Hollis 500SE inherently unreliable?

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Kharon

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Location
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I've got a 500SE that let me down big time on a trip I just got back from. Small leak that was not due to high IP nor low cracking pressure. Low number of dives on it and always treated with care. Not a free flow - just a small slow leak.

My LDS says that this model is prone to failure, difficult to service, and is very tempermental.

True or not?

I've got a bucket list trip coming up and am considering going back to my Cressi XS2 which I got when I first started diving. It's been bullet-proof and seriously reliable. Down to 130' at 42°F and not the hint of a problem and breathed very easy. I have a service kit in my save a trip bag and have serviced it myself. It has never let me down.

The only reason I got the 500SE was for the side exhaust. Since I no longer mount a camera on my mask I can live without that feature.

Opinions?????
 
i would agree with your LDS. i have only dived twice with people running the 500se and they always had to carry a full set of backup regs just in case.

if you are the type that owns an alfa romeo that spends more time on a lift than on the road while you daily a honda or toyota, the 500se is the reg for you.

poseidons are more reliable if you want side exhaust.
 
i would agree with your LDS. i have only dived twice with people running the 500se and they always had to carry a full set of backup regs just in case.

if you are the type that owns an alfa romeo that spends more time on a lift than on the road while you daily a honda or toyota, the 500se is the reg for you.

poseidons are more reliable if you want side exhaust.

Can you buy just the 2nd stage?
 
agreed with @runsongas, the 500se's I've seen have all been wonky at some point or another and with the Huish takeover, I'd be surprised if you see them around for much longer. If you want side exhaust, definitely get Poseidons. You can purchase the second stages separately, but you have got to make sure you know what you're doing to tune them to your first stage since they like a lower IP.
 
I just tend to assume that anything made by Hollis is unreliable and will prematurely fail. Except F1 fins. It's hard to screw up a set of rubber fins.
 
their wings and plates are ok, just not really well priced at retail. the neotek semidry has some fans too.
 
Hate to buck the trend, but I really enjoyed my 500SE. Dived Grand Cayman a few months back and it never turned a hair over 25 dives with only a rinse each evening. Dry breather, lower profile than my Poseidons. I service it myself, and I agree - with the Huish purchase, Hollis may be headed for the exit. But the 500SE is a real step up from the old Omega 2, which was wet and flimsy.
20190314_201403.jpg
The valve disc is a thick, heavy item with a very thin edge. If it gets dinged on installation, it'll cause exactly what you've described. That is the ONLY delicate step in servicing this reg.
So I'd chalk this up to yet one more story about damage by technicians unfamiliar with the subtleties of some products.

I'm sorry you feel that way. Send it to me. I'll see that it's disposed of. :D

I'll be honest, I'm generally with Tom on the value of Poseidons. But there is one feature that is special: the servo valve is downstream, so the reg will freeflow with a first stage IP creep and doesn't need any fancy relief valve. I wish Poseidon incorporated Hollis' servo...
 
So I'd chalk this up to yet one more story about damage by technicians unfamiliar with the subtleties of some products.

I'll be honest, I'm generally with Tom on the value of Poseidons. But there is one feature that is special: the servo valve is downstream, so the reg will freeflow with a first stage IP creep and doesn't need any fancy relief valve. I wish Poseidon incorporated Hollis' servo...

Not a tech problem as it was new from the factory and hasn't been touched.

Sounds like the Poseidon is finicky too. Guess I'll stick with my reliable Cressi. Simple, bomb proof, and reliable.

Anyone want to buy a 500SE cheap that probably needs a service?
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

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