zeagle/apeks... whats the connection?

[FyVe]

Did Zeagle, or was Zeagle, once part of Apeks(or vise versa?)?
i ask because i saw on their page when they had the reg trade in offer and it included older zeagle/apeks models.
i've looked online to see if i could find anything, but too many pages came up, and too few had anything to do with this question.

[fireflock]

There was a time when Zeagle regs were rebranded from Apeks. For some time now, Zeagle has designed and manufactured their own regs. They are still similar in design to the Apeks, but with arguable improvements (like the conical seat).

Apeks has since been absorbed by Aqualung, which does not have the best reputation for being customer friendly. Zeagle has a good rep for being responsive.

I hope I got all of that right

Rich

[Mtrewyn]

Originally Posted by fireflock

There was a time when Zeagle regs were rebranded from Apeks. For some time now, Zeagle has designed and manufactured their own regs. They are still similar in design to the Apeks, but with arguable improvements (like the conical seat).

Apeks has since been absorbed by Aqualung, which does not have the best reputation for being customer friendly. Zeagle has a good rep for being responsive.

I hope I got all of that right

Rich

This is how I understood things to be, and by the way Aqualung does have so-so service, but than agin...you can buy them from ST You just have to go to the shop. Right?

[FyVe]

so what it was was that Apeks used to make regs for zeagle before they started making their own? thats all?

thanks for the fast answers guys, that clears up another of my many questions.

[ScubaToys Larry]

Originally Posted by Mtrewyn

This is how I understood things to be, and by the way Aqualung does have so-so service, but than agin...you can buy them from ST You just have to go to the shop. Right?

No... we don't sell their stuff... even in the shop. We used to when it came through zeagle... but now just the stuff with the big Z on it!

[BouzoukiJoe]

Originally Posted by fireflock

There was a time when Zeagle regs were rebranded from Apeks. For some time now, Zeagle has designed and manufactured their own regs. They are still similar in design to the Apeks, but with arguable improvements (like the conical seat).

Apeks has since been absorbed by Aqualung, which does not have the best reputation for being customer friendly. Zeagle has a good rep for being responsive.

I hope I got all of that right

Rich

I think that's right. If I recall, some Zeagles were built at an Apeks factory. I dive and like Apeks regs, but after dealing with trying to get a replacement second stage from one of their dealers, I'm p*ssed at Aqualung. I also had an issue with them sending me a non-DIN first stage and then wanting a restocking fee to replace it. Raping your loyal customers is not a way to foster continued loyalty. I could buy a very good reg for what they want to charge for just a second stage. I bought a DIN conversion kit from Leisure Pro rather than pay the restocking fee.

[FyVe]

Originally Posted by ScubaToys Larry

No... we don't sell their stuff... even in the shop. We used to when it came through zeagle... but now just the stuff with the big Z on it!

any particular reason for that Larry?

[ScubaToys Larry]

Originally Posted by FyVe

No... we don't sell their stuff... even in the shop. We used to when it came through zeagle... but now just the stuff with the big Z on it!

any particular reason for that Larry?[/quote]

From day one, we tried to build our reputation and business on customer service. When one of my vendors has terrible customer service - it makes it very hard for me to make up for their failings. If I can't get a part, or get run arounds and delays... no one wins. So I try to stick with companies that run their companies they way I want to run mine... so Zeagle, Oceanic, Aeris, Tusa, and virtually every other line other than the Scubapro/Uwatec and Aqualung/Apeks/Suunto lines are found in our shop.

[FyVe]

thanks for the fast answers everyone.

[ScottZeagle]

You guys pretty much have the story right...

Basically, Zeagle was the US distributor for Apeks, with the regs sold under the Zeagle brand.

When the folks at Apeks decided to sell out, Zeagle could have bought Apeks...but the logistics of owning a UK based company were just too much to tackle at the time, so Aqualung bought them instead.

Zeagle was then faced with the option of growing another brand of regs, or just building our own...and we decided to take the plunge. We already knew that the Apeks regs were good, but there were a few things that we (and others that used the regs) wanted to see improved, so we put those improvements into our own regulator line....

In a nutshell, that's the story.

We decided to offer the trade in program due to the increasing trouble we had getting parts for the old regs. We didn't want to screw over the long time customers, but getting the parts to service their regs was nearly impossible. Like Larry said, we pride ourselves on customer service, so we had to find a different option...