Which regulator to buy

[Karoo]

Hello, new scuba diver here. Can you suggest me regulator set. I need it for the work.

Shallow, max 10m, 1 single 15l tank. Will be 200+ dives in a year. So i understand for my work i only need low entry ones, but I will have deeper dives for my own pleasure when i have a time up to 40m for sure,so i decided to spend a little more money

I found in my local store apeks xtx200 xtx40 octo( i read on this forum that fsr is ok for single tanks), xtx50 xtx40 octo(dst not ideal position for the single tank at all??? xtx50 set cost 30$ cheaper then xtx200.

Aqualung leg3nd(with venturi knob) cost 30$ more then xtx200, helix pro is cheapest one significantly and i think that maybe will be perfect for me? L

Which ones is more reliable,how about parts and diy repairs? Thanks for any advice

 

[tbone1004]

DST is fine for single tanks and if it has the 5th port is my preferred first stage design for single tank.

I would not buy the Aqualung over Apeks but that's just me.

All of them are owned by Aqualung so any parts availability issues will likely affect everything.

I do not know about Croatia but none of those are DIY repairable with factory authorized parts in North America so you will have to check for regional availability. Aqualung strictly forbids the sale of parts to end users in North America but does not apply to all of their regions so you'll have to check if you can buy them where you live.

My personal recommendation would be XTX50/DST with another XTX50 octopus.

 

[formernuke]

Oh those I would go with the xtx50.

You mentioned DIY, in the US getting parts for apeks is difficult along with the manuals. Not sure about your location but you might want to look into how easy it will be for DIY with the various manufacturers.

 

[Mike1967]

XTX50/DST with another XTX50 octopus.

This ^

manuals

I have the manuals if anyone wants them.

 

[Angelo Farina]

My personal recommendation would be XTX50/DST with another XTX50 octopus.

Whatever the brand, I second the recommendation for two identical second stages.
(I am a strict Scubapro fan, mostly for the availability of parts, everywhere and for more than 40 years; and for manuals and tutorial videos).
A lower-performances "secondary air source" can be of a big concern in the rare case you really need it...
I always used two identical second stages, and I swap their usage constantly, even during the same dive.

 

[BoltSnap]

Considering your locations, here are what will be my choices in order of preference:

1. Scubapro MK17/C370 with another C370 for Octo or R190 Octo

2. Scubapro MK11/C370 with another C370 for Octo or R190 Octo.

3. Apeks XTX50/DST with another XTX50 octopus

Scubapro will be most prevalent in your area with availability of parts and service and support, bar none.

 

[LFMarm]

Hello, new scuba diver here. Can you suggest me regulator set. I need it for the work.

Shallow, max 10m, 1 single 15l tank. Will be 200+ dives in a year. So i understand for my work i only need low entry ones, but I will have deeper dives for my own pleasure when i have a time up to 40m for sure,so i decided to spend a little more money

I found in my local store apeks xtx200 xtx40 octo( i read on this forum that fsr is ok for single tanks), xtx50 xtx40 octo(dst not ideal position for the single tank at all??? xtx50 set cost 30$ cheaper then xtx200.

Aqualung leg3nd(with venturi knob) cost 30$ more then xtx200, helix pro is cheapest one significantly and i think that maybe will be perfect for me? L

Which ones is more reliable,how about parts and diy repairs? Thanks for any advice

Apeks DST with 5th port is a platform you can use for any diving need (single tank backmount, twinset, sidemount, stages) and for this reason it's the one I would personally pick. For strictly single tank backmount I prefer the routing of the Apeks FSR with 5th port.

 

[Karoo]

Thank you all for the answers! I have more noob questions now. For a single tank why are you all recommending the 5th port? For a better route of some hose? Which one actually and for what?

Is the yellow xtx50 octopus identical to the black xtx50 second stage? I see that yellow octopus is cheaper than black everywhere in web shops.

Googling the xtx40 second stage/octopus only differs from the xtx50 second stage in that it doesn't have breath control, shouldn't they be very similar in performance?

It would cost me much more to get 2 identical 2nd stages.

 

[LFMarm]

Thank you all for the answers! I have more noob questions now. For a single tank why are you all recommending the 5th port? For a better route of some hose? Which one actually and for what?

Yes, typically the long hose

Is the yellow xtx50 octopus identical to the black xtx50 second stage? I see that yellow octopus is cheaper than black everywhere in web shops.

Yes, they are the same

Googling the xtx40 second stage/octopus only differs from the xtx50 second stage in that it doesn't have breath control, shouldn't they be very similar in performance?

It would cost me much more to get 2 identical 2nd stages.

Breath control is a nice to have, I would not do it if it significantly increases the cost (however all my second stages are XTX50s).

 

[davehicks]

Check out this article I wrote about choosing a regulator, including an overview of the various features and their value.

Info - How to Choose a Regulator

How to Choose a Regulator (an overview of features and their value) One of the first pieces of equipment that every diver will acquire is a set of Regulators. This is one of the most critical pieces of your gear as it enables you to breathe underwater and are considered to be life safety...

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