XTX FST, MK17 or DS4 for twins

[fweber]

I'm confused at to what you're refering to with "leak". When you say "leak" are you refering to "flooding" of the breathing gas space or the sealed area between envirornment seal and diaphram? With positive pressure on the reg before a dive, gas could leak out but would be caught during a bubble check. Please clarify.

Either should still be disassemblable. I've taken apart regs that obviously had moisture allowed into them years earlier. I will grant that the environmental sealing ring can be a bear to break loose. A good hardened pin spanner of the correct size is absolutely crucial. There's a thread over on TDS about Soggy and several others learnig this exact lesson. Salt water in either a piston or diaphram reg is going to do harm unless opened and cleaned. Pistons may be more forgiving of floods while diving, but you certainly can't flood them and leave them without suffering damage. Or are you suggesting that you then flood them with fresh water and blow them out?

With regard to exhibiting storage under pressure. That sounds like gas bypassing the diaphram into the transmitter chamber. Which isn't a tough fix.

If you haven't actually diagnosed what the problem is. How have you come to the conclusion that it's unsalvagable?

 

[goodeatsfan]

Apeks first stages are easy to service on my own. easy to get parts, tools and schematics. I'm not unfamiliar or uncomfortable with servicing my own apeks rig, and as I'm gonna be getting 2 pax worth regulators for RecTriox and eventually Tech 1, the servicing bill Bi-annually will cost me about USD900 if I send it out regardless if it's Apeks or Scubapro.

As such, I'm wondering, with the MK17's, how different are they or are they any more difficult to service in comparison? I hear they are a little more finicky and have special tool requirements?