After all the "what reg should I buy?" posts, I thought I'd just skip all that and post my recent purchase decisions. My philosophy was to only have to buy this stuff once, so I went for reasonable quality.
I decided on an Atomic Z2 for my first regulator (over Scubapro MK25). I got it environmentally sealed, and with a DIN connector. Also got an SS1 safe second and had it attached to a Knighthawk BC.
Why the Atomic Z2? I like the idea behind the Atomic line: they make basically one type of regulator, the company was founded by former Scubapro pros, and every review I've seen says good things. I wanted to get my BC and regulator from a LDS and was willing to pay a bit more for it. (They charged my MSRP minus 10%; pretty standard, I guess.) I did not see a need for any of the more expensive Atomic regs.
Why DIN? My buddy has DIN tanks. I also got a DIN/yoke adapter for boat dives and traveling. (You can use an adapter to go from DIN to yoke, but not the other way around.)
Why the SS1? I decided against an octopus. I know that's a big debate here, but that will always be. I picked the SS1 over the AIR2 just based on what I read on this board.
Why the Knighthawk BC? I have a buddy with a Knighthawk. He swears by it. The Zeagle looked way too big for traveling.
I finally got to dive all the new toys this weekend. My review:
Atomic Z2: works great. Love it. I don't see a need for an adjustment knob -- I wouldn't think any less of a regulator that didn't have one. It's interesting that it breathes a bit noisy on the surface when exhaling. Underwater it was very smooth.
Atomic SS1: worked fine. Can't say I love it, but I like it -- it certainly does not breathe as easily as the Z2, and the mouthpiece is a bit small. I will have to practice using it more. I did use it to manully inflate my BC for an entire dive, and found it easy to handle in that regard. Like the Z2, it is a bit noisy out of the water when exhaling.
Knighthawk BC: Love it. Back inflation is the way to go -- what a difference from a jacket BC! Trim was easier, diving felt more natural. The tendency to get pushed face forward on the surface takes only a short while to get used to. I really like being able to vent from the various valves instead of having to hold the inflator hose above my head!
Anyway, that's it. This board was a great resource for my research, so thanks to everyone here with an opinion to share!
My credit card got bent from running up charges so fast!
I decided on an Atomic Z2 for my first regulator (over Scubapro MK25). I got it environmentally sealed, and with a DIN connector. Also got an SS1 safe second and had it attached to a Knighthawk BC.
Why the Atomic Z2? I like the idea behind the Atomic line: they make basically one type of regulator, the company was founded by former Scubapro pros, and every review I've seen says good things. I wanted to get my BC and regulator from a LDS and was willing to pay a bit more for it. (They charged my MSRP minus 10%; pretty standard, I guess.) I did not see a need for any of the more expensive Atomic regs.
Why DIN? My buddy has DIN tanks. I also got a DIN/yoke adapter for boat dives and traveling. (You can use an adapter to go from DIN to yoke, but not the other way around.)
Why the SS1? I decided against an octopus. I know that's a big debate here, but that will always be. I picked the SS1 over the AIR2 just based on what I read on this board.
Why the Knighthawk BC? I have a buddy with a Knighthawk. He swears by it. The Zeagle looked way too big for traveling.
I finally got to dive all the new toys this weekend. My review:
Atomic Z2: works great. Love it. I don't see a need for an adjustment knob -- I wouldn't think any less of a regulator that didn't have one. It's interesting that it breathes a bit noisy on the surface when exhaling. Underwater it was very smooth.
Atomic SS1: worked fine. Can't say I love it, but I like it -- it certainly does not breathe as easily as the Z2, and the mouthpiece is a bit small. I will have to practice using it more. I did use it to manully inflate my BC for an entire dive, and found it easy to handle in that regard. Like the Z2, it is a bit noisy out of the water when exhaling.
Knighthawk BC: Love it. Back inflation is the way to go -- what a difference from a jacket BC! Trim was easier, diving felt more natural. The tendency to get pushed face forward on the surface takes only a short while to get used to. I really like being able to vent from the various valves instead of having to hold the inflator hose above my head!
Anyway, that's it. This board was a great resource for my research, so thanks to everyone here with an opinion to share!
My credit card got bent from running up charges so fast!
