Back after 10 yrs, Regulator Questions

[Cyborg Pirate]

Buy the Atomics and never look back. There are a lot of great regs on the market. That being said.... I have tried many different regs. Nothing and I mean nothing breathes as good as an Atomic. The Z2/3 are nice. Personally I would save a bit more and get the B2 with the swivel on the 1st stage. But that is a personal preference and everyone’s budget is their business. But otherwise all of the atomics breathe the same. Which is far far far superior to any other reg I have ever tried. And yes I have tried at least 20 different regs. Another nice feature is the 200 dives or 3-5 year service interval. You save money in the long run on servicing. And the Atomic will truly last you a lifetime.

Add: I would agree with posted advice earlier. Get the sealed 1st stage. It’s better for multiple reasons. The reason best for you and your type of diving even now.... the cristo-lube packed around the piston shaft and spring then protected with the sealing ring.... keeps silt debris and corrosion away from your life support system....

 

[SherlockOhms]

Thank you all for you input.

At what temperature is the sealed first stage a must? I will be going to 130ft when my GF does her advanced course next week.


Edit: Cyborg Pirate, thank you for that. I think I will take a look at the Z2 with the sealed first. It is within my budget. Would you recommend the AA safe second, or would I be OK to put my current Aqua Lung on there?

With the lube in the first, is there a concern that silk and salt would stick in there and corrode over time?

 

[Scared Silly]

IMHO there is no reason to get a sealed first stage unless you are diving very dirty and/or very cold water (<40) or using them for high O2 mixes. What one needs to do is rinse and dry the reg well. I have used my AA regs in places like Point Lobos which is in the mid 40s. They breathed and worked fine. While the Z2 performs just like all the other AA regs, I prefer the swivel turret that is on all the other AA regs. It makes the hose routing a wee bit easier.

Shameless plug I have a B2 up for sale in the classified section.

 

[Cyborg Pirate]

The cristo-lube is actually what seals out the environmental stuff. The ring that goes on the sealed reg vs the ring with holes in it on the non sealed reg keeps lube in and keeps sand and grit out. Like others have said a non sealed works great. And a sealed ring is 12.00 that and cost of cristo lube any AA tech can seal ur reg later if u prefer. I myself dive sealed regs as that’s what I prefer. Personal preference. As far as the aqualung reg as a octo. Yes use it it will be fine. May need to have a tech adjust the cracking pressure for u if it creeps. But it shouldn’t. I don’t like or use the safe seconds. Again personal preference. Also being a tech diver no use for them in a tech set up. So I just don’t use them in my rec stuff either. Save ur money and use the aqualung octo for now

 

[SherlockOhms]

Can you put a flex hose on an AA? I read you could not, or is though only if you have the swivel join on the second stage?

 

[Cyborg Pirate]

Yes you certainly can. I have miflex hoses on all my regulator sets.

If you get the Z3 or the B2 they have the swivel hose. In order to put a miflex hose on them you will need a jam but. It’s basically a spacer. The Z2 and Z3 are exactly the same reg set only Z3 has the swivel hose. If you get the z2 it already has the jam nut on it. Just swap the hose to any hose you want.

 

[SherlockOhms]

Appreciate it. I am going to get the Z2 with the sealed first. I have to say though, Scared Silly's classified is tempting.

 

[Cyborg Pirate]

Appreciate it. I am going to get the Z2 with the sealed first. I have to say though, Scared Silly's classified is tempting.

Personally.... I would go with scared silly, get the regs serviced and have a B2 for same cost of the new Z2. You will like the swivel turret on the 1st stage much better. Buy a jam nut 4.00 get your 30inch miflex hose in your color choice....

 

[SherlockOhms]

Just wanted to give an update and ask a question. Used the B2 from Scared Silly and loved the AA during my dive, thanks!. Zero issues at all, though the dive shop did not have ANY DIN tanks, nor adapters. Found someone who loaned me an adapter. I now see I will need one of these.

In terms of the GF, she did not like the 15 yr old regulator I had, that she was using. I will get her her own regulators here shortly and most likely just keep the old ones for backup. In terms of the HOGS and Deep 6 Signature Series, is there any noticeable difference? As far as I could find, I see the Signature is coated differently, but performance-wise, was about the same as the HOGs. Is this still true?

 

[Cyborg Pirate]

They both are great regs. They will do the job just fine. Now here is a question for you. Does the GF have a fave color? Want to really make her happy and support your diving too? Buy her the Z2, get the color change kit in her fav color or what matches her gear, also get a miflex hose in that color too. Then she has an atomics which cannot be beat in terms of breathablity. And she will be happy you personalized her stuff for her. Big brownie points....