No. Please! Let's just let Mike get on with his life!
BC's with "Elevator" Lever
- Thread starter bracdiver
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No. Please! Let's just let Mike get on with his life!
Ok so a lot of you are a little lost on this subject. Dacor and Mares make one called the HUB and AirTrim, Cressi does the same thing and calls it "Flight Control" and AquaLung makes it now. You basically add air by hitting an inflater button that is on your side now instead of on a hose. To release air you press a different button or lever on your side, this sends a quick burst of air to your dump valves to vent air.
Advantage: is you don't necessarily have to break trim to adjust buoyancy.
Disadvantage:
1. You need air to be able to vent air with your primary dump valve, so if you are out of air you will have to use a pull dump, generally on your right shoulder.
2. This over complicates a simple mechanism. It requires more orings and sealing surfaces then a regular inflater.
3. I have seen the lines that deliver the burst of air to the dump valves become clogged, from improper rinsing.
4. The bcd's are more difficult to rinse since you do not have the same large oral inflation mechanism to add a cleaner and fresh water too, also makes it harder to get water out of your bcd.
5. Oral inflation is achieved by pulling out a small hose from the pocket and orally inflating your bcd that way.
Honestly these things have no place, they solved a problem that never really existed.
Advantage: is you don't necessarily have to break trim to adjust buoyancy.
Disadvantage:
1. You need air to be able to vent air with your primary dump valve, so if you are out of air you will have to use a pull dump, generally on your right shoulder.
2. This over complicates a simple mechanism. It requires more orings and sealing surfaces then a regular inflater.
3. I have seen the lines that deliver the burst of air to the dump valves become clogged, from improper rinsing.
4. The bcd's are more difficult to rinse since you do not have the same large oral inflation mechanism to add a cleaner and fresh water too, also makes it harder to get water out of your bcd.
5. Oral inflation is achieved by pulling out a small hose from the pocket and orally inflating your bcd that way.
Honestly these things have no place, they solved a problem that never really existed.
vixtor
Contributor
The Seaquest i3 is not controlled with bursts of air, it is mechanical (push rod). So, regarding the I3 your statements are not correct:
1. You don't need air to vent (and it dumps all valves simultaneously, not just the primary valve).
2. The mechanism is very simple - a steel cable. It is just as you pull all the dump wires of the valves simultaneously, but from the inside not from the outside of the valve. You still have the external dump wire if you want to deflate a specific valve directly.
3. I don't think a steel cable can get clogged
4. To rinse, you unscrew the oral inflator and pour water inside through the shoulder opening - pretty big opening I would say.
5. True - but you can always install a normal hose instead. And you may choose to have both the inflator and the I3 mechanism connected to the regulator for redundant inflating if you cannot really allow the inflator at home
Or you can put the inflator hose just for inflating if again, the shape of the oral inflator matters so much for you.
I can't understand why so many have opinions about the I3 but their objections are not connected to the reality.
1. You don't need air to vent (and it dumps all valves simultaneously, not just the primary valve).
2. The mechanism is very simple - a steel cable. It is just as you pull all the dump wires of the valves simultaneously, but from the inside not from the outside of the valve. You still have the external dump wire if you want to deflate a specific valve directly.
3. I don't think a steel cable can get clogged
4. To rinse, you unscrew the oral inflator and pour water inside through the shoulder opening - pretty big opening I would say.
5. True - but you can always install a normal hose instead. And you may choose to have both the inflator and the I3 mechanism connected to the regulator for redundant inflating if you cannot really allow the inflator at home
Or you can put the inflator hose just for inflating if again, the shape of the oral inflator matters so much for you.I can't understand why so many have opinions about the I3 but their objections are not connected to the reality.
dkatchalov
Contributor
mikeguerrero
Guest
+1, Mike hasn't eaten in days!
You guys are too much... hahaha
geoff3d
Registered
Is the LP connection to the i3 control a standard one? Is it easy to reach / disconnect with one hand?
vixtor
Contributor
The LP connection is standard. It is very easy to disconnect using the left hand (and a little bit more complicated with the right hand). I would say that is easier to disconnect than a normal inflator, because the i3 is fixed (on a normal inflator you need to keep it with one hand in order to disconnect with the other hand).
The difference is that the LP hose is longer, because of the routing. The hose is routed down parallel to the tank (there are some velcro straps on the back of the BCD, near the tank plate). Basically the hose descends parallel to the tank, then it goes under your left pocket to the i3 inflator.
The difference is that the LP hose is longer, because of the routing. The hose is routed down parallel to the tank (there are some velcro straps on the back of the BCD, near the tank plate). Basically the hose descends parallel to the tank, then it goes under your left pocket to the i3 inflator.
DarthWader
Contributor
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could you operate the lever with a closed fist?
(I have my reasons for asking)
(I have my reasons for asking)
vixtor
Contributor
I have just tested. You can easily operate both directions (inflate and deflate) with your left fist.
In my case, I can reach it easily with the right hand, but with the fingers. There's no way I could reach it with my right fist (i just need the extra 10 centimeters of fingers to reach it). But this depends on your arm's length.
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