Regulators

[IrishIvan]

Im thinking about upgrading to an aqualung legend lx. Has anyone got any experience with this reg? I basically want to know if I am over doing it for LOS. I dont plan on doing any cold water diving. I just want to continue to do 10 or so lesiure dives a month

[NomadJoe]

No, not overdoing it at all. My theory is you shouldn't skimp on life-sustaining equipment. 10 dives a month is actually quite a bit for a non-professional.

The legend is a great reg. I recommend it second only to the ScubaPro MK25/S600. The Apeks XTX200 is also a great reg system. Those 3 typically rate the lowest (the lower the better) in overall work of breathing (WOB) scores.

[PhuketdashScuba]

Excellent regulator, and easy to service as well, so major advantage over Scubapro there.

[PhuketdashScuba]

Sorry, forgot. The only difference between the Legend and the Legend LX is the environmental seal. And you really don't need that in our waters.

[IrishIvan]

Yeah the LUX is just a LX with a better paint job isnt it?

[Quero]

My main recreational reg set is a Legend LX Supreme, and I've been diving them for over 10 years. The are great regs. The only regs I own that I like better are my Apeks ones, and this includes my Scuba Pro Mark 25/S 600 set.

[Simon1985]

I don't want to hi jack Irishlvan thread but its also a question about regulators, so probably best to post it here rather than start a new thread. I went to my local dive store. For the budget I have. I was recommended the Mares Abyss 52 regulator. How does the mares regulators & Octopus compare to different brands. For all I know the sales person at the dive store may be earning more money selling me the mares regulators rather than another brand. Advice really appreciated.

Edited May 25, 2013 by Simon1985

[PhuketdashScuba]

I am a big disliker of Mares regs, but the Abyss is an exception, it really is a good regulator IMO. For the same or less money though also the Aqualung Legend and several Apeks regs can come into the picture, and I'd prefer either of those.

[IrishIvan]

I am a big disliker of Mares regs, but the Abyss is an exception, it really is a good regulator IMO. For the same or less money though also the Aqualung Legend and several Apeks regs can come into the picture, and I'd prefer either of those.

Apeks?? Never heard of it.

[Quero]

Ivan, Apeks is a highly regarded brand from a manufacturer that was acquired by Aqualung some years back. One outcome of that merger is that service kits, parts, and maintenance are all readily available.

[stevenl]

Deleted.

Edited May 26, 2013 by stevenl

[PhuketdashScuba]

Ivan,

Apeks is a highly regarded brand from a manufacturer that was acquired

by Aqualung some years back. One outcome of that merger is that service

kits, parts, and maintenance are all readily available.

They have been already for years via Scubamarket.

[Quero]

Yes, that's true. But it's also true that the merger between Apeks and Aqualung took place before Scuba Market opened its doors, so it's actually irrelevant that Scuba Market has been furnishing Apeks parts for these past few years that they've been in business.

Edited May 26, 2013 by Quero

[PhuketdashScuba]

Yes, that's true. But it's also true that the merger between Apeks and Aqualung took place before Scuba Market opened its doors, so it's actually irrelevant that Scuba Market has been furnishing Apeks parts for these past few years that they've been in business.

They've been in business quite a few years now, 6 I would guess, and have been selling and servicing Apeks all those years. Service and parts have been readily available for many years now without any problems.

Aquamaster, the official Aqualung distributor in Thailand, does not even have Apeks in its product range, so I would advice anybody fpr Apeks products to go the the people that know Apeks, i.e. Scubamarket.

Edited May 26, 2013 by PhuketdashScuba

[Quero]

Who said anything about Aquamaster?

The Aqualung/Apeks merger (actually both lines are owned by parent company Air Liquide) took place over 15 years ago, as I recall. Since Aqualung had a much larger distribution network than Apeks at the time, the flow of parts and service kits for Apeks products became easier. There have also been manufacturing impacts on the Aqualung line of regs as a result of the merger, and in fact the design of the Legend, the topic of this thread, was hugely influenced by the excellence of Apeks engineering.

