XS scuba manifold??

[Mayor]

I found the Halcyon manifold to be a better product and the cost was close at my LDS.

FYI
Also found the highland bands were made better the the Halcyon. Lots of rust issues with the Halcyon over time as per my dive group and LDS.

 

[divad]

I found the Halcyon manifold to be a better product.

In what way(s)?

 

[Mayor]

In what way(s)?

IMHO the fit and finish was better then the XS.

 

[Wayne at DiveSeekers]

Not to get off topic but I Agree with "Mayor" the Highland Bands are the nicest on the market. As far as Manifolds, I have dove the Halcyon, Thermo's & XS Scuba's and as far as they go ....They are all Great. Quick little differences that haven't been mentioned. Halcyon, nice finish (more of a silver,matted coat) and smaller (shorter) rubber knobs. Thermo & XS has more of a Polished Chrome finish with bigger (longer) rubber handles. A a lot of NE divers prefer the Thermo's or XS's because of the bigger (longer) knobs. in the end, all three of these valves are easy to turn and with proper harness adjustment, good buoyancy and valve management skills you will easily be able to manipulate these valves.

 

[mikeguerrero]

Thanks for all the replies:

Halcyon manifold is shorter by about 1/2 inch on all the knobs. It appears to be more compact than the other two. The finish is a silver matted coat that feels very robust against corrosion; the new regulators by Halcyon appear to have this matted coat as well.

Thermo and XS scuba are triple chrome polished and have longer knobs, eaiser to get to the valve drills for me, since I don't have long arms.

I will be deciding on either the Thermo or XS scuba, what ever deal I get best at my LDS. The chrome finish does look nice along side my Apeks XTX 200 regs which are also chrome polished in DIN.

 

[Gillty]

Thanks for starting this thread Mike. I have also been curious about the differences in the various manifolds/valves out on the market as well. Since the Thermo and XS scuba are more affordable I was wondering if there were any subtle differences with the Halcyon that would make it more attractive.

My only experience with Halcyon valves is a 200 bar single tank valve. I like everything about it except that it is a bit fatter than the Thermo 200 bar. At least one of my DIN to yoke converters won't fit over the Halcyon (Dive Rite).

My Thermo manifold valves are much easier to turn than a couple of the Dive Rite manifolds I'm currently using. It doesn't seem like a big deal at first but when decked out in full cold water gear I can only do a couple of valve drills with the DR manifolds before my hands and arms are screaming at me.

I have got to play around with a couple of XS scuba valves, as you would expect they seem quite similar to the Thermo's with a few differences (such as rubber knob, oring instead of copper washer, etc..).

Let us know what you think of your purchase.