Hi guys I just started diving rebreather and I kinda need a bailout reg for bailout and off board dil. I don’t want something really expensive so would Oceanic alpha 7 CDX be an idea option for potential CCR bailout situations during deep dives? Alpha 7 is very cheap it’s 1/3 the price compared to like MK17/G260 or DST/XTX50. How reliable alpha 7 is? Never seen any tec divers using it.
CCR bailout reg
- Thread starter alanchang
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Never heard “cheap” and “rebreather” in the same sentence before. Good luck.
I use the same regs for everything except my drysuit bottle. If I need it I want it to work......
Minion_Diver
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I use apeks for my bailout regs. Same regs I used on OC and I know they will work when I need them to work.
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You should think about your bailout regulators in the same frame of mind that you view your secondary second stage and deco bottle regulators.
With a secondary second stage, many people have similar thinking to yours because it's not used except in emergencies. The conundrum is that in an emergency, that is the regulator that you are switching to in earnest and at that point in the dive the last thing you want is anything other than top of the line performance. Your breathing rate is already likely elevated so you don't want anything that would cause that to be an issue.
With decompression bottles a lot of people will try to factor the same thinking despite the fact that on many decompression dives you will actually spend the same amount of time on the decompression bottle as they would on their primary regulator so why would you want to skimp?
You don't indicate what kind of regulators you are using on your OC regulators, but it is generally recommended to match your OC regulators. That could be using the same regulators and reconfiguring them, or getting matching regulators themselves. This ensures that your bailout performance is the same as your OC performance, makes servicing easier because everything uses the same parts kits/service tech, and makes using the others as a backup much easier. A bit more money up front, but it is well worth the investment in my experience.
missionmtb
Registered
100% agree with @tbone1004 here (besides that I don't subscribe to the matchy matchy), you want your bailout to be a great reg because you're gonna be stressed if (when!) you have to use it.
That said, a great reg is not necessarily an expensive reg. For example (YMMV) I used a HOG D2 and classic and it is one of the best-breathing regs I own. I would look for an apeks knock off like that or something cheap with a good reputation.
I currently use a Poseidon Xstream because it is the best solution for what I want:
1. Breaths like a firehose (in a good way)
2. Stows very neatly on either the bottle or a necklace
3. Can be used upside down or right side up (so I don't have to think when plugging into my buddy's face)
4. It can sometimes be found for significantly less than list (Silent Explorers, varuste, dive inn)
5. It was integrated into the BOV on my first rebreather and was the only thing about it that was reliable and saved my bacon on at least two occassions (mkVI/7). I kept the first stages from that unit which made the xstreams even more affordable.
You probably won't go this route though because even on sale it's above-average on cost to buy and maintain, but... I would be remiss not trying to talk you up
That said, a great reg is not necessarily an expensive reg. For example (YMMV) I used a HOG D2 and classic and it is one of the best-breathing regs I own. I would look for an apeks knock off like that or something cheap with a good reputation.
I currently use a Poseidon Xstream because it is the best solution for what I want:
1. Breaths like a firehose (in a good way)
2. Stows very neatly on either the bottle or a necklace
3. Can be used upside down or right side up (so I don't have to think when plugging into my buddy's face)
4. It can sometimes be found for significantly less than list (Silent Explorers, varuste, dive inn)
5. It was integrated into the BOV on my first rebreather and was the only thing about it that was reliable and saved my bacon on at least two occassions (mkVI/7). I kept the first stages from that unit which made the xstreams even more affordable.
You probably won't go this route though because even on sale it's above-average on cost to buy and maintain, but... I would be remiss not trying to talk you up
What‘s oceanic’s reputation in tech diving? It seems like they don’t have a DIN version and no oxygen kit available. Also I can’t find a blanking plug for oceanic first stage. That will make it problematic to use as O2 and dil 1st stage. Also, the spring inside the oceanic first stage isn’t strong enough to make the IP higher then 230 psi and it makes it impossible to make deep dives over 300ft. I been having trouble to find a solution for this.
What‘s oceanic’s reputation in tech diving? It seems like they don’t have a DIN version and no oxygen kit available. Also I can’t find a blanking plug for oceanic first stage. That will make it problematic to use as O2 and dil 1st stage. Also, the spring inside the oceanic first stage isn’t strong enough to make the IP higher then 230 psi and it makes it impossible to make deep dives over 300ft. I been having trouble to find a solution for this.
My experiences with Oceanic regs have not been positive. I would recommend against using that reg.
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