New Regulator

[Qix]

Another vote for Apeks - I have two ATX-200's one purchased new in 2004 and another purchased used - both have worked perfectly.  Less than 10% of my dives have been in water under 40F but never a problem in those conditions.

If you only do warm water diving they are probably a tad heavy / bulky compared to lighter smaller warm water rigs - but this should only be an issue if you are checking them in luggage that is within a 1/2lb of being overweight.

The only other quirk to Apeks is that the low pressure ports for the second stages are not both the same size. The primary second stage port is slightly larger normal. This is only an issue if you blow a hose somewhere remote and would need to swap it out. This is where the Zeagle Flathead is a bit more standardized. I think the Zeagle's were made by Apeks for many years? So they are quite similar.

I think another reason the tec divers like Zeagles and Apeks is that they can be broken down for cleaning and simple repair w/o any special tools.

Like shooter, I dive with the primary on a long hose and the octo on a necklace. I always throw the short original factory hose (with the oversized port fitting) in my luggage so I have a backup for that funky fitting size. Look up Hogarthian diving configurations for a better example of the long hose, short hose on necklace setup.

The Apeks breathes great at depth, is adjustable and has a free flow adjustment as well.