Equipment Talk

[Tangfish]

This is what we need to do to our Scubapro S600 regs:

[DiverDown]

I dunno that exhaust port looks awfull big.. I own 3 mk/25 s600s And though you cant beat the warrenty. I have had problems with mine starting to free flow at temps around 46df.. :rock:

[sparky]

I thought the exhaust ports looked a little big too but as I dont dive one I could not say it does have a cool Bat Man look to it though

I am still diving my Mares Akraos I have been diving this Reg for better pat of 3 years and have never had it free flow on me or fail to do its job


But I am looking at getting a nother Reg soon I am almost sure I will be getting a Mares Ice I have heard good things a bout this reg and would like to try one out.

Calvin
But What makes you thinkthat you should change your Reg to look like the one in the pic?
are you unhappy with it the way it is ?

I am a firm beliver in
If it,s not broke

:rolleyes:

Dont kix it!





Sparky

[Tangfish]

I just bought an Atomic M1, one of the things I love about it is that the exhaust ports are wider than a normal reg. I get a lot less bubble interference, which is great for shooting photos. The downside is that they go right past my ears so its pretty loud, but a reasonable trade off.

[Dave]

Hey Calvin those are some monster ports!!!!
Have you had any problems with your S600??? I'll be pretty bummed if it starts acting up but so far so good, mine seems to breath really well and I have had it in 46 degrees with no problems at all....as far as the Proton Ice goes, I was really leaning that direction and mwy even end up with one as part of my twins. Everything I have read on them so far has been positive so far....

[Tangfish]

Mine has been totally killer. I've had it in a lot of different conditions and its always performed. You picked a good reg, now all you need is the batman kit for it (shown above).

Anyone else have a favorite regulator?

[Tangfish]

What do you guys think about full face masks? If more than one of us gets one we can get the comm units too!

<img src="http://www.scubadiving.com/images/stori ... 342b.jpg"/>

Article about them here.

[Dave]

Yeah baby!!!! I am thinking these guys are really cool!!!!!!! They would add a whole new dimension to our dives!!! I will definitely have to wait a couples of months before I could seriously consider buying one but that would give us time to do some research (I need to stay married) Really cool with the full face protection from the elements also,,,,, :rr:

[Tangfish]

This thing is interesting. I wonder if other manufacturers make something along these lines.

[Dave]

Petty cool reviews!!!!Now that is a cool piece of equipment!!!!

[lostnbrownsmead]

Full face masks are nice to dive in but they can be difficult to clear when they are flooded. I dive with the Clatsop County Sheriff Dive team. We dive with AGA masks with voice coms via tether to a line tender. We just had our pool training for the year. one of the things you have to do is take the mask off let it flood then put it back on. I found the trick was to put the mask on the top of your head then purge the reg to get most of the water out of the mask then slide it down and push it to your face and purge again to clear the mask. Then you get to see drops of water for a while.
Be aware that this is your mask, if the primary reg fails or you run out of air and you have to use your buddys octo then you have no mask to see thru (unless you bring a spare mask). Sealing of the mask can be a problem also, to tight or loose and it leaks air (makes lots of bubbling noise) I found that looser but not to loose is better. If you dont control the leaks you will use lots of air.
You cant easily squeeze your noise to clear your ear (some masks have a bar to press against your nose) The jaw thrust method works a lot better.

Jay

[Dave]

Interesting points... I am pretty sure that some of them use a normal reg minus the mouthpiece so if you ripped the mouthpiece off of your octo if the need arose you could have an alternate reg and keep your mask??? The fit issues are interesting also, definitely would want to do your homework..... something to think about though,a full face would sure be nice on those chilly dives...

[da_jab]

My regs are Apeks atx-50 with dst first stage and they work brilliant, never had any troubles no matter where I've been.

.Janne

[Tangfish]

Janne, I've heard a lot about Apeks but I've never used one. Are they from the Aqualung familiy of products?

[da_jab]

No, Apeks is a company on it's own making some of the finest products in the industry, really. You know you can also buy Suunto-branded regs, but they are the same as Apeks atx-100.

I used to have Aqualung Cousteau Glacias and liked them a lot but had problems with them starting to freeze on long dives in deep cold waters.

.J

[Tangfish]

According to this page Apeks is owned by Aqua Lung.

Also, I am the proud father of a pair of Twins as of this morning!!! Woohooo, Dave you are going to be almost as happy as I am now that you'll have a buddy to share the long bottom time with. Now, I need info on rebreathers, what brands and price range plus what features to look for. I'm looking to get into a setup sometime this spring/summer.

:rr:

[da_jab]

Well, I don't think that Apeks is owned by Aqualung. Aqualung distributes Apeks equipment in the US, that is a fact.

"Apeks regulators are considered the benchmark standard that other manufacturers strive for in high performance reliability."
nuff said about Apeks :rr:

.J

[da_jab]

Now, I need info on rebreathers, what brands and price range plus what features to look for. I'm looking to get into a setup sometime this spring/summer.

Prices for rebreathers start from about 8000$ a unit and a c-card for the device is about 1000$, so about 10k$ to start diving a rebreather.

RBs are complex devices and can easily get you killed. They are not the same ball game as conventional scuba, not even the same sport.

