Apeks Black Sapphire 40yr vs Aqualung Legend LUX Supreme

[Hickdive]

An Apeks DS4/ATX40 will work just as well at a fraction of the price.

 

[ams511]

I like the AL Legend Lux Supreme, it seems to offer great performance at a very similar price to the Apek Black Sapphire 40yr.
Both of the regs are from what I can tell designed for cold water. I have been told that the Apek will be a little bit heavier than the AL.
Also they both have a PVD coating which is supposed to help with durability.

Would you consider Apek quality to be higher than AL?

My local shop can service both regs and from what iv seen the Apek is easy to get serviced just about anywhere and AL seems to have a large service area as well. Just incase if i ever need to get it serviced while i'm not near my local shop.

Has anyone had an experience with both? (i know thats a long shot maybe)
Or just one or the other, what are some of the things you liked, and some of the things you didn't like?

Thanks in advance!

Hello Brad and welcome to Scubaboard. As far as quality goes Apeks and Aqualung are about the same, Aqualung and Apeks are related companies (both owned by Air Liquide of France) so whoever services Aqualung can service Apeks. You cannot go wrong with either brand. Apeks is a favorite in technical diving circles so the resale value is usually better than with Aqualung.

I do not recommend either of your choices. In general the best value (price vs. performance) is in the middle of the manufacturer's regulator line. The worst value is in the high-end special editions. My recommendation is for an Apeks XTX-50 with either a DST or a DS4 first stage. The DST has a turret and offers better hose routing especially with the 5th port kit. The DS4 is a less-expensive turretless design. You will never outgrow this regulator. If you prefer Aqualung then I would recommend either the Titan LX supreme (cold water version of the Titan LX) or the new Core Supreme. From early information the Core appears to be a cosmetically refreshed Titan LX. So if you can find a Titan LX Supreme at a discount then I would recommend that.

I am not sure why you want a "cold water" regulator but either of these two will work.

---------- Post added February 24th, 2015 at 03:28 AM ----------

An Apeks DS4/ATX40 will work just as well at a fraction of the price.

Also a good choice and more comparable to the Titan LX Supreme.

 

[buddhasummer]

You may or may not need two HP ports but just in case, the DS4 only has one HP port.

 

[scubashaunt]

I went for the Apeks ATX40, the reason being that I wasn't convinced that the higher models offered much more bang for the buck. Have paired it with the DST rather than the DS4.

I regularly forget to flick the venturi to breathing mode and do notice the difference when I do but can't say that I am struggling to breath when it's in the other position. Is the opening effort control really that useful? Is it more important when doing longer deep dives? My mares regs (12s instinct and carbon - a gift) have neither although I have not had a good play with them yet. Waiting for summer as can't be bothered moving the dry suit hose and transmitter when the Apeks regs are already working.

 

[ams511]

I went for the Apeks ATX40, the reason being that I wasn't convinced that the higher models offered much more bang for the buck. Have paired it with the DST rather than the DS4.

I regularly forget to flick the venturi to breathing mode and do notice the difference when I do but can't say that I am struggling to breath when it's in the other position. Is the opening effort control really that useful? Is it more important when doing longer deep dives? My mares regs (12s instinct and carbon - a gift) have neither although I have not had a good play with them yet. Waiting for summer as can't be bothered moving the dry suit hose and transmitter when the Apeks regs are already working.

Last year Aqualung was offering killer deals on the ATX 40. If I remember correctly you could purchase 2 ATX 40 seconds with a DS4 and a console for around $350 to $400 now it sells for $500 to $600. I am not sure if these sets can still be ordered, what is being sold now might be old stock. Currently the difference between an ATX 40 and a XTX 40 is $100. The ATX comes with a DS4 first stage while the XTX comes with the DST. The XTX besides looking cooler has a new case design allowing it to feed from either the right hand or the left (good for sidemounters) it also has different styles of exhaust tees either a compact or a full size.