Edited May 26, 2013 by Quero

[NomadJoe]

Yes, that's true. But it's also true that the merger between Apeks and Aqualung took place before Scuba Market opened its doors, so it's actually irrelevant that Scuba Market has been furnishing Apeks parts for these past few years that they've been in business.

They've been in business quite a few years now, 6 I would guess, and have been selling and servicing Apeks all those years. Service and parts have been readily available for many years now without any problems.

Aquamaster, the official Aqualung distributor in Thailand, does not even have Apeks in its product range, so I would advice anybody fpr Apeks products to go the the people that know Apeks, i.e. Scubamarket.

Yes, I recently had my Apeks serviced at Scubamarket. The tech there, Ae has been in the diving industry in Phuket for over a decade and really knows his stuff.

[Quero]

Yes, he does--very nice and helpful guy. And as I'm an Apeks tech myself, I also buy all my supplies for Apeks service from Scuba Market. Anything they don't have in stock they get for me in a couple of days. Very good service.

Edited May 26, 2013 by Quero

[Simon1985]

I am a big disliker of Mares regs, but the Abyss is an exception, it really is a good regulator IMO. For the same or less money though also the Aqualung Legend and several Apeks regs can come into the picture, and I'd prefer either of those.

PhuketdashScuba, thanks for the info. You said the aqualung regulators are easy to service in another post. Whats the Mares Abyss like to service. From your post it sounds like you get a better quality regulator if you buy Aqualung or Apeks over mares for less money.

[PhuketdashScuba]

I am a big disliker of Mares regs, but the Abyss is an exception, it really is a good regulator IMO. For the same or less money though also the Aqualung Legend and several Apeks regs can come into the picture, and I'd prefer either of those.

PhuketdashScuba, thanks for the info. You said the aqualung regulators are easy to service in another post. Whats the Mares Abyss like to service. From your post it sounds like you get a better quality regulator if you buy Aqualung or Apeks over mares for less money.

The Abyss is easy to service as well. A problem might be that the Thailand distributor is well known for having as little stock as possible, and spreading that little stock out over multiple locations, so chances are parts will have to be ordered.

I would say I prefer the Legend or Apeks because of value for money, but I think quality wise also the Abyss is very good. Just take the service aspect into account as well.

[Simon1985]

Ok thanks for the info. I will have a look at the Aqualung and Apeks regs.

[Simon1985]

I bought a Dive Magazine in the last week and they had a gear guide on quality regulators. They tested the Apeks XTX200, Aqualung Legend LX Supreme, Atomic Aquatics ST1, Mares Abyss 52, Oceanic FDX10, Poseidon X stream Duration 90, Scubapro MK25, Sherwood SR1, Subgear SG1000. It came down to a 2 horse race between the ScubaPro and Apeks and the Apeks came out in front. For the best value regulator it was between the Mares and Subgear and it was awarded to the subgear.

[rucus7]

I bought my Scubapro G-250 MK10 in 1990 problem free 23 years. Parts are still available. I have no idea how many hundreds or thousands? of dives. Log books were not kept( just considered) when I started diving.

[h90]

I am a big disliker of Mares regs, but the Abyss is an exception, it really is a good regulator IMO. For the same or less money though also the Aqualung Legend and several Apeks regs can come into the picture, and I'd prefer either of those.

PhuketdashScuba, thanks for the info. You said the aqualung regulators are easy to service in another post. Whats the Mares Abyss like to service. From your post it sounds like you get a better quality regulator if you buy Aqualung or Apeks over mares for less money.

The Abyss is easy to service as well. A problem might be that the Thailand distributor is well known for having as little stock as possible, and spreading that little stock out over multiple locations, so chances are parts will have to be ordered.

I would say I prefer the Legend or Apeks because of value for money, but I think quality wise also the Abyss is very good. Just take the service aspect into account as well.

But the Abyss is difficult to adjust, but when it is adjusted it simply works, no matter if you service it or not, no matter how you abuse it. And it feels it gets easier to breath as deeper you go. But it is a bit heavy. And the Thailand distributor is also a own story.