Thanks for a great video, excellent education. Keep them coming and love the length, can sit back, have a meal, fall asleep wake up and still more to go. I love it. Thanks Doc you cured my regulator geek itch and insomnia all in one video remarkable.😊
Complicated answer. The Atomic swivel is the lightest and best engineered on the market. But the stock hose is too long for me. I cut mine shorter and added an Omni-Swivel male end to pull the excess out of the slipstream. Of course, that just makes the expensive toy even more expensive, but hey - it's what we do, right? Now it's perfect. They apparently don't make custom length hoses any more. On the downside, there is no stem oring like a traditional hose. So you HAVE to make sure it's tight to the reg barrel so that 2-015 o-ring seals the hose to the second stage. Zero loosening allowed.
Hi Robert. My first instructor here in Sweden was one of the first retailers of Scubapro. So ofcourse Ive used the 109, the balanced adjustable, and my choice when it was time to retire my old AGA divator I choosed D400. I loved it but when it was stolen the D400 was off the market. Then I went with S600. The S600 is on my 40cf stage while mine main is the A700. It would be interesting to se a comparasion between a newer design instead of the old G250/260. My subjective opinion is that the A700 is a lot smoother and closer to my old D400 then I ever been. But I I heavnt seen the numbers. Do you think you could bring the A700 next time? (Not the carbon freakshow, just the plain shiny steel?) I would really apprecitet that. Thanks for intresting hours on youtube!
Iam looking forward to hear when you have tried the TFX. Would be fantastic to hear a compare betw TFX and A700. The price on the TFX are to high for me, but maybe when its on the 2nd hand market.
Ok, so now I have been reading a lot on scubaboard! I guess you wont have the A700 on an evening discussoon 😂 I must say, I would buy the TFC right now, but its too pricy for me. When the x650 arrived i bought it because i thought it was a new d400....😢 i was a fool - it was the biggest dissapointment since d400 left the market. So, when youre done with the tfc - i can buy it for speacial price? 😅 Have a food one, iam.looking foorward to next youtubesession!!
Hi Robert, Thanks you for the huge amount of knowledge you give us and all the work you put in to it. How will the old Poseidon Cyklon downstream comperes to all those regs that you tested, I still see it in use with a lot of the cave and deep divers specially old school guys. Thanks.
Funny you should ask! Regulator Geeks #5 will be on the Poseidon series of regulators! We've been working on graphics for the video for awhile now, and they're certainly unique regs. But when the TFX appeared, it was such a welcome surprise that we put the Poseidon evening on hold to discuss the new guy on the block. Expect a Poseidon evening in the next few months!
Do you ever think the Center balance design will gain more popularity? I know atomic aquatics has released their new regulator, but after taxes it’s pushing $3000, relegating most of us to merely window shoppers. Is it expensive because of the engineering, or is it expensive because it can be?
That's a great question! The center balanced community was much larger back in the D300, 350, 400 days. It's a superb regulator that still has a following. A few of us still have parts. But it always was finicky to service, and most of the techs who understand the design are long gone. And there's the dilemma... Atomic has been a quality niche provider that caters to those that want the very best (and can pay for it). They made a marketing choice to start at the top of the line, price-wise, instead of inching up the way Scubapro has with its various Mk25/S620Ti offerings. The TFX is truly spectacular. But I expect it will be two years before Atomic introduces a "Z-version" like they did with their superb regs Z1, Z2, Z3. Once they do, we'll see if the enthusiasm from the titanium community bleeds over to the general market. I'd like to see that yesterday, it's such a great reg. But the bean counters are probably calculating exactly when the income stream will start to tail off before they release a value version. But hang in there - it'll be worth the wait. And since it's so much easier to service than the D-series, the LDS' may give you back a nicely tuned reg.
I agree and even with the TFX it's cost alone has made it only accessible to a select few or someone that makes a living underwater. I'm wondering with the advent of AI in the future when will the first chip end up in a SCUBA reg to regulate flow or collect performance data.
If you already own a c370 g250, 109, 157, Hog zenith, and Kraken, would there be any advantage to buying a D420? Unfortunately, the Atomic TFX is out of range for me.
With all those second stages, you've evidently got an appreciation for the subtleties. Since the D420 can now be had for a bargain, I'd say give it a try. It's reputation has suffered a little because of how stiff it becomes when you look up. But in the standard diving position, the D420 breathes like a dream, and exhalation work of breathing is the best in the world. But if you look up under coral ledges a lot, you'll be less happy. It's not a photographer's reg.
