Regulator for a new diver

[chrisch]

Where are you in Italy? My friend Max is in Verona. He also does mail order on the Apeks and ScubaPro kit

Kit Erogatore Apeks ATX40 + Oct ATX40 + Manometro (399 with octo and mano)



I did my trimix course with these guys and they are very good and honest.

 

[erbedo]

I am in Reggio Emilia, not so far from Verona (1 h drive).

The kit looks interesting. I was focused on scubapro because everyone advises them, i do not know how they are compared to apeks.

 

[Centrals]

Kit Erogatore Apeks ATX40 + Oct ATX40 + Manometro (399 with octo and mano)

Good value.
But for Eur 50.00 more you can have XTX50 which is the latest model(but not necessary better). Look it up for the differences.

 

[chrisch]

I am in Reggio Emilia, not so far from Verona (1 h drive).

The kit looks interesting. I was focused on scubapro because everyone advises them, i do not know how they are compared to apeks.

ScubaPro and Apeks are both excellent regulators. SP are generally more widely available and as a result so are their service agents. If you dive in remote places this might possibly be important. For Europe it almost certainly isn't.

At one time Apeks used to have two year service intervals. Since AquaLung bought the company I see they now recommend the industry standard one year. (Mine get serviced about every five years). Apeks are generally very well liked and have an excellent reputation. There is a Chinese company making a very similar reg now called - I think - Tecline. Here in Britain Apeks are very much a favourite. If you are only an hour from Max then service will not be a problem, although you have Grande Blu nearby as well - but they look more a discount shop. Max is very knowledgeable and worth a phone call.

Where do you dive? We did our course in Garda. NauticaMare dive there on a Sunday and generally have a very good time - there is good food at Garda (it is Italy after all - good food everywhere). The lake is very deep and cold but there are a few places suitable for new divers. It is free to dive in the lake and a good way to build experience. You need a surface marker buoy or the Carabiniere get annoyed. We lived in Milano at the time and also dived in Como, Maggiore and Iseo.

 

[jboneng]

I am diving both Apeks XTX 100 sets and Scubapro MK17+S600 combos, and both setups are great in cold water.
I prefer the diaphragm 1st stages (like the MK17) over the piston 1st stages (like the MK25).

I find the Scubapro setup to be a bit easier to breath at depth deeper than 40m, it might be because I have connected the 2nd stage to the HFLP port that the MK17 provides.

My wife and my dad both dive with a MK17+G260 setup, which I have tested and find it to have very similar characteristics as the MK17+S600 setup.

If you in the future think you are going to dive with a double tank set, there is a 5th port upgrade for the Apeks set, giving you a lp port on top, which provides better routing of the hose.

 

[erbedo]

I will mainly dive here in Italy, Liguria, Tuscany and the islands.

I guess the bigger question is either piston or diaphgram. Why do you like one or the other?

 

[Insta-Gator]

SCUBA Diving Equipment for Technical, Sidemount, Rebreather, Wreck and Cave Diving: Dive Rite, Inc - Product Catalog - XT Advanced Open Water

 

[erbedo]

So I went to a local shop today, which gave me even more doubts about my first regulator.

His advice are:
- Cressi Xs compact mc9
- Mares rover 2s
- Scubapro mk2 with r195

all three more or less for the same price, way lower than the MK25 + s600. He said that they are equally reliable and safe, which is my first concern.

Since I have to buy 2 complete set (my wife and me), price is also a parameter, but I do not want to sacrifice even the tiniest amount of reliability, since my life is attached there.

 

[tbone1004]

what does ebay say for prices of mk25/s600's or mk25/g250 *includes 250v and 260*
check those first, no need to buy new if you don't have to

 

[vixtor]

With most regulators (yours included) you will not sacrifice reliability. They are very reliable when you take care of them. Scubapro MK2 is a real workhorse which can take a lot of abuse. What you lose with the price is the comfort/performance. So they will not breathe as easily as higher end regulators, but for basic recreational diving is enough. You seem to be from Italy, I guess cold/freezing water is not your concern also (here it would matter).

I would say go for the Mk2, and if/when you will progress a lot, you will still enjoy the Mk2 as a stage regulator - so your investment will not be in vain.

Also, I have looked meanwhile at your initial post - I would go for MK17 instead of MK25. It is a fully sealed regulator, perfect for cold diving (close to freezing) and the internal parts are better protected, but that is much more expensive than the MK2 your LDS proposed.