Atlantis regulators

[olexiy]

Hi everyone. Has anyone used Atlantis brand regulators or other diving equipment. Apparently they are designed in New Zealand, made in Taiwan and sold through a number of dive shops in Auckland. However, I failed to find any reviews of the brand online. Has anyone used their regs? And if yes are they safe, reliable, etc? They are very well-priced but wasn't sure about their quality.
Thanks in advance
Alex

[divepirate]

If you are thinking of Getting a regulator that is made on Taiwan, do your homework first.

I find the best place to find about regs is from someone that is servicing the gear.
I would suggest sending a PM to Dave at the dive doctor (divedr) , and see how he finds them in a servicing capacity.

To spend a few dollars more now, may save you hundrends in the long term.

[ChuckyBob]

Here is my take on regulators.

Its much better to buy a top performance second hand reg than a low performance new reg. Go for an adjustable reg as you can dial up its performance during the dive and also dial out any slight free flows which may ruin a dive when using a non adjustable reg.

Some good ones to keep an eye out for are the Scubapro 109 adjustable and BA. These are the old school chrome ones and my 2nd stage regulators of choice when I was diving doubles. They sell cheap as chips on Trade Me because most people dont realize how good they are. They can be serviced with G250 parts.
The Scubapro G250 was the plastic replacement for the 109/BA. Avoid the G250HP ( a later model than the G250 but more plastic and less metal). Then there is the G250V which is the current top of the line SP reg. You will pay heaps for it but its just an original G250 with mostly cosmetic changes.

Then there are the Apeks regs. You cant really go wrong with any of these as long as its adjustable.


Now here is a deal..... http://www.ebay.com/itm/Apeks-1st-Stage ... 19d60af802

[rambaldi]

Thanks for that explanation Chucky, I had an idea of what regs I am looking to purchase in the future but some of the brands really make it hard to compare within their different lines.

[binklebonk]

The internals of the Atlantis range are not so good. The pistons seem to be made of a cheap stainless as they rust terribly.

Chuckies' advice is golden.

[MikeB]

Some great advice given by Chucky Bob.

Stick with the main quality brands and you can't go wrong; Apeks, Scubapro/Halcyon (Modified, re-badged scubapro). Spending a bit more now, could save you many headaches in the future.

Another option could be the Sub-gear range, many of these are re-badged old scubapro regs.

[ChuckyBob]

303 stainless steel seems a strange choice. Probably chosen for its cost and machining abilities rather than its anti corrosive properties.

Personally I'd consider these types of regulators throw away items. At $255+gst they cost little more than what you would expect to pay for a service.

On the other hand my SP 109's are probably 40+ years old and thanks to SP's design ethos share many of the same parts as the new G250V so parts will be avaliable for many years to come.

What I didnt mention before was 1st stages.

I have always used SP MK20's and MK25's which are piston regulators. But more recently I have been using Apeks diaphragm 1st stages as well, which I think have the advantage of being sealed and there for possibly can be pushed longer between services especially if you are the type of person who does religiously soak them after use.
But really I think any quality 1st stage should be good enough. As long its made with good materials, spare parts readily available and the hose routing suits then it should be fine. The 2nd stage is what will determine how well a reg set breathes. And dont get hung up on mismatching regs. No issues having a Apeks 1st stage, SP second and aqualung octi...unless your service agent cant do all 3.


Having said all that.... I have 2 MK25's and 2 BA's I'd consider selling. They are set up for doubles but I can configure. I have a few other regs for sale too. SP D350, Mk2 MK5, 190. But I want top dollar for them all
Mind you this is/was a hell of a deal ( from a previous board member)... http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing ... =521769508

[DiveDR]

As everyone above has said - you get what you pay for.

[olexiy]

Thanks a lot everyone for their opinion. will probably go for the scubapro. Diving gear reliability and safety is surely worth spending more money on.
Thanks
Alex