- Hi, sea fans and welcome back.
In this video, I'm gonna be giving you
a sneak peek of the brand new products
that you can expect to see being released
by British based Apeks Marine Equipment throughout 2021.
Now, throughout the year,
I'll be thoroughly rating and reviewing these bits of kit.
But while we wait to actually get back in the water
after lockdown,
this is a brief overview to wet your appetite.
For those here for the first time, my name's Mark,
I'm the editor-in-chief of the Scuba Diver Media Brand
and welcome to the Scuba Diver YouTube channel.
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Now, let's dive into the video
and see what's coming from Apeks in 2021.
(bright upbeat music)
One of the favorite parts of my job
is getting to play with new equipment.
And generally, manufacturers tend to stagnate a release
of any new ranges across several months.
However, the 2021 Apeks Marine Equipment
is announcing all of this year's new releases today,
the 10th of February.
Now, with locked down,
severely curtailing any diving activities at the moment.
Can't remember the last time
I haven't been wet in the water like this long.
I have not been able to get wet
with any of these new products,
but I thought I'd give you all a sneak peek
of what was coming through 2021.
And then you can tune in again later in the year
once I've been able to get out and about
and dive them when I'll present a full on review.
So Apeks Marine Equipment, the base just an hour or so
north of where I am in Blackburn.
The company has carved out an unrivaled reputation
in the market for its robust
and high-performance range of regulators,
it's selection of purposeful backplate
and wing and sidemount BCDs.
And most recently, its VX1 mask
and RK3 and RK3 HD fins.
Apart from a good metal gray color of VX1,
joining the lineup in 2021,
none of this core equipment is changing.
Where Apeks have branched out, is into accessories.
First up, let's look at the torch range.
It comprises three dive lights,
the Luna mini, Luna, and the Luna Advance.
All three are made right here in the UK.
Let's look at the Luna mini first.
So right off the bat, let's just say
these are all extremely well made torches.
The anodized marine grade aluminum body
feels really nice in your hand,
but it isn't too heavy.
So perfect for its role as a backup torch.
This would easily slot into a BCD pocket
or the pocket on your tech short.
However, despite its impressive size,
it's pumps out a thousand lumens on full power
via its single XP-L2 LED.
and it still gives a burn time of one and a half hours.
Which means it could easily act as a primary dive torch
in warmer waters for poking around in cabins or shipwrecks
or on a night dive.
It's got three power settings.
Medium gives you a three hour run time,
and low six hours.
And you cycle through them via this push button
on the bottom of the torch.
There's also an SOS strobe setting.
Now, it can be recharged in four hours
via this little charging cable.
Handily, it's got a USB connector on the end
so you can use it with any phone charger plug.
And there's also no chance of flooding
Your Luna Mini, it is a fully sealed unit.
You seem to charge it up
by plugging the cable straight into the bottom.
Perfect.
(cable clatters)
The Luna mini is supplied with a zippered protective case,
complete with a lanyard.
And as you can see, it comes in a range
of full eye-catching colors.
Next up is the Luna.
This is designed as a primary dive light.
And a full power can churn out 2,000 lumens
for a two hour run time via its three XP-L2 LEDs.
It gives four hours of medium power
and eight hours on low power.
And the charge time is again four hours.
And it also has an SOS mode.
Now, it's obviously larger than the Luna mini
but it actually still isn't that heavy.
One major difference between the Luna mini and the Luna
is that instead of a color indicator on the back,
it's got a little LED screen to show you the power settings.
So when you turn it on,
it can clearly see how long you got left
at any particular power setting in hours and minutes.
She's very neat.
It's even possible to input three additional
runtime programs into this itself.
Now it comes in a zippered protective case again.
And it comes with this neoprene and webbing Goodman handle
for hands-free operation.
Although you can of course,
just hold it as a standard torch if you wanted to.
(torch clatters)
As with the Luna mini,
it comes with a USB connector for the charging cable.
So no chance of flooding
and that plugs into the bottom exactly the same.
But with this unit,
it comes with a multi-region plug
and it's only available in this gray color.
Rounded out the range is the Luna Advance.
Now, this is at the serious explorer and adventurer
according to Apeks.
