New equipment-how long would you wait before buying it?

[detroit diver]

Case in point-the new ATX series by Apeks. Brand new, lighter, smaller. But brand new.

I'm wondering what everyone thinks of letting others be the guinea pigs for equipment before they buy. My personal opinion is to wait for AT LEAST a year or so for bugs to come to the surface. A lot of people buy the latest, coolest, best looking, etc. without having a track record on it's worthiness.

I dive a TX50, so this isn't a knock on Apeks. It's the first example that came to mind.

 

[Warhammer]

I tend to agree with you on the wait and see approach. History has shown us that this is the best approach, with everything, not just scuba gear. But in the case of the Apeks ATX200, if I had the $$s, I own one tommorrow. That thing is SWEET! Course I'd also install an H valve on my tanks and use my trusty TX50 as a backup. Gotta make use of it somewhere.

 

[Lost Yooper]

Every Apeks reg I've bought has been sight unseen and untried (by me). I haven't been disappointed yet. This fall I bought a TX100 on a super deal. I'm hoping for a TX40/DS4 for Xmas and put my T50D on my deco bottle. I'm thinking about trading (or selling) that TX100 for the ATX200, but I have to go price shopping again. If the ATX200 is way out of whack, then I won't cry if I have to keep my TX100.

I would have no qualms about buying the ATX200, depending on the price, becuase Apeks is genuinely top notch. I'm not a gimick kind of guy, but the ATX200 seems to be a fair upgrade to the TX100. The guts of the two second stages are probably not significantly different, but the weight difference of 25% is probably worth it. I don't particulary care about the weight of the first stage, but I am somewhat interested in the "micro adjustment" the ATX200 has.

Regardless of the differences, in reality I can't imagine the breathability of the ATX200 being "noticably" better than either the TX50 or TX100. The same basic thing can be said about all the Scuba Pro "upgrades" -- breathability has been maxed out in the G250 for all practical purposes. The upgrades are now about ergonomics.

Mike

 

[RAN]

my dilemma..somewhat off-topic

my LDS is an Apeks rep but only stocks Atomics,Scuba-Pro and Genesis
no problems ordering what I'd like atx 200 ($600) or atx 100($560)
I can try out the others but not the "special order" Apeks.
I hesitate puchasing anything without being able to handle or better yet
test...
The overwhelmingly positive feedback is enticing,but puchasing without a trial is a risk
and in the case of the atx 200 still not quite enough feedback to push me over..though Yooper and Warhammer's endorcements have been respectfully noted!

 

[rebelrph]

this is somewhat unrelated... kinda

I just bought a prestige EX2000 as my primary.
I have used it on 9 dives so far. It has several neat features I like now and think I will love as I continue to use it. The 2 best are 1) it has a sponge in-line that hydrates the air as you breathe and 2) it has a swivel on the end of the hose at the 2nd stage which makes it really comfortable.
It is also really easy to breathe and can be adjusted to your liking..

Great diving..

Todd

 

[detroit diver]

Todd,

Can I assume that you're not a cold water diver? That sponge hydrator would freeze up in an instant in the cold waters "up north" where we dive.

 

[rebelrph]

never a cold water diver.....
(good point though)

Although I did make 1 dive when it got down to 56F. I usually try to stay in the upper 70's to mid 80's.

BTW you can take out the sponge and I guess it would be adaptable to cold water diving. But, for where I dive it is very nice.



todd

 

[Divesherpa]

I'm one of the Guinea pigs for the ATX 200's. I got one of the first ones in the country, and after diving it for a few weeks, I ordered 5 more. I also have a couple of tx 100's.
The 200 is, in my opinion, the best thing since procreation. I'm broke too, if that helps.