Should regulators on twin cylinders be absolutely identical?

[dendrite]

Hi,

I'm preparing, gearwise, to do some tec courses using twin cylinders. The prevailing thinking seems to be that it is preferable to use two of the same regs on twin cylinders- two of the same first stages and two of the same second stages. I have two questions. First, what are the reasons for this, exactly? I can guess some, but I'd like to hear from more knowledgeable people. Second, how 'identical' should they be? I have a 2012 model Apeks XTX 200. Can I pair it with a minutely different 2013 model XTX 200 to use on twins, or is that inadvisable for some reason?

Cheers, thanks,

D.

 

[kwinter]

I see no reason they need to be identical.


Please pardon any typos. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[scububa]

Those would probably be considered identical in most circles. Most folks I dive with have the same on both, but not everyone. Having pretty similar performance is probably one benefit. As you get into technical diving, you'll collect a lot of regulators. Being able to swap things around and not have to completely rethink hose routing, etc is another benefit. And, servicing comes into play. If you get into doing your own or even taking them to a shop, minimizing the logistics will become handy.

I have the same on my doubles (back or side) and for my primary stage bottle. For my deco bottles, one is the same manufacture/different model and my O2 is different. And the inflation bottle is different again.

 

[Hickdive]

No. There is no reason why they need to be identical beyond aesthetic appeal.

 

[doctormike]

I dive Atomic regs, an M1 primary on the right post and a Z2 backup on the left post. Yup, somewhat easier to find service if you have limited local options.

But here's food for thought. One of the most accomplished tech instructors that I know once told me that she recommended specifically choosing two different regs from two different companies (different designs) on each post. This was for two reasons. One, it's less easy to get confused about which reg is in your mouth if a lot of stuff is going on, since you can tell the difference by "feel" (I guess she meant weight or something). Two, if you are in some sort of situation where a second stage is going to fail, it's better to have two different designs so you are less likely to have two failures...

Now I'm having a hard time figuring out how that would actually happen, and I didn't end up training with her for other reasons, and I have regs from the same company on my rig. But there is at least one knowledgable person who doesn't think that it would be a problem...

Hope that helps!

M

 

[nimoh]

I think the reason most divers have the same first and second stages on their setup is that most divers buy them at the same time, and when doing so, they choose the best first and second stages (in their opinion) and buy two.

Having different regulators (in my opinion) gives the impression that a setup is cobbled together out of spare parts. It usually isn't, but that's the impression I get although I have never aborted a dive because of it (and probably never will).

 

[PfcAJ]

I like my backup 2nd stage to be a non-balanced reg. Most simple, not overly sensitive to freeflow.

 

[AfterDark]

IMO a diver should be able to tell which reg they are using or reaching for with eyes closed. Which means some difference should be present even if the regs are the same brand/model. I use a necklace on one and snap clip on the other, both are the same brand /model because they are what I like; if I like it, 2 is better than one.

 

[bumcikaz]

I got atomic on one post and zeagle on other, o ther that they dont look identical i dont see why couldnt u use what u got

 

[ajduplessis]

No problem, go ahead and build twin regs.