Sherwood VS Atomic

[Rider04]

I have been diving for a few years and am looking at buying a new reg set. My LDS sells both Atomic and Sherwood. I am looking for some help from a few of you that have used these products. What are your experiences using these two brands? Which reg worked the best for you? I have heard a lot about the SR1, is it all that it is cracked up to be? Is the maximus comparable to the z1?

I primarily dive in colder waters and want to have the option to dive in a variety of places. Any feedback on these products would be greatly appreciated..

 

[spectrum]

I have been diving for a few years and am looking at buying a new reg set. My LDS sells both Atomic and Sherwood. I am looking for some help from a few of you that have used these products. What are your experiences using these two brands? Which reg worked the best for you? I have heard a lot about the SR1, is it all that it is cracked up to be? Is the maximus comparable to the z1?

I primarily dive in colder waters and want to have the option to dive in a variety of places. Any feedback on these products would be greatly appreciated..

Your query is complicated by the new SR-1. There will not be so much input on it.

Were it not for that I'd favor the Sherwood (Maximus/Blizard) for your criteria of cold and various places.

The Maximus and Blizzard have a big history as cold water performers. It's been a few years since I looked at Atomic but they were adapted for cold water. They may do fine. The SR-1 may be right in there too but it's different technology that I can't speak to directly.

Other than a pool dive when I was shopping I have not used an Atomic. In terms of performance however I think there is plenty of evidence and opinion that they are nicer breathers.

Other than my double hose Phoenix our regulators are all Sherwoods and they breathe just fine for our uses. That includes my wife who I would consider fussy about stuff like ease of breathing.

The overall reliability and broad service network Sherwood has is an advantage.

Pete

 

[scubafanatic]

.....well, I've never dove Sherwood, but have owned/dove an Atomic M1 for some years now and really like it! The SR1 looked very promising at first, but if you search this board and other places you'll soon discover the SR1 1st-stage was something of a lemon and has had a lot of problems....whether or not these 'problems' are 'history' and present/new units are fine is something I can't answer....but if I can't trust a reg's reliability then I'm not at all interested in it. If you 'go' Sherwood, I'd avoid the SR1, as promising as the design appears 'on paper'. Sherwoods are very common in rental fleets and out in the diving community and have long been considered 'workhorse' regs with 'mid-level' performance...nothing special. The Atomic's can be equipped with a cold-water-kit (Christolube filled 1st-stage chamber)...which is a little old-fashioned and will increase the cost of an 'annual' as it's messy/spendy to replace the Christolube, but the 'system' works and Atomics have a long interval between services, which is a plus. Never 'soak' an unpressurized Atomic reg in a rinse tank, water can backflush up the 2nd-stage, up the hose, and into the 1st-stage...not good ! (also, might not be a good idea to soak a Sherwood unpressurized in a rinse tank either...most have a dry-bleed 1st-stage design that requires positive tank pressure to keep water out of the 1st-stage.) Servicing can be an issue...Atomic's aren't exactly rare, but certainly less common than Sherwoods....however, I always bring at least 2 complete reg sets on my trips so I really don't care if I can't get a 'down' reg serviced on a remote site/boat.....also, if all else fails you can usually get a rental reg on site. If price is an issue, remember the 'Z' series Atomics are very reasonably priced. I feel the Atomics are 'better' regs than Sherwoods, but tons of people use Sherwoods and seem to be doing fine......so the decision sometimes comes down to more detailed aspects, things like which hose layout do you prefer ? (for example, I don't like the 'radial' hose layout of most Sherwoods, but that's just a personal preference based on how I like to set up my gear and may have no meaning in your decision.)

 

[Hatul]

..... Never 'soak' an unpressurized Atomic reg in a rinse tank, water can backflush up the 2nd-stage, up the hose, and into the 1st-stage...not good ! (also, might not be a good idea to soak a Sherwood unpressurized in a rinse tank either...most have a dry-bleed 1st-stage design that requires positive tank pressure to keep water out of the 1st-stage.)

That sounds like a real pain, as the common method of soaking a regulator is to dunk it into a rinse tank. So you have to rinse your regulator attached to a tank?

Adam

 

[spectrum]

That sounds like a real pain, as the common method of soaking a regulator is to dunk it into a rinse tank. So you have to rinse your regulator attached to a tank?