I greatly appreciate your dedication to a niche topic, truly epic videos for us technical and esthetic collectors. I learned to appreciate a high-performance regulator when I was 14 yrs old over 35 years ago, diving a WW2 minesweeper off Ohau. My dive buddy they paired me with was drunk and unfortunately I had to get him off of me in 110ft of water as he panicked from narcosis and leave him to get help as I was ill-equipped to handle such a situation, fortunately my parents had bought me, at the time, a excellent Beuchat regulator which performed flawless. Years later, I had a Dacor Vyper, and at 60ft, it had almost no flow when looking up. Now I understand why it performed like this and appreciate a good reg. I can't imagine the D420 is that bad, but I have a great deal on one I will now pursue. Thanks again, Doc. I am a registered nurse and would have loved to becomes a CRNA as I am fascinated with respirator gear for whatever reason and would like to hear in your next video about your career and if your in depth knowledge of respirator engineering has helped in being a anesthesiologists.
Your answer is probably here: Post in thread 'The New Atomic TFX' scubaboard.com/community/threads/the-new-atomic-tfx.633888/post-10116018 This discussion covered the TFX from start to finish. The short answer is no. The Z2/B2/T3 is a great regulator design. From a safety standpoint, they perform extremely well. But the TFX is SO smooth, and the coaxial exhaust valve allows all-position easy breathing. The Z2 will stiffen up noticeably if you look up at a critter under a ledge.
Just moved the shop to a new and better video location. That has set things back a few months. But yes, it's still in the works. I have a diver friend in Australia ginning up some cutaway diagrams for us that will be just awesome. Thanks for your interest!
Thanks for a great video, excellent education. Keep them coming and love the length, can sit back, have a meal, fall asleep wake up and still more to go. I love it. Thanks Doc you cured my regulator geek itch and insomnia all in one video remarkable.😊
Awesome presentation and discussion - couldn’t catch this live but thanks for your efforts! I’m loving my TFX so far!
Glad to hear you're liking your TFX. It's sure looking like the best that's come along in a long time.
Are you happy so far with your swivel hose assembly? Of course, haters on the internet curse it. I'm looking at purchasing the B3 setup.
Complicated answer. The Atomic swivel is the lightest and best engineered on the market. But the stock hose is too long for me. I cut mine shorter and added an Omni-Swivel male end to pull the excess out of the slipstream. Of course, that just makes the expensive toy even more expensive, but hey - it's what we do, right? Now it's perfect. They apparently don't make custom length hoses any more.
On the downside, there is no stem oring like a traditional hose. So you HAVE to make sure it's tight to the reg barrel so that 2-015 o-ring seals the hose to the second stage. Zero loosening allowed.
Fantastic video. Thank you for putting so much effort and time into these.
Great video. Thank you for putting so much effort and time into these. I always enjoy your videos!
Hi Robert. My first instructor here in Sweden was one of the first retailers of Scubapro. So ofcourse Ive used the 109, the balanced adjustable, and my choice when it was time to retire my old AGA divator I choosed D400. I loved it but when it was stolen the D400 was off the market. Then I went with S600. The S600 is on my 40cf stage while mine main is the A700.
It would be interesting to se a comparasion between a newer design instead of the old G250/260. My subjective opinion is that the A700 is a lot smoother and closer to my old D400 then I ever been. But I I heavnt seen the numbers.
Do you think you could bring the A700 next time? (Not the carbon freakshow, just the plain shiny steel?) I would really apprecitet that.
Thanks for intresting hours on youtube!
Iam looking forward to hear when you have tried the TFX. Would be fantastic to hear a compare betw TFX and A700. The price on the TFX are to high for me, but maybe when its on the 2nd hand market.
Great video
Ok, so now I have been reading a lot on scubaboard! I guess you wont have the A700 on an evening discussoon 😂
I must say, I would buy the TFC right now, but its too pricy for me. When the x650 arrived i bought it because i thought it was a new d400....😢 i was a fool - it was the biggest dissapointment since d400 left the market.
So, when youre done with the tfc - i can buy it for speacial price? 😅
Have a food one, iam.looking foorward to next youtubesession!!
Yep 2800 after taxes WOW😮😮😢😢.
Any new long form, hope your ok it's been some time.
