Time to Test

On a sun-splashed Southern California morning last April the ScubaLab test team, aboard Body Glove’s dive boat Disappearance, skirted the eastern coastline of Santa Monica Bay, headed for the rocky cliffs of the Palos Verdes Peninsula. Skipper Bob Meistrell eased his 64-foot vessel into a quiet spot on the edge of a massive kelp bed and dropped anchor on a sandy bottom in 40 feet of green water. The test team, comprised of six divers and one test coordinator, got ready to hit the water with this year’s new crop of regulators. There were 14 in all, running the gamut from economy to money’s-no-object. This was judgment day — the final of three test stages — and we couldn’t have asked for a better one. When all was said and done, we found what we were looking for — the year’s best breathers.

Atomic Aquatics T2x

Features

Atomic’s venerable T2 is no more, but taking its place is the more nitrox friendly T2x. This solid-billet-titanium super breather comes with a factory-sealed first stage and a low-pressure port swivel turret. The second stage even sports titanium Comfort Swivel (which we loved). It also has a seat-saving orifice and uses Atomic’s Automatic Flow Control, a depth-activated venturi control. Work of breathing barely changes from a moderate breathing rate at 20 feet to a heavy breathing rate at 200 feet, and in the ocean the T2x provided smooth, dry performance in all positions, along with minimal bubble interference and a powerful purge.

Specifications

Bottom Line

The T2x is the Rolls Royce of regs, with top-drawer performance, exotic metalwork and lots of cool features.