Regulator Swivels, good or bad??

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Marty Bess

Contributor
Messages
126
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Location
Utah
# of dives
100 - 199
I'm thinking about getting a regulator hose swivel, since I bite down hard unknowingly while diving as a way to keep my regulator straight in my mouth. Otherwise, it wants to push its way out. Like picture kind of shows. Anyway the question is I have read places that they have a tendency of failing, causing a free flow. Is this your option?

Screenshot 2023-12-06 185055.png


Thanks Marty
 
If you are experiencing this issue, my recommendation is to put a 90 or 70 degree elbow between your hose and 2nd stage, and then instead of routing the hose over your shoulder, route it down behind your shoulder and then up from underneath your right arm to your mouth.

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Often when routing the 2nd stage this way, folks will switch to a 40-inch length hose as this is often used as a "primary donate" setup. If you are going to continue to dive with a standard octo donate setup and your current hose is long enough, you should be good to go.

(pictures swiped from google images)
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-Z
 
I've had good luck with this :
 
A slightly longer hose can help. also a hose of softer, more flexible material can help.
The fixed elbow is more reliable than the swivel. The 110-deg elbow is quite nice to use.
 
I have tried swivels and tried a 90 degree elbow. I ended up with and have stuck with a miflex hose that is slightly longer with no swivel or elbow. The 90 degree was comfy. My concern is that donating my primary reg to someone would be awkward with a swivel or elbow, since I prefer to grab my reg by the hose. Perhaps this just takes practice to get used to and is not a big deal.

There's also some nice mouthpieces that help with jaw fatigue. This one is similar to what I use. It is primarily held in with the upper teeth with little to no need to bite down. Makes it very easy to relax one's jaw.
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I use Omniswivel balls, I would not use the swivel hoses though. The balls are quite reliable so long as you actually service them properly, especially the dab of blue loctite on the retaining screw that is usually forgotten about. I have TMJ so I much prefer to have the reg rest in my mouth exactly where I put it and also use the Comfobite style mouthpieces that @Dan G linked and are easily available at @DiveGearExpress That combo is a very comfortable way to go through a long dive and I've tried damned near everything to stay comfortable for multi hour dives and I've found this is the best for me
 
I have tried swivels and tried a 90 degree elbow. I ended up with and have stuck with a miflex hose that is slightly longer with no swivel or elbow. The 90 degree was comfy. My concern is that donating my primary reg to someone would be awkward with a swivel or elbow, since I prefer to grab my reg by the hose. Perhaps this just takes practice to get used to and is not a big deal.

There's also some nice mouthpieces that help with jaw fatigue. This one is similar to what I use. It is primarily held in with the upper teeth with little to no need to bite down. Makes it very easy to relax one's jaw.
View attachment 814458

There was no recommendation for primary donate...it was just referenced as the usual reason folks (including myself) tend to migrate to the underarm reg hose routing.

This discussion thread is about how to relieve the issue the OP is experiencing. Further recommendations/discussions regarding "primary donate" should be made to the OP in direct message (DM) or discussed in a thread of its own.

-Z
 
I’d also recommend the Omni if you go the swivel route since they are serviceable. I think you’ll also get better customer care from DGX if you have an issue.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/

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