And it boasts 3,600 lumens from its six XP-L2 LEDs.
For two hours on full power.
The Luna Advance doesn't simply offer
different power setting,
It's also an industry-first Optimized Mode Selector
which features six preset programs offering a variety
of runtimes and power settings.
So you can choose the power settings
to optimize your runtime, low power,
medium power or high power,
depending on the dive you're gonna be doing.
The longest runtime is a staggering 36 hours.
Again, this has an SOS mode as well.
Now, as with the Luna,
its got the LED display a panel
showing the runtime remaining in hours and minute.
And it comes in a zippered protective case
with its USB charging cable.
(torch clatters)
However, it also has a multi-region plug.
But like the Luna,
it's only available in gray
and it comes with this anodized aluminum Goodman handle
which is actually capable of holding two torches.
Or you could have a torch alongside an action camera.
And interestingly, you can buy this handle separately
to use with the Luna itself
or any other torch from a different manufacturer
with the appropriate attachment.
So that's a really nice piece of kit.
All three Apeks torches utilize
so called Intelligent Thermal Management,
which is basically patented circuitry within the lights,
which reduces the power to the LEDs
if they go beyond the optimum temperature
Keeping the light as efficient as possible
to maximize the output and the battery capacity.
Once the lights have cooled down enough,
the power is automatically restored.
That's a quite a neat feature.
They're all decorated to a hundred meters
and all of them are supplied in plastic free packaging.
So good for the environment.
This is a really nice lineup of dive light.
And I'll be interested to see how they perform on the water.
Many divers already use one or more the Apeks spool range.
These anodized aluminum spools are a thing of beauty.
And as well as looking fabulous, they work really well too.
Now they've been joined by two reels
which ooze the same outstanding aesthetics.
The LifeLine Ascend is the Rolls Royce of DSMB reels.
It has to be said.
And it's constructed from forged and anodized aluminum
and high grip rubber.
Comes in two variants, the 30 meter version
or the 60 meter version.
And the both got high tensile, high visibility liner.
and they can be setup for left or right-handed operation.
The lever to operate the spool.
It's nice and chunky.
There's gonna be no issues pressing
that when you're wearing thick gloves.
Yeah, as to be said, look at the size of that.
There's a stainless steel attachment point
so you can clip it off to a D-ring.
And it has an integrated attachment points here
for putting your DSMB on.
So the whole thing can all be strapped up together
ready for deployment.
(reel clatters)
The LifeLine Guide as a 120 meters of high strength,
high tensile visibility line.
And it's designed to be a user-friendly cave
or wreck diving reel.
Now, like the Ascend, it's made from anodized aluminum
and high grip rubber.
Again, it's got the stainless-steel attachment point
and it can be used left or right handed.
It's also got an oversized locking screw
and winding knob.
which will make it easier when you're using them
with thick gloves in cold water.
And this textured friction plate,
you see that it's got little dots in it.
It will allow you to really manually attention
to the spool when you're laying line.
The Ascend and the Guide come in four colors.
This eye-catching orange color,
which matches the Goodman handle on the Luna Advance torch.
And also purple, gray, and green.
So sure our Apeks of the durability of these reels
that they both come with a lifetime warranty.
That's on the actual reels themselves,
not on the line as you'd expect.
Very nice pieces of kit.
(reel clatters)
Once you have all of the dive kit,
you're gonna need something to cart it all around in.
And Apeks have got you covered with the new bag range.
Now, 90 liter Roller Bag
is as the name suggests, a roller bag
with a 90 liter capacity,
which is more than enough to swallow a full set
of dive kit.
Entries gained into this main compartment.
We have a lots of flap, so it's nice and easy to pack in.
And there's three inner mesh pockets to store smaller items.
And there's also this top dry pocket
that's easy to get into as well.
Now, it's made from this hardwearing,
durable 500D PVC tarpaulin finish.
And it's got compression straps
so you can cinch it down depending on how full it is.
Now, there's a telescopic handle that zippers away
onto the top here, and it's called grab handles.
Top and Bottom, and also on here,
for when you load it in and out your car, for example.
Very neat, really like it.
(roller bag clatters)
Now, alongside that there is this 40 liter roller bag.
