Atomic Aquatics vs. Scubapro vs. ?? High end vs. mid-range, does it matter?

[Brian2828]

I've always rented gear and am looking to buy my first regulator set. I'm looking for a lightweight, travel-friendly, bulletproof, ultra-reliable, regulator set for diving in mostly tropical and summer temperate water. I'd appreciate some help in choosing the best gear for my needs.

Here are my basic questions:

Given my diving needs, is there any advantage to going with a higher end over mid-range regulator set? For example, the Scubapro MK11/S555 is less than half of the MK25/C600. Since I'm not diving cold water, is there a difference between these two regulators relative to my diving needs? I've rented a lot of regulators and never paid a lot of attention to what I was diving with as long as it breathed well. I've never noticed one regulator to seem any different than another. If I go higher end, does that in any way translate into noticeable performance/comfort differences under recreational diving conditions?

I've just started reading about Atomic Aquatics and I'm having a hard time determining whether or not the higher price point is really about quality instead of a marketing strategy (I'm cautious of celebrity endorsements for life support equipment--even if Kevin Costner and David Blaine swear by them). Any opinions? The two-year/300 dives service interval is really appealing and seems to speak to the durability of the product.

Thanks

[SeaCobra]

I dove sp regs for about 15 years and started diving atomincs about 8 years ago, love both reg setups. Both are bulletproof and go for ever. I prefer my atomics over the sp's mostly due to the automatic venturi, just one less thing to think about. both regs are worth the money as they are an investment and you will have them for years to come.

[Fishpie]

No, the MK25/600 isn't twice as good as a MK11/550
I'd also choose the MK11 over the 25 for cold water.

Nothing wrong with either scubapro or atomic.
Here are some other low-mid cost regs that equal their more expensive cousins.

Apeks XTX 20
AquaLung Titan/Micron LX
Zeagle Envoy
HOG/Epic

[elan]

SP MK2 will likely do as well for your needs and they are cheap.

[sander8]

The high cost Atomics breath exactly the same out of the box. Only the materials of the first stage differ with corrosion proof and light titanium in the T2x at the top price and zirconium brass in the Z2x at the low end. Follow good cleaning practices and service schedule (2 years) and you should have no different. I own both the high and low end Atomics.

[Brian2828]

Thanks for all of the responses. It doesn't sound like the higher end regulators are going to offer more for my needs. However, while I do my best to maintain gear, I tend to not be as conscientious as many seem to be. I'm leaning towards the lower end Atomic primarily because of the 2 year service interval. Unfortunately, the closest shop doesn't carry Atomic or Scubapro. They are authorized dealers for Aqualung, Mares, Oceanic, and Genesis. I'm going to read more about these brands, but the responses so far seem to point me more towards the mid-range.

[flots am]

Atomic and SCUBAPro are extremely similar in design, however at some point SP decided that plastic was cheaper than metal, so they switched to plastic for the internal parts on most of their second stages, while the Atomics are all metal.

All the Atomics breathe the same. The difference is in the metal used (titanium vs brass/SS/etc.) and whether they're setup for extreme cold water.

I own both Atomic and SP and they breathe identically and perform the same, but I use my sealed Atomic M1's in extremely cold water.

Terry

[Hatul]

I've always rented gear and am looking to buy my first regulator set. I'm looking for a lightweight, travel-friendly, bulletproof, ultra-reliable, regulator set for diving in mostly tropical and summer temperate water. I'd appreciate some help in choosing the best gear for my needs.

Here are my basic questions:

Given my diving needs, is there any advantage to going with a higher end over mid-range regulator set? For example, the Scubapro MK11/S555 is less than half of the MK25/C600. Since I'm not diving cold water, is there a difference between these two regulators relative to my diving needs? I've rented a lot of regulators and never paid a lot of attention to what I was diving with as long as it breathed well. I've never noticed one regulator to seem any different than another. If I go higher end, does that in any way translate into noticeable performance/comfort differences under recreational diving conditions?

I've just started reading about Atomic Aquatics and I'm having a hard time determining whether or not the higher price point is really about quality instead of a marketing strategy (I'm cautious of celebrity endorsements for life support equipment--even if Kevin Costner and David Blaine swear by them). Any opinions? The two-year/300 dives service interval is really appealing and seems to speak to the durability of the product.

Thanks

I have the Atomic's ST1, but everything I read and hear about Atomic regs, they all breathe the same. So if you go with Atomic just get the Z2 and save your money for something else. I would not even bother with the second stage swivel but just change to a Miflex hose.

Adam

[sander8]

Re the swivel vs. Miflex hoses, I would go with the swivel from Atomic. I can always find a comfortable position for my mouthpiece with the swivel. The Miflex are not more flexible once pressurized and the fabric wrapping is abrasive. The abrasive surface will sooner or later show up as wear on your head, hood or, if you are a drysuit diver, on your neck seal.

[scubafanatic]

I own/dive both high end (Atomic M1 and T2...Apeks XTX 200s...Poseidon Jetstreams) and low end Aqualung Titan LX's, and would say if $ is an issue, the Titan LX's would be a fine choice. I've taken my Titan's down the the 130' - 150' range and they did just fine. Not to say my high end regs aren't awesome regs, but I'm a gear head and into spendy scuba toys so for the average diver a quality mid range reg would be just fine. Additionally, a well tuned average reg (tuned by an experienced reg tech) will 'beat' a poorly maintained/tuned high end reg.