cold water reg

[scottweideman]

I have been scuba diving for a short amount of time, my first regulator is a sea elite i bought on craigslist it came with primary seconday octo and gauges for $100. It works decent however I am looking for something new, I know it is getting into summer and water temps will start to raise, however even in the summers in Idaho it doesn't get extemly warm, I have read good things about the mk17 from scubapro, what would you recommend. price is a big consideration, however since the regulator is a life support equipment I can probably talk my wife into letting me get a little more expensive

 

[rivers]

look into HOG or edge regs with the cold water kit. I have the hogs and they are very good regs at a decent price.

 

[bwade]

Exactly what do you consider "cold water" <<< it makes a huge difference

 

[scottweideman]

I am wondering even about ice diving, is that cold? Here in Idaho the warm water place we do our OW dive at was about 78 on surface and 83 at depth not cold. I do want to do Ice diving though

 

[tadawson]

Poseidon! They were used under the polar ice cap, so I figure they are good enough for anything a sport diver would be doing . . . . and just plain one of the best overall! I did my last cert dive in slush back in 1978 with my Cyclon, and I was one of the few who didn't have regulator issues . . . we even had a 2 hose go out that day . . .

- Tim

 

[halocline]

however since the regulator is a life support equipment I can probably talk my wife into letting me get a little more expensive

Why not, it works for hundreds of BS salesmen around the world. I hope you're being tongue-in-cheek by intimating that spending more money on a regulator will somehow make you a safer.

Unless you're diving sub 40-45F water, any reg will work fine. The MK17 is an excellent one. I'd get the G50V 2nd stage.

 

[CuNanoTube]

My Mk.17 / A700 went under the ice fine. I would however suggest posiden regs. The Canadian military divers use them for cold water operations. (Went to the hyperbaric chamber where my mother is getting oxygen treatment, orderly was a military diver. Such a great conversation)

 

[bwade]

I am wondering even about ice diving, is that cold? I do want to do Ice diving though

As you can see by my picture and signature, I spend a lot of time under ice. Yes, now we are talking cold water.
Have a very serious look at Zeagle's Flathead Regs or ZX50D series. The U.S. Navy Experimental Diving Unit certifies them for truly cold water use. My Doubles are configured with Flatheads and single system a ZX50D. When others ARE having cold water problems with free flows or freezing, you won't with your Zeagle's.

Jim Fox, the Zeagle Designer is originally from Canada, we know cold

Cheers

 

[elan]

I have been scuba diving for a short amount of time, my first regulator is a sea elite i bought on craigslist it came with primary seconday octo and gauges for $100. It works decent however I am looking for something new, I know it is getting into summer and water temps will start to raise, however even in the summers in Idaho it doesn't get extemly warm, I have read good things about the mk17 from scubapro, what would you recommend. price is a big consideration, however since the regulator is a life support equipment I can probably talk my wife into letting me get a little more expensive

There are a bunch of good regs around, In many cases it is a matter of taste rather than some reason. I would recommend getting a diaphragm reg for the true cold water (<40F) as they are naturally sealed, I"m not a technician so my opinion is just that an opinion.

If you go Scubapro go with MK17/G250V It's a great combination for cold water, my dive buddy dives them, he has at least 3 sets. Zeagles are great for cold water, I have 4 Flathead VIses and I'm very happy. I'm not fond of ZX second stage though very much but that's just a personal taste. I use Apeks ATX50s on my Flatheads and I found this the best for me. Apeks is a great reg for cold water, we have a set that my wife dives and I love it as much as I love my zeagles.

The best cold water reg that I have dived yet though is Royal Aqua Master double hose , but you will unlikely consider that one though.

Just be aware that keeping the reg from free flowing in extreme cold requires diver involvement as well. Any reg can free flow in "right" circumstances. I have seen Apekses, SPs, Poseidons Mareses Zeagles (including mine) freeflow in moderate conditions - 37F water and 32F on the surface on a sunny day and I also saw people diving non-sealed MK25s in the same water temperature. Handling is very important. All you have to do for the reg to flow is forget to take care of the water in the valves and you will get the free flow, guaranteed, if the outside or water temp is near freezing.

If you do not plan servicing your own regs get one with warranty and free parts , it's not that expensive to maintain them - I pay 100 dollars for Tek3 set which is 4 stages, but I always know that the regs are in good shape.

You have to consider what is easier to service and how much it will cost where you live. Some regs are more expensive to service in some places or it's difficult to find the tech who would service them, this is the case with poseidons locally here. My ex LDS was selling them at the dealers price as no one would buy them with the service cost of 160 dollars per 2 stages.

If you have a good SP shop close get MK17/G250V, if you have good aqualung shop get Apeks, etc. There are so many great cold water regs nowdays that you can choose based on the looks and service convenience/logistics.

 

[Tortuga68]

Have a very serious look at Zeagle's Flathead Regs or ZX50D series... Jim Fox, the Zeagle Designer is originally from Canada, we know cold

The Zeagle 50D was actually a re-branded Apeks DST - not designed or made by Zeagle. Apeks still make them under their own branding

I would recommend getting a diaphragm reg for the true cold water (<40F) as they are naturally sealed

I agree on the diaphragm recommendation for cold water, but it's not the same as an environmentally sealed reg; you can get diaphragm regs that aren't sealed

Just be aware that keeping the reg from free flowing in extreme cold requires diver involvement as well. Any reg can free flow in "right" circumstances. I have seen Apekses, SPs, Poseidons Mareses Zeagles (including mine) freeflow in moderate conditions - 37F water and 32F on the surface on a sunny day and I also saw people diving non-sealed MK25s in the same water temperature. Handling is very important. All you have to do for the reg to flow is forget to take care of the water in the valves and you will get the free flow, guaranteed, if the outside or water temp is near freezing

Very true... you also need to handle the pre-dive phase correctly, not breath/purge the regs before you get in the water, etc

If you do not plan servicing your own regs get one with warranty and free parts

This won't necessarily save you money in the long run, as usually in order to qualify for free parts you have to follow the annual service schedule religiously

If you have a good SP shop close get MK17/G250V, if you have good aqualung shop get Apeks, etc

It's my understanding that while all AL dealers can order Apeks parts, they are not necessarily Apeks dealers, nor do they have Apeks service technicians - so something to check before making a purchase