Attitudes Toward DIR Divers

[boulderjohn]

You're right, a crappy secondary reg that breathes terrible and is full of god knows what will only increase problems and stress for an OOA diver.

Why would you even own such a reg? Why wouldn't you have your alternate serviced to remove "God knows what?"

I haven't been diving for much more than a quarter century, but I have not yet seen a reasonably in-service regulator that won't breathe plenty easy enough to serve for an emergency ascent.

 

[DiveLikeAMuppet]

I did breathe off my MV Octo and while it does work, it just doesn’t inspire confidence.

You realise that your “octo” is there also for you? If you bite off your mouthpiece (that does happen), if your primary starts breathing wet, if someone kicks the reg out of your mouth … if you cannot rely on it you are diving with a single second stage and no backup for YOU, not just for a random instabuddy.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Why would you even own such a reg? Why wouldn't you have your alternate serviced to remove "God knows what?"

I haven't been diving for much more than a quarter century, but I have not yet seen a reasonably in-service regulator that won't breathe plenty easy enough to serve for an emergency ascent.

I DON'T own such a reg, I was just saying that such a reg should never be used. Unfortunately there are some people who have the standard octo donate set up and I have personally seen these types of neglected regs. Usually it's a cheap ass octo second, might even have a wasp nest or two inside, or leftovers from someone's taco tuesday.

 

[boulderjohn]

I DON'T own such a reg, I was just saying that such a reg shouldn't ever be used. Unfortunately there are some people who have the standard octo donate set up and I have personally seen these types of neglected regs. Usually it's a cheap ass octo second, might even have a wasp nest or two inside, or leftovers from someone's taco tuesday.

So your post serves as advice to someone who owns a cheap regulator with a wasp nest or two inside that they should not use that as an alternate?

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

So your post serves as advice to someone who owns a cheap regulator with a wasp nest or two inside that they should not use that as an alternate?

That is correct.

 

[NW Dive Dawg]

I haven't been diving for much more than a quarter century, but I have not yet seen a reasonably in-service regulator that won't breathe plenty easy enough to serve for an emergency ascent.

You haven't been diving for over 25 years! I would never have guessed that!

 

[Cthippo]

Are there still actual low quality, poor breathing regs being made, or is this an issue of some antiques and a lack of service? I have used both fairly expensive (Atomic) and the cheapest (Palantic) as well as old and discontinued (SEAC) regs and they all delivered air. My impression at this point, Subject to further experience is that regs are pretty much a commodity item and all work about the same.

 

[Umuntu]

Are there still actual low quality, poor breathing regs being made, or is this an issue of some antiques and a lack of service? I have used both fairly expensive (Atomic) and the cheapest (Palantic) as well as old and discontinued (SEAC) regs and they all delivered air. My impression at this point, Subject to further experience is that regs are pretty much a commodity item and all work about the same.

There’s a measurable difference in WOB and performance between most scuba brands top of the line “tech” market regulators and their mid-market/ consumer regulators.

This performance downgrade is deliberate by the manufacturers. The production cost is more or less the same, but the markup margins and profitability of the “tech” regulators are significantly higher per item.

The manufacturers are rational economic actors and don’t want to cannibalise their most profitable products with a less expensive product.

For scuba regulators, the most noticeable degrading of performance is with second stages, principally with balanced vs unbalanced. But even with balanced first stages, there are deliberate reductions in functionality, whether that’s by having fewer ports or narrower air channels inside the regulator, while continuing to use common parts between models.

 

[grf88]

There’s a measurable difference in WOB and performance between most scuba brands top of the line “tech” market regulators and their mid-market/ consumer regulators.

This performance downgrade is deliberate by the manufacturers. The production cost is more or less the same, but the markup margins and profitability of the “tech” regulators are significantly higher per item.

The manufacturers are rational economic actors and don’t want to cannibalise their most profitable products with a less expensive product.

For scuba regulators, the most noticeable degrading of performance is with second stages, principally with balanced vs unbalanced. But even with balanced first stages, there are deliberate reductions in functionality, whether that’s by having fewer ports or narrower air channels inside the regulator, while continuing to use common parts between models.

There may be some measurable difference between the lowest model in a range and the top model but you will have a hard time convincing me that there is a noticeable difference in WOB between say an XTX50 and a XTX 200. Maybe part of your job is to push the most expensive models.

 

[flymolo]

There may be some measurable difference between the lowest model in a range and the top model but you will have a hard time convincing me that there is a noticeable difference in WOB between say an XTX50 and a XTX 200. Maybe part of your job is to push the most expensive models.

Yea I had always thought the difference was the amount of chrome on the faceplate and maybe an extra adjustment screw