Gear question...Hollis or apeks?..or neither?

Gear Choice

  • Hollis

    Votes: 11 31.4%
  • Apeks

    Votes: 17 48.6%
  • Other: and specify

    Votes: 7 20.0%

  • Total voters
    35

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sealsix14

Contributor
Messages
104
Reaction score
17
Location
Georgia
# of dives
100 - 199
So I've been doing gear research and I want to get into cave diving later this year after a lot of self practice and training and was wondering if anyone has a preference or opinion on Apeks vs Hollis? I have been looking at doing a full hollis setup since it is cheaper then the Apeks brand but something tells me that even though its more expensive I should just go for it. Does anyone have a preference? manly I'm asking because I'm not sure if hollis would be better since they seem to have a more cave friendly appeal to their retail...but what do I know I'm still pretty new to this.

Thanks everyone!
 
Apex is easy to service and parts are readily available, out of the two, it would be my goto for that simple reason. Hollis parts may also be avail, but they also haven't been around very long.



My preference is ScubaPro though... I just think they are the finest breathin regulator.
 
My preference is ScubaPro though... I just think they are the finest breathin regulator.
Agreed, I converted over to all SP.
 
So which SP regs do you guys prefer? I could go all out and get the M25/A700 but I just wasn't sure if it was wise to spend that much on two since I would need them for doubles. Would going with M25/S600 or M17/A700 be better for the money or is it just better off to spend that extra and do the M25/A700?
 
I was in a similar boat as OP and I chose Hollis. The special they were running recently where you bought a 1st and 2nd stage and got another (any) of their 2nd stage for free was far too good to pass up. I picked up another DC1 and am all set (all from Dive Right in Scuba at an awesome price). With regard to parts, well, they're Oceanic so how hard can it be to get parts for them? Thus far, I love mine. Awesome breathers and great versatility for hose routing and number of LP and HP connectors.

My LDS who sells Apeks and SP are also very high on Hollis. Many of the instructors have "converted". While you could call that a sales ploy, I know enough of them well enough to know they're switching because they really like the regs.
 
I use apeks DS4 XTX50 and I love em :) Not too expensive either..
 
When we were selling Hollis I picked up 2 O2 regs and two DC1's.

They breath great at depth and are easy to work on, my problem now is I no longer work for a dealer and I'm loath to send them off.

My new shop promotes SP all the way and with 34 years of cave diving I'd say the owner is probably on to something.
 
So which SP regs do you guys prefer? I could go all out and get the M25/A700 but I just wasn't sure if it was wise to spend that much on two since I would need them for doubles. Would going with M25/S600 or M17/A700 be better for the money or is it just better off to spend that extra and do the M25/A700?

Its hard to beat the Mk25/G250 combo, or Mk17/G250 depending on what you dive...

I like my S600s too though, never used the A700.

I was in a similar boat as OP and I chose Hollis. The special they were running recently where you bought a 1st and 2nd stage and got another (any) of their 2nd stage for free was far too good to pass up. I picked up another DC1 and am all set (all from Dive Right in Scuba at an awesome price). With regard to parts, well, they're Oceanic so how hard can it be to get parts for them? Thus far, I love mine. Awesome breathers and great versatility for hose routing and number of LP and HP connectors.

Have you ever ordered parts for a 15 year old Oceanic regulator? Will they be readily available in the future?



Pick up a 20 year old SP regulator and your local SP dealer will be able to service it up and get you in the water with it. I think of a good regulator as an investment, not a throw away item that needs to be replaced every 5 years as new models push out the old part supply.
 
Have you ever ordered parts for a 15 year old Oceanic regulator? Will they be readily available in the future?



Pick up a 20 year old SP regulator and your local SP dealer will be able to service it up and get you in the water with it. I think of a good regulator as an investment, not a throw away item that needs to be replaced every 5 years as new models push out the old part supply.

Haven't, no, only been diving for 5ish. Agree that this is an investment and am not looking at replacing the next time some shiny new material is used in a regulator. My thinking was that while Hollis may not have been around as long and have the history that SP does, they're part of Oceanic / Aeris group which appear to be pretty ubiquitous in the places I've been in the short time I've been diving. My first reg setup (Oceanic Delta IV / FDX10) was around for years prior to my purchase and remains their flagship reg, albeit they're now at Delta 4.2. Couple that with the fact that I picked up two DC1 - 212 Hollis regs and hoses for about what a single MK25/G250 would have cost and I'm not losing any sleep.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/
http://cavediveflorida.com/Rum_House.htm

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