Apeks Hose Protectors

[Lemonade]

Asking this more out of curiosity, than for any other reason.

I got a longer hose for one my regulators, and the original 1/2” Apeks hose has those nice protectors…

The question is: Have anyone managed to take them off without destroying the hose? Or are they put on at the factory before the hose is assembled?

This question is specific to Apeks due to the size of 1/2” fitting and particularly stiff protectors; I’ve never had a problem removing protectors on other brands.

 

[detroit diver]

Most people don't use the hose protectors because they don't use the 1/2" hose port. The 1/2 inch size is a basta*d size, and if you need to swap it out on a dive trip you will have one heck of a time finding a hose that size.

Although it reduces your useable ports by one, everyone seems to make it work. One option is to get a port reducer. Fifthd.com sells these.

Hose protectors in general are not a good idea because they hide any prolblem that might occur underneath.

 

[Lead_carrier]

detroit diver once bubbled...
Most people don't use the hose protectors because they don't use the 1/2" hose port. The 1/2 inch size is a basta*d size, and if you need to swap it out on a dive trip you will have one heck of a time finding a hose that size.

Although it reduces your useable ports by one, everyone seems to make it work. One option is to get a port reducer. Fifthd.com sells these.

Hose protectors in general are not a good idea because they hide any prolblem that might occur underneath.

I'm not sure where your information comes from but the 1/2" is a different size but I have never had any trouble locating hoses for mine. If you put a port reducer in I'm not sure how it reduces your usable ports by one. If I plug it off, yes.

I disagree that hose protectors are a bad idea. They help take the strain off the weakest point, the joint. IF your equipment is serviced properly then the hose protector is moved to check for problems. Besides the biggest problem I've encountered with hoses are ruptures, which occur whether you have a hose protector or not.

 

[Bob3]

You have to be wayyyy deep before the 1/2" dia hose helps much, where your breathing mix starts to become thick.

If you like the idea of the added insurance of a hose protector, I suggest getting some of the OCEANIC ones. They're considerably smaller and more flexable than your average protector, being made out of rubber instead of vinyl. They're extremely easy to slide out of the way for your pre-dive inspection & post dive rinsing.
Having a hose protector that does not allow you to easily inspect and care for the hose ends can be worse than having no protector at all.

 

[detroit diver]

Lead_carrier once bubbled...


I'm not sure where your information comes from but the 1/2" is a different size but I have never had any trouble locating hoses for mine. If you put a port reducer in I'm not sure how it reduces your usable ports by one. If I plug it off, yes.

I disagree that hose protectors are a bad idea. They help take the strain off the weakest point, the joint. IF your equipment is serviced properly then the hose protector is moved to check for problems. Besides the biggest problem I've encountered with hoses are ruptures, which occur whether you have a hose protector or not.

I didn't say the reducer reduces your ports by one. The port reducer makes a 1/2 inch port into a 3/8 port, so it can be used by standard hoses.

You're lucky to be able to find 1/2" hoses. The other problem is that the 1/2 inch hose is stiffer than the smaller, standard hoses.

If your hoses are routed properly, strain should not be a problem. Covering up a joint is a problem that you might not see until it's too late.

 

[Lead_carrier]

detroit diver once bubbled...

Although it reduces your useable ports by one, everyone seems to make it work. One option is to get a port reducer. Fifthd.com sells these.

Sorry, I guess I misunderstood. The port reducer you mentioned is by far the best option IMHO. Put it in place and leave it, then you only have to worry about standard sizes. I'm not sure were your shop gets their hoses, I'm sure you're very familar with Trident. They carry all sorts of stock sizes and I've had excellent service getting custom built hoses from them.

 

[JeffAustin]

Put a pair of extra hoses in your save a dive kit, and you will never have to be running around trying to borrow a hose from someone before a dive. Whether 1/2 or 3/8" size, you should have your own back up hoses, then the port size isn't a problem. Regarding DIR style hoses available from my LDS(5th D), both the 3/8 &1/2" sizes have about the same flex and availability.

 

[Restart]

How do you actually install the hose-protector, without buying the installation-tool? :06:

 

[bcsean]

As soon as I bought my regs I pulled them off. Dont recall any problem in doing this. They were definitely tight, but they should pull right off if you remove the hose.

I use a reducer as a 1/2" connection is far less common. If I need to replace a hose, I don't want to worry about it not being carried.

 

[jonnythan]

I used some cable snips to cut through my Apeks hose protector.