulator

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sammyman

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The newer MK17 is roughly $50 more. Is it worth it? Will be diving Monterey, and other tropical places.
 
Yes. Much better than the Mk 16. It has an additional HP port along with enviromental sealing and heat exchanger. So yes I think you would be alot more happier with the Mk 17 than the Mk 16 and I think it is worth the extra $50.
 
The Mk 16 and Mk 17 are very similar. The MK 17 is a Mk 16 with a sealed ambient chamber and detail improvements such as a new seat and seat guide that improves alignment. Performance is essentially identical except the Mk 17 is a better cold water reg (which is an incremental improvement as the Mk 16 was also very good in cold water.)

But the significant difference is in the second stages. The S550 sold with the Mk 16 is a balanced second stage while the R290 is an unbalanced second stage.

So in effect they are screwing you hard with the Mk 17 R290 priced $50.00 more.

I am assuming this is an online purchase. You'd be well advised to check out your LDS options where you could get the current Mk 17 S555 or custom order it with any second stage you'd like.
 
The R190, R290, R390, and R295 all share the same basic unbalanced poppet design.

The G250, G250HP, G500, S550, S555 and S600 all share the same basic balanced poppet design and all use the same S-Wing poppet.

The X650 uses a very similar but slightly shorter balanced poppet.

So the "R" models are unbalanced and everything else is balanced.
 
If I remember correctly, the "R" was used because the name of the Italian engineer who designed the R190 was Roberto. Am I off on this?
 
I have the Mk16/S550. Right now I plan on keeping it for a while, but if I could trade the MK16 to a Mk17 for $50 extra, I would not hesitate to do so.

Does the "improved" seat design of the Mk17 compared to the Mk16 have much relevance when buying a reg? Perhaps it is designed to extend the service life on the 1st stage?
 
If you really want the MK17, which honestly it doesn't sound like you'd need based on where you said you'l be diving, maybe you could do a deal which would include both the unbalanced (R290 or whatever the current model is) and a balanced 2nd stage; that way you'd have a good octo.

The other thing is that maybe neither of those 2nd stages is the best choice as a primary; while the S550 is balanced, most people would agree that the G250 is a more desirable 2nd stage. So, you could get the weird package of the higher end 1st stage (MK17) with the lower end 2nd (R290) and then see if they'll toss you a bone and give you a deal on a separate G250hp.

The reason they're able to sell a MK16 for $50 less with a more expensive 2nd stage is because it's discontinued. You should be able to get a deal on it at a SP dealer.
 
MK17/S555
MK25/S600 both good performance regs
 
If your going for MK17 or MK 25 Be sure to get a balanced second stage
if its to much money , stick with your MK 16 its a very good regulator.
Why not get the G250 for your MK16?
 

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