Atomic B2 or Scuba Pro Mk25/600??

[RonP]

How much is a typical servicing of equipment cost vs. cost of parts?

 

[Splitlip]

Atomic was founded by former Scubapro execs.

I have been a Scubapro fan since 1973 and admit I have not used Atomic but for an SS1 (which is superb BTW).

But, I'll give the nod to Scubapro because the Scubapro service network is so strong. Scubapro shops are everywhere. The intent Scubapro marketing restrictions is to keep their shops in business.

 

[reo]

What does that mean "must be pressurized to soak the reg"? how does one pressurize a reg? do you mean i can't take it out of the tank to soak/wash/clean and tank needs to be on?

The Seat Saving Dynamic Orifice requires the second stage to be pressurized (attached to the valve on the tank and the valve opened) to have the orifice and poppet seat make contact. (I got this from the Atomic website). This saves wear on the poppet seat and allows for the longer service interval, but could allow water in when the reg is not pressurized.

I used to soak my with the tank, but now I carefully rinse the first stage under lukewarm running tapwater, then I rinse the second stage, making sure it is not elevated higher than the first stage, then I hang the reg set up to dry, keeping the second stage lower than the first stage. I've had no problems in over 50 dives.

Ron

 

[HIGHwing]

The Atomic B2 and SP are quite close in terms of magazine stats. If you were to evaluate true cost of ownership by adding the estimated servicing costs over the expected life cycle, the Atomic B2 pulls ahead in both total cost of ownership, and the likelihood you'll stay within warranty.

 

[Carlos Danger]

I can't see too many people being disappointed with either product. Personally, I like the B2 because of the second stage features; all-titanium components, automatic flow control, and the larger purge area. However, the second stage swivel is my favorite; super comfortable. As a side note, I also added the M1 exhaust kit for better bubble dispersion. There is an Apollo Bio Filter setup on it too, but I guess that's for a different thread.

Overall, the Atomic B2 is just a sweet piece of gear, and I have been very satisfied with it. If the price of the SP had been more competitive at the time, I could have easily gone the other way, but I got a good deal on the Atomic and have never regretted the purchase.

 

[RonP]

The Seat Saving Dynamic Orifice requires the second stage to be pressurized (attached to the valve on the tank and the valve opened) to have the orifice and poppet seat make contact. (I got this from the Atomic website). This saves wear on the poppet seat and allows for the longer service interval, but could allow water in when the reg is not pressurized.

I used to soak my with the tank, but now I carefully rinse the first stage under lukewarm running tapwater, then I rinse the second stage, making sure it is not elevated higher than the first stage, then I hang the reg set up to dry, keeping the second stage lower than the first stage. I've had no problems in over 50 dives.

Ron

when you carefully rinse the first stage and second stage is it attached to the tank and the valve opened? whey do you need to keep the second stage not elevated higher then the first?

 

[RonP]

The Atomic B2 and SP are quite close in terms of magazine stats. If you were to evaluate true cost of ownership by adding the estimated servicing costs over the expected life cycle, the Atomic B2 pulls ahead in both total cost of ownership, and the likelihood you'll stay within warranty.

sorry but i feel pretty dumb to ask this but when you say B2 pulls ahead in both total cost of ownership are you saying B2 will cost more in the long run or vice a versa?

 

[RonP]

and also does it matter when it says b2 is nitrox compatible to 40% and i think sp says nitrox compatible to 90%? not sure exactly what that means

 

[Splitlip]

Of the two, I'd choose the one that your LDS can service. If your LDS services both, I would get the B2, but that's just my personal preference.

The other main difference is that the Atomic must be pressurized to soak the reg. If you soak the reg without it being pressurized, water can get into the second stage and end up in the 1st stage, required the reg to need servicing. The Scubapro reg doesn't need to be pressurized to soak the reg. Both reg's however require the first stage to have the dust cap on to soak the reg off the tank.

Ron

I soak my SP regs pressurized. I think the high end SP regs have the same constraints as Atomic.

Published or not.

 

[halocline]

If the seat saver on the atomic means the reg really cannot be soaked unless pressurized, that would be a deal breaker for me. No offense to atomic, but that's a truly dumb design, if in fact it's true.

The two regs will be fairly similar, in fact the atomic is essentially an evolution of the MK25/S600, with a few fancy materials. The one big improvement of the atomic 1st stage IMO is actually somewhat of a retrograde; atomic went back to packing the ambient chamber with grease as an environmental seal, which SP had done on the MK5/10/15. Since you're not a cold water diver, you wouldn't be packing the chamber anyway, so it's not much of an issue.

I don't know what exactly you're referring to with the nitrox compatibility, but the basic principle is that any current reg, with the exception of some titanium regs, will be fine to use with 40% O2 or lower. Any reg that comes in contact with over 40% O2 needs to be O2 cleaned, which I suspect neither of these are at the factory, and as soon you would use one with regular tank air (like on a rental tank) it's not longer O2 clean.

Use of O2 concentrations above 40% is considered part of the technical diving world and requires specialized training and equipment handling. Most tech divers have dedicated regs for high O2 content bottles.