Argon first stage kits

[Jack Hammer]

really argon is a pretty useless inflation gas anyway, but yes, any regulator will work just fine. Just fill the thing with air or nitrox, the cost/hassle of argon for the negligible benefit is just not worth it.
Use whatever you can get a stupid good price on or if you have a regulator sitting in a box somewhere, it'll work just fine as well

I agree with the sentiment fully. Just want to add unless you are doing very long dives or diving in very cold water, especially long dives in near freezing water, then Argon may be beneficial. I've got less hassle and more warmth in those scenarios just using air and a good heated vest.

 

[tbone1004]

I agree with the sentiment fully. Just want to add unless you are doing very long dives or diving in very cold water, especially long dives in near freezing water, then Argon may be beneficial. I've got less hassle and more warmth in those scenarios just using air and a good heated vest.

it is scientifically beneficial, however you need to do a full suit flush with it and keep a good bit of the suit inflated to get any real benefit from it. That means inflating yourself to look like the michelin man at the surface at least twice to purge it out and that's ridiculous. Use air, and if you're that concerned, then a heated vest really isn't that big of an investment but it is has infinitely better results

 

[Ouvea]

Any inexpensive first stage will work. I have to say at north of $170.00, the Highland kit is quite expensive. It definitely is smaller than an MK2, MR12, Conshelf or even the unit sold by Dive Gear Express. The Dive Rite model looks similar and is $60-$70 than the Highland model. I did buy a Highland unit when I started out but looking at the other offerings on the market, I must have been out of my mind....

After diving in 48F for an hour, even with 400gm thinsulate, the heated vest is looking very appealing.

 

[Ouvea]

Vlad:

You're pumping Argon through it, not breathing from this regulator. Either will work. In truth, both first stages look quite similar, if not identical, apart from the finish. I would not spend $180 + tax for the Highland Unit. I believe you can get the Dive Rite model from Dive Gear Express for $110, and their own in-house brand for $90.00. Yes, I have the Highland and the Dive Gear Express model. Can't tell a difference and both work well, although the Highland is slightly more compact. You decide if it the price difference is worth it, to me it's a resounding no.

 

[JMBL]

Any inexpensive first stage will work. I have to say at north of $170.00, the Highland kit is quite expensive. It definitely is smaller than an MK2, MR12, Conshelf or even the unit sold by Dive Gear Express. The Dive Rite model looks similar and is $60-$70 than the Highland model. I did buy a Highland unit when I started out but looking at the other offerings on the market, I must have been out of my mind....

After diving in 48F for an hour, even with 400gm thinsulate, the heated vest is looking very appealing.

Got the Highland kit because it was less bulky than my old Mk10, which by the way conked out a bit later. Business can be funny : I bought the Hihgland kit in the end, because it was the cheapest one I could find on that side of the pond...

 

[leadduck]

it is scientifically beneficial, however you need to do a full suit flush with it and keep a good bit of the suit inflated to get any real benefit from it. That means inflating yourself to look like the michelin man at the surface at least twice to purge it out and that's ridiculous. Use air, and if you're that concerned, then a heated vest really isn't that big of an investment but it is has infinitely better results

I think at sufficient depth water pressure compresses the remaining air anyway and your drysuit will be full of argon without flushing. Else, agreed, seems the physical property of 3x better isolation by argon vs air pays off only for long dives. See also Argon used as dry suit insulation gas for cold-water diving (no significant difference for a 1h dive in 13°C water) but note that these tests were done for rather short dives (1h) in rather warm water (13°C). It will make a difference for ice diving.

 

[Tassi Devil Diver]

Does anyone know if the IP can be increased on the Highland suit inflation first stage? I would like to use it to run the drive gas on a booster, but I think the IP is a bit low.

 

[JMBL]

Does anyone know if the IP can be increased on the Highland suit inflation first stage? I would like to use it to run the drive gas on a booster, but I think the IP is a bit low.

No idea. I used it only to inflate my dry suit and my car tires.

 

[DiveGearExpress]

A key difference between the highland, dive rite, and dgx inflation regs is depth compensation or lack thereof. The dgx was specificly selected to include depth compensation so the ambient IP remains constant as the diver descends. The trade off is the DGX has to be slightly larger. The benefit is the flow rate does not diminish as depth increases.