We Buy and Road Test the Atomic Aquatics Titaninium T3 Regulator

Having owned the same set of regulators for the last 15 years which have covered over 2,500 dives I decided I was due a new set. I probably don't need a new set of regs in all honesty, but I do like my gadgets and the Atomic Aquatic Titanium T3 seemed the perfect choice.

Having received a demo by Justin from Atomic, he took a set apart and showed me the individual parts. I am no engineer but I can see and appreciate precision engineering when I see it. The Titanium T3’s are the most expensive set in the Atomic range and all of them are built to the same standard with a few differences between them. What particularly drew me to these were they were light weight, and when I say light I mean under 1kg. In fact when the box arrived I thought it was empty. It also has a turret which allows the first stage to swivel to reduce the amount of pull on the hoses. The second stage also has a titanium ball joint which means that the regulator hose can move with your head, thus reducing the feeling of the reg being pulled out of your mouth.

Most regulators on the market require them to be serviced every 100 dives or every year whichever comes sooner. The Atomic T3’s only need one service every 2 years or 300 hundred dives. I had heard a story about a famous underwater photographer who has owned a set of Atomic Regulators for over 10 years, done thousands of dives and never once had them serviced, with no problems at all. This may well be true and but I would strongly advise against this, insurance companies will do anything to weasel out of a pay out and if you are an Instructor or Divemaster then it goes against the HSE regulations.

When they arrived a I took them for their first dip in Wraysbury in March, meaning that the water was still pretty cold. The regulators performed as I hoped they had. A smooth breathe, little resistance and you could almost forget that you were breathing underwater. I was on a fun dive with my young 10 year old nephew it meant I could concentrate on him rather thinking about my breathing.

Another fact I really liked that there is just one simple nob to turn the resistance up and down, not that I really needed it.

There were no signs that the regs wanted to free flow even when we were chatting on the surface and the reg was dangling free in the water.

My next dive was in Makadi Bay in the Egyptian Red Sea. As we descended I had a reassuring sense that these regulators would never let me down as they performed just as well as in Wraysbury a few days earlier. In fact it is fairly easy to forget that you have a reg in your mouth which means that you can concentrate more on looking at your surroundings.

I am always a fan of invention and gadgets, however many of those introduced in the dive market require lots of adjustments, fiddling with and fussing. The best gadgets in my opinion for diving are simple to use, don’t detract from the dive and are reliable. The Atmoic Aquatic Titanium T3’s certainly tick this box big style!

 The Atomic Aquatics T3 Scuba Regulator is now available through our online dive store.