.J

[Dave]

Congratulations on your new twins Calvin they are AWESOME I could pick them both up with ease with one hand, Cheers!!!!
:wav:

[DiverDown]

A friend of mine teaches semi closed rb class thru padi if you guys are interested i could get you in touch?? I will be taking it in the spring.. dont know if thats the way that i want to go yet. but im sure in the next ten years or so they will be common....

[Tangfish]

Yeah, I think the rebreather is something I won't rush into, I want to take the class and do the research before 'taking the plunge'.

As far as my new twins, I'm wondering if you guys can help me out in understanding the following:

- what kind of backplate should I get, and what considerations go into choosing one? What makes a crappy one compared to a good one, or is it just a matter of preference? Are these types of things just as good to buy used as new, or is there some kind of deterioration or fit involved with getting just the exact right one for your tanks? I have 2 high pressure pressed steel 80's, they're small and tidy (and galvanized, yes, I llke the look).

- the same questions go for the bands, manifold and BCD.

- anything else I haven't thought of asking here? I'm thinking of going with OMS stuff, but I'm open if someone says that so and so brand is way better because of this and that.

thanks in advance for the advice!!

[Dave]

Hey Calvin re: the backplate Diverite was the first company to produce it and the only difference between them is of course composition, SS, Aluminum, or Titanium and that they either come with slots cut for tank bands or they don't.. The only real thing to consider there is do you want weight on your back or do you want to carry it as ditchable and do you want the strap slots or not?, I am leaning toward SS and slots for bands . I think a lot of divers use the backplate with a harness as the backplate acts as the central mounting location for your wing, crotch strap, and what ever else you want to mount to it. I am looking at an OMS deluxe harness and 100# Dual bladder wing. I like the diverite bands and manifold and the OMS sets too. I think they are identical in quality...

[da_jab]

Yeah, I think the rebreather is something I won't rush into, I want to take the class and do the research before 'taking the plunge'.

One good board to read is The Rebreather World.

- what kind of backplate should I get, and what considerations go into choosing one? What makes a crappy one compared to a good one, or is it just a matter of preference?

Get the standard one as discussed in The PLATE question -thread. I really vote for stainles steel plates.

Are these types of things just as good to buy used as new, or is there some kind of deterioration or fit involved with getting just the exact right one for your tanks? I have 2 high pressure pressed steel 80's, they're small and tidy (and galvanized, yes, I llke the look).

- the same questions go for the bands, manifold and BCD.

The plates are ok to buy as used, the only thing that really wears out is the webbing of the harness but it can be replaced easily and cheaply.

One fitting issue is the size of the wing a ~40lbs wing is ok for 80's, mine is 38lbs and I'm having steel tanks, no need to buy a bigger wing than you need.

About valves, preferably with din connectors but the most important thing is that they are the rotating cross bar-types.

The tankbans sold with the double tanks are usually a piece of crap. Better to get a good set of bands, since it is the bands that keep the twinset together, not the manifold. Again lots of choises here: V4tec, Agir, Highland-Millwork. See some good reading about tank bands.

- anything else I haven't thought of asking here? I'm thinking of going with OMS stuff, but I'm open if someone says that so and so brand is way better because of this and that.

The brand does not really matter when looking at this Hoghartian/DIR type of gear, since they are in practise all the same.

Ofcourse when you finally get the gear home you need to set it up and adjust it to fit you. Then take it into water and see how it is, come back adjust a little more, back to water etc etc etc...it's more like a small evolution going on while lot$ of $$$ are flying out of your pockets.

But it's not just the gear itself, you should get more training with this type of stuff and diving in general. One good class to take is the DIR Fundamentals. The fifth dimension in Issaquah gives those classes, too bad they did not have it in their calendar for this month, I'd have taken it for sure.

.Janne

[da_jab]

:hal

The only real thing to consider there is do you want weight on your back or do you want to carry it as ditchable and do you want the strap slots or not?

No, you don't consider it since you don't use ditchable weights when diving doubles. You use a v-weight that goes between the tanks and under the backplate. First you find the amount of weight you need and then adjust your v-weight accordingly, you can even make them yourself.

And believe me guys it is so much nicer to dive without the damned weightbelt and bye bye back ache!

.Janne

[da_jab]

I am leaning toward SS and slots for bands .

The slots on the backplate are for single tank use only, when having doubles you use the tankband bolts to mount the tanks.

I think a lot of divers use the backplate with a harness as the backplate acts as the central mounting location for your wing, crotch strap, and what ever else you want to mount to it.

That is the standard way to do it. And about the d-rings on the harness, you need only four of them, five if you got a scooter.

I am looking at an OMS deluxe harness and 100# Dual bladder wing. I like the diverite bands and manifold and the OMS sets too. I think they are identical in quality...

Don't belive the hype, no point in going deluxe, take just the Continuous Weave Harness Setup it's all you need and will last long. I'd not take a dual bladder wing, I see no point in it since you have your dry suit already acting as your backup "bladder". You should have at least one SMB with you and also a lift bag that all can be used to get bouant. The bladders hardly ever break unless you get biten by a shark or attacked by blood thirsty commandos on a secret underwater misson.

.Janne