G250 Graphite vs HOG Adjustable 2nd

[Slamfire]

I got my beloved G250 Graphites by stealing them from my dad. I only have 2 and I'm not sure that my dad has anymore left for me to steal. After many, many dives where I've switched from a nice finely tuned G250 to non-adjustable Sherwood Bruts, I started thinking it might be time for me to get better performing 2nds for my stages. I have a bunch of Sherwood non-adjustable 2nds and while they are reliable and ok, there's always a shock for me when I switch from the G250's and notice the performance difference.

So I started looking for used G250's to replace the Sherwoods. My surprise is that even old ones, born in the 90's are as expensive or even more expensive than a new Hog adjustable 2nd.

So my questions are:

1. How do Hogs perform in comparison to a G250?
2. How much easier or more difficult is it to service and work on a Hog in comparison to a G250?
3. I understand they're both metal barrel adjustables for spring tension and venturi assist, are there any advantages or disadvantages of one over the other in terms of design?

 

[halocline]

I can't answer your question about the HOG, but if you're looking for a cheaper alternative to the G250, you can try a G200 then convert it to balanced (or better, G200B). Same reg without the user adjustment for breathing resistance. Another is the all metal 109 or balanced adjustable; basically a G250 in a metal case with slightly less venturi assist, but IMO a more stable and pleasing airflow. Those are starting to get a little pricey, though, I'll have to stop posting how great they are.

Okay, the official word on the 109 and balanced adjustable is that they suck...

 

[Slamfire]

Okay, the official word on the 109 and balanced adjustable is that they suck...

Does anyone want to trade sucky 109's for superb Sherwood Bruts?

 

[Bubbletrubble]

What's wrong with the performance of the Sherwood Brut second stage?
How well is yours tuned?

The reg tech manual for the Brut recommends that, when set up as a primary, the cracking pressure shouldn't be greater than 1 inch of water. I interpret this to mean that the cracking pressure can be adjusted to 1 inch of water or less. That should make flow initiation fairly easy.

What aspect of breathing performance of your Brut are you unhappy with?

 

[Slamfire]

Honestly, there's nothing wrong with the Bruts. These are old gen Bruts (SRB2100) and perform perfectly adequately within their limitations. So I can't really say I'm unhappy with them. Some of the things I notice the most when doing the change is that cracking effort, while not necessarily extremely higher,will need to be sustained longer (lack of venturi assist?). Also keep in mind that I do use the adjusting knob. So when I make the change I'm changing from a reg "custom tuned" in that dive to an unbalanced non-adjustable that lacks venturi assist and was tuned a long time ago. There is a notable difference.

Again, the Bruts are perfectly fine and work great. Maybe I'm splitting hairs and should actually look for a better use of my time and money since I already have more 2nd stages than what I actually need. But when I brought in an eBay Mk10, took it apart cleaned it and reassembled it with new orings and seats, there was a strange elation that I recall everytime I hook it into a tank.

BTW, that gleaming Mk10 is working in conjunction with a humble Brut right now. I was thinking of maybe bringing in a G250 or even a Hog so that its self esteem doesn't drop too much. How many regs are too many regs?

 

[mathauck0814]

Between my wife and I we have 12 sets of the HOG D1 regs and have no issues with them in recreational or technical settings. We switched from Apeks regs (mostly for cost reasons, also because I didn't enjoy working with the local shop that worked with Apeks). They are also very easy to self service as the repair kits are generally available. I'd heartily recommend them, personally.

 

[halocline]

Does anyone have a schematic of the hog that they could post or email?

 

[knowone]

http://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=apeks%20adjustable%202nd%20stage%20schematic&source=web&cd=5&ved=0CEQQFjAE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dty.nl%2Fbibliotheek%2Fademautomaten%2FApeks2ndstage.pdf&ei=Nyu5TuuwBe2TiQe41q2-Bw&usg=AFQjCNED7erLXUHWYvfP5ZwT_U-Q0ttsQg

 

[Slamfire]

So they are really Apex clones?

 

[rhwestfall]

Okay, the official word on the 109 and balanced adjustable is that they suck...

sure, now you say it..... too late!