This is apparently the right size as a carry on
for most airlines.
Although it looks a little on the large size to me,
but I guess we'll see when I try and fly with it.
It's the perfect size as a weekend bag.
So I can see this getting plenty of use
outside the diving arena.
As effectively, a smaller version of that larger bag.
The same basic design and features.
and it's made from the same tough material.
I like the fact that these bags are quite simple
with the branding.
As you'll know if you've watched
my packing for a dive trip video,
I prefer dry bags that don't shout,
"I contain an expensive dive equipment."
and this certainly fit the bill.
(bag clatters)
- Apeks have also got two neat dry bags
in that range as well.
I like the gray finish of this TPU material.
Very classic.
This 30 liter dry rucksack has a roll top closure
to the main compartment.
And inside that, there's an internal padded laptop sleeve.
There's also an easy to access waterproof pocket
on the front here.
And then these bungees,
ah, so you can a wet towel in at the end of the diving day.
So it's not dripping down your back.
It's got a great vented system
on the straps and across here.
So no matter how warm it is,
wherever you are in the world, this'll let you remain cool.
I think this will be perfect as a dayable bag,
but Apeks also designed this
to be a compact commuting bag for going work.
Remember those days when we actually left the house
to go to work?
The rucksack is accompanied by a small dry bag.
This one's got a roll top closure.
And it's intended to keep your phone in it,
car keys, wallet, and other small, or essentials
safe and dry.
The internal phone pouch lets you drop your phone in here,
and then it pads over this transparent screen.
You can actually use your phone
through the screen when it's in the bag.
So it's totally safe from a wet environment.
It's got this little slot system here
so you can actually mount it on a belt on your hip.
But it also comes with a strap
that you can take off if you want.
Really neat. Nice little set of the bags.
So whatever you wanna do, they've got your sorted.
Apeks already has a range of undersuits and drysuits,
but it's now added to its exposure protection offerings
with this ThermiQ 8/7.
Now, this is described as the ultimate in wetsuit luxury,
as it's made from environmentally friendly materials.
Including rubber tyre and limestone-based neoprene.
Utilizes water-based glues.
And the lining is made from recycled plastic bottle.
The ThermiQ features an eight millimeter core for warmth.
And it's got seven mil on the arms and legs for flexibility.
It's got this liquid sealed seams,
and it's got fused edges on the sleeves and the legs.
As well as on the face seal on the attached hood.
Now that's designed to minimize water entry
and that should keep you warmer for longer.
Now what makes the ThermiQ stand out from the crowd
is this innovative semi-dry chest zipper.
And also these cargo pockets that are on the thighs.
And they feature internal bungee cords.
They're more like something you'd see on a dry suit.
Now there are male and female versions of the ThermiQ 8/7.
And it comes with a neat carry bag
that actually doubles up and changing up.
And that nifty bag is also available to buy separately.
Now, joining the ThermiQ 8/7 is the Carbon Core range.
Apeks said the these set new standards
in base layer thermal protection.
The ThermiQ Carbon Core tops,
which come in male and female versions,
both long and short sleeve.
They feature triple layer, soft shell fabric,
and then it's combined with this graphene lining.
Now, this acts as a superconductor
regulating skin temperature by transferring heat
from warm spots to cold spots on the body.
Now, they use a design that they can be used
as a standalone thermal rash guard in warm waters.
Or you can use them as an extra layer underneath a dry suit.
Apeks' popular tech shots are back in 2021 as well.
We have a slightly more tailored fit
on the legs and redesigned pockets that are more akin
to those found on the dry suit range.
Now, I'll show you that be more detail,
but Dexter's already stolen them, free summer wear.
You'll just have to wait for my review.
So that's the Apeks range for 2021.
Any of these bits of kit catch your eye?
What's on your shopping list for 2021?
Now, you can leave your comments below
and if you have a question, fire away.
'Cause if we can't answer it,
maybe someone in our community will be able to help you out.
Remember, if you enjoyed this video,
be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel
and don't forget that you can grab
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in the description below.
As always, stay safe.
And if you're one of the very lucky people
who live somewhere where you're able to get out
and dive at the moment, enjoy.
I'm not too jealous, really.
(upbeat music)