Which gear is the same as which other gear?

[sandanbob]

I think my title may be a little vague, and which subsection of the forum this fits in is something I am unsure of. But what I am wondering is which equipment- particularly regulators and dive computers, but any other gear, as well- is the same as others, just rebranded, and maybe re-priced.

I have seen specific mention of some dive computers and regulators as being the same as others, ,but I was wondering if people could help me put these together. I think some Aqualung models are the same as some Oceanic dive computers, for example.

Thanks!

Bob

 

[Degenerate]

Apeks XTX100/200 second stages are the same as their XTX50, just with a bigger price tag and some chrome-ish bling.
Halcyon regs are basically Scubapro copies unless I'm mistaken, pretty sure the H75 first stage is just a fancy Mk25, and the Halo 2nd stage is a fancy G250.
Could be slightly wrong about the Halcyon ones though.

 

[formernuke]

Halcyon regs are basically Scubapro copies

kinda, they are the same, just a H rather than S on them. Not sure exactly which models correspond since I don't care but halycon regs are made by scubapro and just rebranded.

 

[CanadaDan]

Most (if not all) SPG's are made by one company... simply refaced for different brands.

 

[tbone1004]

I think my title may be a little vague, and which subsection of the forum this fits in is something I am unsure of. But what I am wondering is which equipment- particularly regulators and dive computers, but any other gear, as well- is the same as others, just rebranded, and maybe re-priced.

I have seen specific mention of some dive computers and regulators as being the same as others, ,but I was wondering if people could help me put these together. I think some Aqualung models are the same as some Oceanic dive computers, for example.

Thanks!

Bob

there is far too much of it going on to really quantify in one thread. You'd have to narrow it down a bit. There isn't a lot of direct copies on anything other than the regulators from Taiwan, and a little bit with lower end computers, but you'd have to get a bit more specific in what you're looking for or this thread is going to get really big really fast.
SPG's and hoses are basically all the same though. Two major companies make SPG's, one in Italy, one in Taiwan. If they're made in Italy, they're all the same no matter what price tag or brand is on it. Hoses come from two basic suppliers as well.

 

[ps444mike]

Atomic regs are the same just different material. that's what I have been told..

 

[sandanbob]

This is a topic where I don't know what I don't know, so to speak. So, narrowing it down can be difficult for me. If there aren't a lot of direct copies, then perhaps this will be a short topic.

Two areas had brought this to mind. One, I read that certain regulators were the same. I believe TUSA, Halcyon, and ScubaPro were mentioned as being essential.y the same. One reply did indicate that Halcyon and ScubaPro are the same, which seems to confirm that. Which models equate to which models?

In another location, I had read that certain Aqualung computers were the same as Oceanic models. I think the i300 was analogous to the Veo 2.0, if I recall correctly.

What other models, say in the last five years maybe, are the same? I know that pictures of older dive computers, such as the Oceanic Sport, looks just like computers offered by others 20-25 years ago.

 

[tbone1004]

@sandanbob is this to help make a buying decision or just to understand what's going on in the market? If it is to make purchasing decisions then I think we can help you a lot more by getting a bit more specific.

I can say that Apeks ATX50-DST is basically the same as a HOG D1, DRIS Dive Gear, and a slew of others to the point that the parts are interchangeable, but if those aren't the right regulators for you to be looking at purchasing, then it's not really a useful conversation especially as we can get really deep down this rabbit hole really fast. If we break away from who is getting what's called "Stencils" where there is a stock part from the OEM and then you stencil your brand on there and get into the what are "functionally" identical, then the lists get really long.

 

[sandanbob]

Ah, I see. There are a few thoughts rattling around in my head.

I guess that underlying my question are these thoughts- one, I have been considering the Aqualung i300 (now i300c) and the Aqualung i500. If Oceanic offers the same computer with a different name on it (plus the second algorithm) then the Oceanic brand might be the better choice. Most of my computers are older, some I haven't dove with as they came as parts of other deals. I think I would like to get a new computer with some room to grow. (I love the specs of the Shearwater Perdix, but can't make the investment yet. The Peregrine would work, but I prefer the user changeable battery, and having the compass would be nice. So, these would be a few years out.) Now, having mentioned "room to grow"- I have a number of specialties, including night, ice, deep, enriched air, wreck... I can see myself taking an intro to tech/deco type

With regards to regulators- this comes from a couple different directions, as well. One, I was reminded this fall just how expensive it is to have regulators serviced. I have one thread where I asked about manuals and parts to do my own (I haven't done so yet) but if there are regulators that are easy to maintain, and some brands of those regulators are less expensive than others, than I might look at replacing what I have for future savings. I don't recall which brand(s), but I think HOG or Edge maybe, are fairly (relative term, I know) to work on, and it is encouraged rather than discouraged, as done by some manufacturers. And, from the little looking I did, the initial investment wasn't as high as some others. Another thread recently had discussion whether it was better to buy regs, use them for a couple years, then replace them rather than have them serviced, due to the high cost. I can see potential merit in that situation, as well, though it's not my preferred method at this time.

I currently have a mix of regulators- Apex, Aqualung (both circa 2000) as well as a couple sets of Sherwoods and a Mares and Oceanic set, none newer than 10 years or so.

Where I live in Maine, I am thinking I should have a sealed first stage, but I haven't gone ice diving since the class over 20 years ago, so I probably don't need the Sherwood Blizzards that I have. I had a Dacor Extreme Ice regulator back when I took that class.

So, in my mind, I was envisioning lists that said that Company X's model ABC is the same as Company Y's model EFG, for however many entries as people could come up with, for dive computers and regulators.

Perhaps I had a simplistic view. :-O

 

[sandanbob]

My Apeks are TX100 and TX50, so they predate the ATX series, I believe.