DogDiver
Contributor
I agree with her. Museum pieces hang them on the wall. Or use as paper weights.
Neighbor Gave Me a BC and Reg, LDS Says Toss 'Em
- Thread starter Rico R.
- Start date
Please register or login
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
- Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
- A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
- You can make this box go away
foolish....
MaxTorque
Contributor
For messing around in a shallow pool, getting your first experience of head under, then i see nothing wrong with the BCD (As long as it holds air as suggested and the buckles and straps aren't damaged and do-up ok etc) It might be too small, but really that doesn't matter right now, for just inital practice a BDC is a BDC really 
In a pool before and during your course, i don't think really one should get too hung up on what you use, as long as it is practical and safe, and it fits well enough you can control your basic buoyancy enough to get a start
Reg wise, that's potentially as mentioned a collectable set. I'd probably try and sell it, and buy something a little more modern for my actual diving. I suspect for what you could sell that classic SP for, you could probably buy a modern SP set like a 190 or similar. Good, robust, simple, and easy to maintain and not too finiky about how you look after it, ie perfect for begineers!
In a pool before and during your course, i don't think really one should get too hung up on what you use, as long as it is practical and safe, and it fits well enough you can control your basic buoyancy enough to get a start
Reg wise, that's potentially as mentioned a collectable set. I'd probably try and sell it, and buy something a little more modern for my actual diving. I suspect for what you could sell that classic SP for, you could probably buy a modern SP set like a 190 or similar. Good, robust, simple, and easy to maintain and not too finiky about how you look after it, ie perfect for begineers!
the second stage is great, the bcd is what I would call 'useable'. By which I'm trying to say you should probably replace as soon as your budget properly allows it, but it could work for the time being. I dive 109's exclusively to 130 feet no issues for over 200 dives now.
The first stage is an mk1 and has some collector value. But it's basically a turretless mk5 and uses the same size piston iirc.
It does work and is easy to service.
If you do want to fancy up the setup, I suggest getting an mk5 or mk10 first stage somewhere second hand and combine those two.
Kits are readily available and in theory you should be able to find a dive shop that is willing to service those for you, unless they're trying to make a buck out of you. On fleabay you can find both the mk5 and mk10 between 30 to 80 dollars.
The 109 WILL breathe better than any 195 on the planet if properly tuned with modern parts.
But you could also sell the mk1+109 combo for around 70-80 dollars (I might be misestimating the US market) and put that into a modern reg.
The first stage is an mk1 and has some collector value. But it's basically a turretless mk5 and uses the same size piston iirc.
It does work and is easy to service.
If you do want to fancy up the setup, I suggest getting an mk5 or mk10 first stage somewhere second hand and combine those two.
Kits are readily available and in theory you should be able to find a dive shop that is willing to service those for you, unless they're trying to make a buck out of you. On fleabay you can find both the mk5 and mk10 between 30 to 80 dollars.
The 109 WILL breathe better than any 195 on the planet if properly tuned with modern parts.
But you could also sell the mk1+109 combo for around 70-80 dollars (I might be misestimating the US market) and put that into a modern reg.
OP
Rico R.
Registered
I think the pictures might be a bit deceiving. The chrome is pretty scratched, there’s some mild corrosion, but the whole setup is in pretty decent shape. I don’t think it’s been used in a very long time.
But hey, I’m not married to the thing. Like I said, I just wanna float around in my pool. If anyone is really interested, PM me!
But hey, I’m not married to the thing. Like I said, I just wanna float around in my pool. If anyone is really interested, PM me!
OP
Rico R.
Registered
I can’t be positive that first second-stage I tried was a 109, but it sure breathed easy. I like the “idea” of using vintage equipment, and I already have this. I hear nothing but praise about SP and their parts/service life. After reading these replies, I’m leaning more towards the option of offloading the Mk1 and getting a Mk5 or Mk10. With the parts availability, it seems like an interesting project.
Pm sent....
undrwater
Contributor
Rob9876
Contributor
GJC
Contributor
That totally depends on what your definition of "safe" is.
That regulator was designed and manufactured when there were no (or very few) 3000 psi tanks. It was designed for low pressure steel tanks at around 2250 psi (a little more for tanks with the "+" stamp).
The internal parts of the regulator will withstand 3000 psi and operate without any problem. It's the yoke that can possible flex and potentially totally fail. I have never heard of a yoke that broke apart but there may be a few instances of that happening in the past. What is more likely to happen is that the yoke will flex a little under pressure causing the tank o ring to leak or extrude (especially if it's on a rental tank and not in the best shape). You can replace that yoke with a stronger one designed for higher pressure if you are willing to spend the time and expense of finding one.
Similar threads
