Regulators 2007 £200-£400
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MARK EVANS PADI Divemaster 21 years diving experience | DAVE HOPE PADI MSDT 16 years diving experience | JIM BREWIS PADI Divemaster 5 years diving experience |
ATKINSON PADI Divemaster 7 years diving experience |
Apeks XTX50 (SRP: £349.89)
Mark: Apeks are a well-respected brand known for their high performance, and the XTX50 continues that trend. It breathes well in all positions, has user-changeable exhaust tees, and a supremely comfortable mouthpiece.
Dave: The XTX50 lives up to Apeks’ reputation, and it gives a good breathe, has a venturi lever and flow adjuster that actually make a difference to the performance, and has a nice Comfobite mouthpiece.
Jim: I liked the mouthpiece, and found that the reg gave an excellent all-round performance. The ability to alter the hose routing is a nice feature.
Louise: This was a nice-looking regulator, and it breathed extremely well. The mouthpiece was comfortable as well.
Aqualung Kronos Supreme (SRP: £299)
Mark: A novel-looking reg with an exhaust which actually works, directing the bubbles away from your face down the hose. It’s a relatively large purge on a small second stage. The adjuster works great, and it has a comfortable mouthpiece.
Dave: I have been critical of Aqualung in the past, but this is a really nice reg. The exhaust flow director works very well. A very dry breathe in all positions. A nice reg.
Jim: A very good breathe and very comfortable. A great exhaust if you are looking forward and to the right, but I found if you look to the left of the exhaust, you get lots of bubbles coming up past your face.
Louise: Really nice reg which took bubbles away from my face. It breathed really, really easy, and the mouthpiece was comfortable.
Dacor Eagle Pro DPD (SRP: £249.83)
Mark: It’s a good-looking reg with a novel first stage that allows the user to swivel and direct the primary reg over their left or right shoulder (though it worked better in principal with the side-exhaust Viper). It has a comfortable mouthpiece, but sounded distinctly wheezy.Dave: Not a bad breathe, but it sounded like an asthmatic pensioner. The flow adjuster was pretty tricky to get hold of with gloves on. I do like the way the second stage mounts on to the first stage.
Jim: A very noisy breathe. It’s nice-looking and comfortable, but pretty average in terms of performance.
Louise: I remember this one because of the noise. The noisy breathe was a distraction, but also felt a bit restricting. The mouthpiece was comfy, though.
Scubapro Mk17/S555 (SRP: £285)
Mark: Excellent breathe. Good-looking reg and a very-comfortable mouthpiece. A little bit of water upside down, but all round a great performer.
Dave: Quite a heavy first stage, but a very good breathe, though the adjuster didn’t make much of a difference. Pretty average for bubbles coming in front of the face, but a nice reg all the same.
Jim: Really nice breathe. I didn’t like the mouthpiece, it was too small for my big gob. The breathe was good, it’s a nice reg – and it looks lovely.
Louise: Really comfortable. There were a couple of bubbles in front of my face, just one or two, but I’m just being picky. It was a small and light second stage, and it breathed well.
Seac Sub D-Syncro (SRP: £219)
Mark: A nice breathe, but I got a lot of water in the second stage when inverted. The mouthpiece is comfortable, and it comes in at a belting price.
Dave: Good value. A huge purge, very comfortable, and an excellent breathe. The flow adjust was tricky to get hold of when you have big, thick gloves on. A really nice reg, and the octopus was excellent. I liked it in the Red Sea, and I liked it in the UK.
Jim: A very comfortable and good-looking reg. It’s really comfortable, nice overall, and a bargain price.
Louise: I had a little bit of water coming in when upside down, but overall it was good.
Sherwood Maximus (SRP: £219)
Mark: Unfortunately, this Sherwood regulator also freeflowed from the moment we switched the air on, which is disappointing, as this could have been in the running for Best Value. It has a comfy mouthpiece and a novel under-the-right-arm routing for the hose.Dave: If it worked properly, this would have been Best Value, but it freeflowed on the surface and freeflowed underwater, so it’s not very high on my list of regs to buy. I loved the swivel on the second stage, though.
Jim: The freeflowing of this particular reg was obviously a problem, but apart from that it wasn’t too bad. I still wouldn’t risk my cash on it, though.
Louise: Like the others, I found the Sherwood Maximus to be good all round, spoilt by the fact that this unit constantly freeflowed.
Tigullio Airtrak Plus (SRP: £210)
Mark: A reasonable breathe, but the adjuster makes no difference and it was wet upside down. It had a nice big purge button, which was useful when wearing 5mm neoprene gloves.
Dave: Nice big purge. The adjuster seemed to turn for ages and not make a lot of difference. There were hardly any bubbles in front of my face. It’s a good-value reg.
Jim: Really good breathe. No exhaust bubbles in front of my face, and a comfortable mouthpiece. Just a nice reg.
Louise: The best breathe of the lot. Comfy, with no bubbles in front of my face. My favourite.
Oceanic Delta 4 FDX10 (SRP: £299)
Mark: A very nice breathe and a very good-looking reg. The adjuster dial didn’t do much – it just seemed to spin round – but I liked the swivel mount on the side of the small, compact second stage. It also has a very comfy mouthpiece.Dave: Excellent reg. I like the swivel on the second stage and it has a great big purge. The adjuster is really easy to get hold of, even with gloves on, though it didn’t really do much. A nice breathe and dry in every position.
Jim: Nice-looking and comfy, though I wondered when the adjuster knob was going to start working – it didn’t do anything.
Louise: I didn’t like breathing through this one, but it was still good overall. The adjust is easy to grip with gloves on.
Poseidon Cyklon 5000 (SRP: £298)
Mark: Poseidon regs are known for their awesome performance and the Cyklon 5000 has been around for several years. It gives a great breath, and the purge could knock the enamel off your teeth.Dave: I like Poseidon regs. They are a great breathe at every depth and in every position, thanks to their side-exhaust construction, and they don’t have any knobs or levers to play with.
Jim: It compares well against other more-expensive models in the Poseidon range. It’s a nice reg, but the mouthpiece is too large for me personally.
Louise: The purge button was tricky to find until you got used to the side-exhaust shape, but it’s a nice, easy breathe.
