Aqualung Legend LX vs. ScubaPro MK25/A700

[Paladin]

---------- Post added March 23rd, 2013 at 12:02 AM ----------

But you would have to agree that in terms of case type A700 would compete better with a metal conshelf rather than a plastic titan

Maybe, but I think I would be pairing an all metal Conshelf second with the Titan first. I really love those Connies!

 

[elan]

Maybe, but I think I would be pairing an all metal Conshelf second with the Titan first. I really love those Connies!

you have a reason to

I love them more in a DH reincarnation.

 

[axxel57]

The MK25 – A700 is a good regulator that looks also very cool.
But technically I don’t see any real progress in the A700 in comparison with the S – Series for example. The barrel poppet system is smaller and more narrow and SP has concentrated their efforts in reaching better ANSTI test results by designing the exhaust valve bigger and bigger instead of working on the inhaling effort.
The MK25 I think is unbeatable stable for warm water to moderate cold water diving. I don’t know any better 1^st piston stage.

If the OP is diving more in colder water I would recommend the Legend.
I find the MK17 disappointing, because the IP balancing works pretty bad to my opinion.
I have not found one MK17 or MK11 with a less than 8 PSI difference between empty and full tank. Most had more than 10 PSI difference (one had 15 PSI difference).
All MK17 I serviced had been used extensively by Dive Pros, so maybe someone can confirm a MK17 or MK11 with less than 8 PSI IP difference between full and empty tank, who knows.

I never found a Legend with more than 6 PSI difference and they were used the same way by Dive Pros.
I don’t think that this really plays a role while diving a balanced second stage in terms of significant increase or decrease in cracking effort, but for me it means that the Legend has the better 1^st stage.
I asked this already in another thread earlier and nobody seemed to be interested, but again:
When should one consider a 1ststage balanced concerning the IP difference at empty or full tank?

A MKII sometimes also only has a 15 PSI difference, that is what I once found in a MK11.
If the primary goal of any 1^st stage is to produce an IP as stable as possible, then to my experience SP has not done a great job with the MK11 and the MK17 up to now in comparison with most of the other Diaphragm 1^st stages on the market.

I’m diving all my career SP regulators and was thinking about getting me a MK17, but apart from the quite high IP difference I was thinking why should I dive a 1^st stage which only in the end of the dive is giving me highest IP and for this probably the best performance during a dive?


Okay, I’m a warm water diver……

 

[NCadiver]

According to the mfg that's correct. Ya gotta buy the whole shebang.

And you get kicked out of Aqualung's if you decide that you don't need to have your reg serviced every year.

Which you don't. Many regs used for recreational diving do not need an annual service. Unless you're doing a couple hundred dives a year. I like brands that let me service my own, on my schedule, and at my discretion with no penalty. And where I don't pay for the "free parts" on the front end.

Jim you shouldn't talk about aqualung program, you don't know it. What you said is wrong.

I would go with the Aqualung Legend.

 

[buddhasummer]

Jim you shouldn't talk about aqualung program, you don't know it. What you said is wrong.

I would go with the Aqualung Legend.

In 2010 I was told by an AL dealer in NZ that if I missed a service I would get disqualified. So I guess someone is wrong.

 

[elan]

A complete service is required every second year. In between those years only a check is required and dealers usually charge much less for that.

 

[DCBC]

I'd go with the Legend, but your question is subjective. Personally, I just don't like ScubaPro.

 

[rockinrebel]

They do look good , don't they Casey?!
Sweet regulator.

The Scubapro MK25/A700 is a superior reg system. You can get it in DIN or Yoke. It is truely a work of art!

You can take advantage of the Free Dive Computer Deal ( $425 Value ) and get Free parts for life or just opt for a Free Tech Reg. Bag.

 

[beaverdivers]

They do look good , don't they Casey?!
Sweet regulator.

Yes, rockinrebel.

They also perform great as a system.

axxel57 as fas as the IP diff. in the MK17 or MK11, they are designed to have a higher IP at a lower tank pressure. If the IP is set correctly, 145 PSI @ 500 PSI tank pressure, how is this design an issue?

Personally I prefer to pair the A700 w/ the MK25 for warm water, so I believe we agree. My reason is not performance, but better hose configuration w/ the MK25. Also, I have been diving a Scubapro piston reg. ( the MK5 ) for 40 years.

 

[rockinrebel]

That pretty much sums it up. I've got the MK 25 / A700.
I'm sure the Aqualung is awesome too !

Well now that we have digressed from the Aqualung v. ScubaPro query posed by the OP to a Hog, Atomic melee, why not open the floodgates to allow entry of any off-topic regulator? Poseidon, Sherwood, La Spirotechnique, Mares, Cressi, Apeks, Beuchat, Dive Rite, hey the barn door is open, why not even suggest some of the discontinued brands such as Healthways, Voit, US Divers, Dacor......

The OP specifically asked a question concerning opinions on only TWO regulators: The Aqualung Legend LX and the ScubaPro Mk25/A700. IMO both are excellent warm water regulators that surpass the needs of the recreational diver (130 ft maximum depth). You can't go wrong with either regulator. The A700 will be less prone to giving you "cotton mouth" as it is a metal second stage, neither regulator should be purchased solely because of the "free parts for life" gimmick, as others have pointed out, because of the required annual service intervals and/or purchasing of other equipment for eligibility is a means of having you pay for the "free". Get ahold of both regulators (hopefully side by side at a LDS who distributes both brands) and go with the reg that you like best in terms of features and style. Both brands are serviced world-wide, both have reputations as being "bulletproof" and both are benchmark standards for others in the industry. You can't go wrong with either.

If as you mentioned in your addendum, you are a cold water diver, then consider the Supreme version of the Legend and the Mk17 version of the ScubaPro as these are the environmentally sealed first stages needed in order to dive in water below 10 degrees Celcius.