Adam

Not at my house.... Positive pressure trumps any other method. Besides the cylinder gets a good rinse at the same time

That reminds me this mornings gear is soaking, gotta run.

Pete

 

[scubafanatic]

That sounds like a real pain, as the common method of soaking a regulator is to dunk it into a rinse tank. So you have to rinse your regulator attached to a tank?

Adam

...well, 'on site' I'll use a water hose to wash down the reg.....also, if there is a rinse tank, I'll carefully hold up the 1st-stage while dipping everything else into the tank to wash off 2nd-stages/consoles/etc......will also briefly barely submerge the 1st-stage into the tank too and swish it about...always making sure the 2nd stages are hanging below the level of the 1st-stage...and dry the reg with everything hanging/dripping downward with the 1st-stage at the highest point.
...once I get home, I'll do a 'proper' soak in a wheelbarrow/bathtub with the whole reg set hooked to my 30 cu. ft. pony so things stay pressurized the whole 'soak'.
Atomic isn't crazy/stupid, their 2nd stages employ a special 2nd-stage seat-saving technology to take the pressure off the 2nd-stage seats whenever the reg isn't pressurized....which is a good thing...just have to be aware of that 'feature' and adjust rinsing procedures a bit, that all.
(my 1st-stage is enviro-sealed, so there's no water ever getting into the piston chamber anyway, which is the main reason the 1st-stage needs to be rinsed.)

 

[Hatul]

...well, 'on site' I'll use a water hose to wash down the reg.....also, if there is a rinse tank, I'll carefully hold up the 1st-stage while dipping everything else into the tank to wash off 2nd-stages/consoles/etc......will also briefly barely submerge the 1st-stage into the tank too and swish it about...always making sure the 2nd stages are hanging below the level of the 1st-stage...and dry the reg with everything hanging/dripping downward with the 1st-stage at the highest point.
...once I get home, I'll do a 'proper' soak in a wheelbarrow/bathtub with the whole reg set hooked to my 30 cu. ft. pony so things stay pressurized the whole 'soak'.
Atomic isn't crazy/stupid, their 2nd stages employ a special 2nd-stage seat-saving technology to take the pressure off the 2nd-stage seats whenever the reg isn't pressurized....which is a good thing...just have to be aware of that 'feature' and adjust rinsing procedures a bit, that all.
(my 1st-stage is enviro-sealed, so there's no water ever getting into the piston chamber anyway, which is the main reason the 1st-stage needs to be rinsed.)

That's a big negative against Atomic, IMO. While I also like to drop the whole scuba unit attached to a tank into a rinse tank, it's not always possible. Sometimes I put all the gear into a mesh bag and drop it into a rinse tank. Having the fish out the regulator and put it back on a tank to rinse is an extra hassle I don't need.

Adam

 

[bobmirko]

I have a SR-1. I did not used it in cold water but I can tell you it breath VERY easily. (I never tried a atomic so I cannot compare...)

I would say you to buy the new batch of SR-1because older one's had problems with the environmental seal.

Hope this help!

 

[sladerer]

I've been diving the Atomic B2 for about 2 years now and very pleased with its performance. Water temps ranging from 48F to 85F, depths from 15 to 122 with no noticeable change in breathability (non word alert). It even breaths OK, but slightly harder, when I'm completely inverted. I like the swivel mount on the 2nd stage (less pulling) and the breathing adjustment knob.

I've never used Sherwood so can't comment there.

 

[fnfalman]

I've only used Sherwood and Oceanic (don't know which models) during OW training and the first three non-student dives. After that I've used Atomic B2 exclusively with the occasional use of my backup reg set of Aqualung Titan LX.

The Sherwood worked or otherwise I wouldn't be here typing this up. What I've noticed about the Atomic are the ease of breathing, the spacing of the port holes for HP and LP ports are very friendly toward hose routing, and the unit seems to be built like a brick house.

As far as water working up the 2nd stage if one were to dunk the setup in water unpressurized, I don't know. That's how I clean my reg and though Atomic recommended 2-years or 300-dives service interval, I had mine inspected after the first year and 60-dives anyway. Nothing was wrong, nothing needed adjustment or replaced.