Looking for Cold Water Regulators

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

So compared to Scubapro or Sherwood Blizzard how does the TX50 or Aqualung Glacia compare?
 
phislet,

It looks like the Apeks TX50 is the a great coldwater regulator. It has the adjustable second stage and sealed first stage. From what I hear, the TX50 is used by alot of coldwater tech divers because they can be cleaned while diving, if they need to. I guess the design of the second stage makes servicing a piece of cake. I been leaning twards the Shewrwood Blizzard all along but the more I research the Apeks TX series the more I'm leaning twards getting the Apeks TX50 with a Apeks TX40 Octo. I think what makes me change my mind is the adjustable second stage and it had the heat exchanger like the Blizzard. But for more bang for the buck, it looks like the Apeks TX50 WINS. So my mind is made up and i'm getting the Apeks TX50 and Apeks TX40 Octo.

Thanks for all your help Iguana Don and Warhammer and ericfine50 and all you other people that gave helpful tips!

Aaron Aardal
 
Enjoy the regs and let us know what you think after you dive them.

Eric
 
Blizzard gets my vote. Mine is 9 years old & still going strong. It's been in water as cold as 34F, with no problems.

Reasons I like it:
-positive air bleed from the 1st stage essentially makes it environmentally sealed.
- 2nd stage returns moisture to your breath, like the Oasis. Extra heat sink in 2nd stage also keeps it from freezsing up & freeflowing.
- well known brand. Parts are readily available just about anywhere.

BTW, another choice is the USD Arctic.

Good luck in your search!

~SubMariner~
 
Originally posted by phislet
So compared to Scubapro or Sherwood Blizzard how does the TX50 or Aqualung Glacia compare?

Based on what happens here in the UK (and UK prices).

The prefered workhorse reg of practically every dive school I have come across is the Apeks TX40. This is for cold (inland training sites are now about +4°C) water, veing abused by students, reliability, and ease of service.

Scubapro don't tend to be used as much because they are more expensive, have similar performance to the Apeks, and don't stand up to the abuse they get as well as the Apeks. Also their dry sealing system involves filing the first stage with some horrid oily liquid, and the technicians at the shop I used to go to all the time hated servicing them.

Sherwood, however good they are, suffer from a bad reputation here. The sherwood first stage has remained pretty much unchanged for 10-15 years, and is still pretty much the same as on the origional Sherwood Brut. A reg that was infamous for its poor performance under the typical cold deep diving conditions here.

Aqualung Glacia is a reg that I know of nobody that uses, so no input there.

I would recomend the Apeks, or the Scubapro. Both are good reliable regs, The TX50 and TX100 are both very good performers, as are the top two Scubapro ones. The Apeks are better in terms of 'abuse servivability', and the scubapro need just a little bit more attention.

.02, and I hope it helps.

Jon T
 
Warhammer,

There is absolutely nothing wrong with your swivel, own one myself. When I buy my next pair they won't have the swivels.

I have adopted some new views on equipment and a swivel is just another point in a system that "could" cause a problem.

Have never had any problems whatsoever with mine though.

ID
 
Originally posted by SubMariner
Blizzard gets my vote. Mine is 9 years old & still going strong. It's been in water as cold as 34F, with no problems.

Reasons I like it:
-positive air bleed from the 1st stage essentially makes it environmentally sealed.
- 2nd stage returns moisture to your breath, like the Oasis. Extra heat sink in 2nd stage also keeps it from freezsing up & freeflowing.
- well known brand. Parts are readily available just about anywhere.

BTW, another choice is the USD Arctic.

Good luck in your search!

~SubMariner~
 
The best advice is to find what you like diving with.

The general opinion over the last couple of months or so here has been roughly that Scubapro and Apeks are the regs to beat. There are others that are much older technology (Sherwood blizzard), whilst they are still good regs, you can get far more for the same money.

Jon T
 
To whom it may concern!

I used to have a us diver se3 when I first started out diving and had nothing but trouble when I started coldwater diving; OBVIOUSLY.

Then I went out and bought a seaquest cryo and have loved this regulator ever since. It is a very very good coldwater regulator for the money. It has an environmentalized first stage and a side adjustment. I have had in cold deep water and it breathes easily and does not free flow. I know any regulator has that potential but I have tried to make it freeflow at depth and it showed me up.

Good hunting Jeff Michigan diver.
 

Back
Top Bottom