Hi Robert,
Thanks you for the huge amount of knowledge you give us and all the work you put in to it.
How will the old Poseidon Cyklon downstream comperes to all those regs that you tested, I still see it in use with a lot of the cave and deep divers specially old school guys.
Thanks.
Funny you should ask! Regulator Geeks #5 will be on the Poseidon series of regulators! We've been working on graphics for the video for awhile now, and they're certainly unique regs.
But when the TFX appeared, it was such a welcome surprise that we put the Poseidon evening on hold to discuss the new guy on the block.
Expect a Poseidon evening in the next few months!
Do you ever think the Center balance design will gain more popularity? I know atomic aquatics has released their new regulator, but after taxes it’s pushing $3000, relegating most of us to merely window shoppers. Is it expensive because of the engineering, or is it expensive because it can be?
That's a great question! The center balanced community was much larger back in the D300, 350, 400 days. It's a superb regulator that still has a following. A few of us still have parts.
But it always was finicky to service, and most of the techs who understand the design are long gone.
And there's the dilemma... Atomic has been a quality niche provider that caters to those that want the very best (and can pay for it). They made a marketing choice to start at the top of the line, price-wise, instead of inching up the way Scubapro has with its various Mk25/S620Ti offerings.
The TFX is truly spectacular. But I expect it will be two years before Atomic introduces a "Z-version" like they did with their superb regs Z1, Z2, Z3. Once they do, we'll see if the enthusiasm from the titanium community bleeds over to the general market. I'd like to see that yesterday, it's such a great reg. But the bean counters are probably calculating exactly when the income stream will start to tail off before they release a value version. But hang in there - it'll be worth the wait. And since it's so much easier to service than the D-series, the LDS' may give you back a nicely tuned reg.
Anything coming soon ?😊
theres always something that holds center balance from being mainstream.
I agree and even with the TFX it's cost alone has made it only accessible to a select few or someone that makes a living underwater. I'm wondering with the advent of AI in the future when will the first chip end up in a SCUBA reg to regulate flow or collect performance data.
If you already own a c370 g250, 109, 157, Hog zenith, and Kraken, would there be any advantage to buying a D420? Unfortunately, the Atomic TFX is out of range for me.
With all those second stages, you've evidently got an appreciation for the subtleties. Since the D420 can now be had for a bargain, I'd say give it a try. It's reputation has suffered a little because of how stiff it becomes when you look up. But in the standard diving position, the D420 breathes like a dream, and exhalation work of breathing is the best in the world.
But if you look up under coral ledges a lot, you'll be less happy. It's not a photographer's reg.
I greatly appreciate your dedication to a niche topic, truly epic videos for us technical and esthetic collectors. I learned to appreciate a high-performance regulator when I was 14 yrs old over 35 years ago, diving a WW2 minesweeper off Ohau. My dive buddy they paired me with was drunk and unfortunately I had to get him off of me in 110ft of water as he panicked from narcosis and leave him to get help as I was ill-equipped to handle such a situation, fortunately my parents had bought me, at the time, a excellent Beuchat regulator which performed flawless. Years later, I had a Dacor Vyper, and at 60ft, it had almost no flow when looking up. Now I understand why it performed like this and appreciate a good reg. I can't imagine the D420 is that bad, but I have a great deal on one I will now pursue. Thanks again, Doc. I am a registered nurse and would have loved to becomes a CRNA as I am fascinated with respirator gear for whatever reason and would like to hear in your next video about your career and if your in depth knowledge of respirator engineering has helped in being a anesthesiologists.
The question is, is it really worth 2600.00😮
No disrespect... is there a difference between the breathing capacity Z2/ZE and the TFX regulator courteous?
Kind regards
Mark
Your answer is probably here:
Post in thread 'The New Atomic TFX' scubaboard.com/community/threads/the-new-atomic-tfx.633888/post-10116018
This discussion covered the TFX from start to finish.
The short answer is no. The Z2/B2/T3 is a great regulator design. From a safety standpoint, they perform extremely well.
But the TFX is SO smooth, and the coaxial exhaust valve allows all-position easy breathing. The Z2 will stiffen up noticeably if you look up at a critter under a ledge.
Any new videos coming Doc. Posideon??
Just moved the shop to a new and better video location. That has set things back a few months. But yes, it's still in the works. I have a diver friend in Australia ginning up some cutaway diagrams for us that will be just awesome. Thanks for your interest!
Great, can't wait.