Posted by Deb Karimoto on April 11, 2005 at 10:17:16:
In Reply to: Equipment posted by DougD on April 10, 2005 at 11:16:36:
I recently bought an Atomic B-2 and transferred my Mares V-16 to a pony bottle set-up. I really like the B-2, although it has not been through many dives yet. Only 14, and 11 of those were in warm water.
Anyway, funny (and admittedly self-deprecating) story:
My Mares reg has no adjustment knob. You just dive it. My new Atomic B-2 regulator has a rapid adjustment knob on the 2nd stage. When we went to Hawaii recently I had been out of the water for awhile due to LASIK surgery. As a result, I was VERY nervous about whether I'd remember how to take UW pix after all that time. I didn't want to waste any of my Hawaii photo ops on forgotten skills.
Well... Due to Photo Op Anxiety I completely forgot to open the rapid adjustment knob until the last 3 dives in Hawaii. Ironically, I'd wondered why my dive times were so poor for warmer water but didn't analyse why. I just assumed it was due to excitement about the new surroundings. DUH.
If you switch to a reg with an adjustment knob, remember my oversight (aka stupidity) and hopefully you won't make the same mistake that I did!
ALSO: the Atomic owner's manual recommends the optional environmental seal kit (aka anti-freeze kit) if you'll be diving in water under 50 degrees. Some shops will provide it for no extra charge. Others think it's unnecessary. You decide! I insisted upon it for a variety of reasons.
AND: I love the swivel on the B-2 2nd stage!!! That, and the lightweight design was what attracted me most to the Atomic. I learned later that Scuba Pro has an optional swivel upgrade available on their regs.
Let us know what you decided upon and why!
Debbie Karimoto
OC Divebums