If you want you can add an adjuster to your ATX 40s making them 50s. There is a guy on eBay who sells the knobs every so often. He is from the UK. There is a video on YouTube showing how it is done. It only takes a few minutes.

 

[brad.almony]

Thank you everyone for your feedback.
I have decided that the extra $300-400 that the lux / bs costs over a lx / xtx100 is better suited going towards my dive computer (probably a Cobalt 2 or Cobra 3).

My local shop is getting in an xtx100 for me to check out.
I know that it is the same second stage as the xtx50 just dressed up a little (which I don't mind paying a little more for).
The first stage I have only been able to find older information on it nothing really up to date.

 

[buddhasummer]

The FST is basically the same as the FSR except the diaphragm is on the bottom not the top, the ports are angled slightly differently, it has no removable HP crown and is satin finished. As far as breathing goes I doubt you'd be able to tell the difference between any of the first stages.

 

[ams511]

Thank you everyone for your feedback.
I have decided that the extra $300-400 that the lux / bs costs over a lx / xtx100 is better suited going towards my dive computer (probably a Cobalt 2 or Cobra 3).

My local shop is getting in an xtx100 for me to check out.
I know that it is the same second stage as the xtx50 just dressed up a little (which I don't mind paying a little more for).
The first stage I have only been able to find older information on it nothing really up to date.

Looking at the Aqualung site the difference in cost between an XTX 100 and the XTX 200 is only $45. If your choice is between these two I would go with the 200, as it is Apeks top of the line and has much better resale value. As far as breathing performance goes the second stage matters more than the first stage. I have TX-100 and an ATX-100, and TX-50 / DST. I can't tell the difference between the various first stages. You can save $150 by going with an XTX-50 with a DST. Having both I like the hose routing options of the DST better than the FST.

If your LDS is an Atomic dealer (you mentioned a Cobalt) have you thought of a Z2? It is a great regulator and cheaper (MSRP $409) than your other choices.

Are you the one looking at top of the line gear or is the LDS making these recommendations? One of the most highly rated computers is a Shearwater Petrel, it can take you from a beginning diver to a technical diver and it is $500 cheaper than a cobalt 2. I hope they are giving you a generous discount.

 

[buddhasummer]

Looking at the Aqualung site the difference in cost between an XTX 100 and the XTX 200 is only $45. If your choice is between these two I would go with the 200, as it is Apeks top of the line and has much better resale value. As far as breathing performance goes the second stage matters more than the first stage. I have TX-100 and an ATX-100, and TX-50 / DST. I can't tell the difference between the various first stages. You can save $150 by going with an XTX-50 with a DST. Having both I like the hose routing options of the DST better than the FST.

If your LDS is an Atomic dealer (you mentioned a Cobalt) have you thought of a Z2? It is a great regulator and cheaper (MSRP $409) than your other choices.

Are you the one looking at top of the line gear or is the LDS making these recommendations? One of the most highly rated computers is a Shearwater Petrel, it can take you from a beginning diver to a technical diver and it is $500 cheaper than a cobalt 2. I hope they are giving you a generous discount.

Out of curiosity, specifically what do you like about the hose routing on the DST more than the FSR? Ive only dived the DS4, FST and FSR. For me I prefer, single tank, the routing on either the FST or FSR, over the DS4, seemed cleaner to me. I've never dived a DST so am curious. Cheers.

 

[ams511]

With the fifth port option you can run the hose for the primary under arm very easily. On the FST the hoses bow out because they are at an angle and are not all that streamlined. I use rubber hoses, maybe braided hoses would be more streamlined because they are more flexible. I am not sure of the port layout of a DS4, but if you run the hose under your arm you could try to mount the regulator horizontally instead of vertically. The primary and the HP hose would come off the downward facing ports and the inflator and secondary would come from the upward facing ports. Apeks now makes a fifth port option for the FSR and FST but on the FST it would point upwards.

Edit: At about 10 min the DIR 3 video shows a single tank rig. I am fairly certain the first stage is a DS4. The routing seems pretty good just using it in the conventional position.