vermin(Offline)

Hi all, i'm a new diver and just been reading up a bit on the whole dir thing! It seems to make sense to go down that route. I originally was going to get Apeks xtx 100's as my regs but have been reading a lot about ds4/xtx40 regs. Would the 100's be ok? What are the por's and cons? Ps I have tmd (jaw problems) so am looking for lightweight designs which have good routing as to not pull on mouth so much. Also prob will use jax mouthpiece. is this all still poss and be in line with dir?

Cheers for any advice!

iainmsmith(Offline)

Why the XTX? If you're going down a DIR route (thoroughly recommended, by the way!), you don't need reversible regs, hence the TX or ATX series would do everything you need and are (presumably) cheaper. (Having said that, I've just had a quick google and no-one seems to do ATX anymore. Have they been withdrawn?)

The TX series second stages are fairly huge, so an ATX is probably better, if you can find them.

DS4 first stages route fine for both singles and twinsets.

FWIW, I've got 5 DS4 first stages, an ATX50 as my backup (ATX because it's smaller and -50 because it can have the cracking pressure turned up when not in use to minimise risk of freeflow) and TX40s on everything else (because they're cheaper and work just as well as the ATX series!)

I'm not sure whether there's any real benefit in a -100 vs a -40 or -50. They all share the same internal parts.

I see no benefit in getting the "Status" first stage varients I see it, as someone termed it over the weekend, "a solution looking for a problem".

Not sure about the Jax mouthpiece - I get grief from one of my buddies because he feels that the Apeks comfobite mouthpieces makes him want to gag, so I'm not sure how people might feel about getting 2" of mouthpiece edge. On the other hand, in a gas sharing situation, people ought to be grateful for what they receive!

Hope this helps.

Iain

EdG(Offline)

Hi Vermin -
A couple of thoughts about regulator selection:

First, get something with good hose routing options and good, reliable performance in a variety of environments/depths. It's worthwhile to spend a little more money for something that will be adaptable to what you do in the future. For example, in my close team of buddies, we use Scubapro MK25 first stages for almost everything. This gives us team interchangability in case someone has a problem. It's nice to simply switch to an identical spare first stage and go right on diving, rather than missing a dive due to equipment limitations. (This actually saved a dive during one of my GUE training classes.) As far as Apeks goes, I'll let others who use them comment on the choices there. I used to have DS4/TX50s (I think) on my twinset/doubles, and I enjoyed them. Sturdy and reliable. I changed to Scubapro because I like the hose routing options better, and as I said, my whole buddy team was/is using Scubapro.

Second, about the mouthpiece, consider trying a few "standard" types before you go to a specialty mouthpiece. When you donate your primary regulator during a safety drill, or a real OOG (out of gas) situation, the last thing you want to do is increase the stress of the diver you are donating gas to because of an unfamiliar/uncomfortable mouthpiece. Again (I promise I don't get paid by Scubapro), I prefer the Scubapro mouthpiece for size, fit and overall comfort. I think you will also find that the long hose will give you good regulator positioning in the mouth, thereby reducing some of the fatigue you have felt in the past. Most of the good quality second stages on the market these days are lightweight enough that you should be fine.

I hope these tips are helpful. Best regards and good luck with lots of great diving!!!

bart(Offline)

How many first stage do you want to use? If you use just one first stage a scubapro first stage (mk20/25) give a better hoserouting.

MonkSeal (Online)

One tank = one valve = one 1st stage.

bart(Offline)

Not always

One tank = one valve = 2 first stages
One tank = two valves = 2 first stages

david_1(Offline)

its a very good question :-)
you might want to pay a little more to get the reg set you need, others have explained options. But dont make the mistake of buy something cheaper and then realizing you need to retire your regs and buy again if you decide to twin up later.

David

MonkSeal (Online)

IMO there's no need for 2 1st stages in single tank diving.

neilh(Offline)

Unless you have an H-valve

But the original post doesn't specify whether the question is for a single tank or not...

MonkSeal (Online)

Replace the valve

Well, OP declared himself as newbie, so I guess single tank is used.