Do I have the wrong Reg? SherwoodMaximus

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IceBergSlim

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Scuba Instructor
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Hello all. I was that the LDS today and the reg topic came up. I dive with a Sherwood Maximus and was told today that they are "not always reliable at depth" (I assume below 130'-where I do not plan to tread for a few more years ) I trust these people a great deal and am sure they were not just trying to sell me a new item. But, I do ask: Has there been a problem with this Reg? I do know that I was a bit put off by the recall. I had no problem with the recall per-sey, its just that I was annoyed that I had to find out about it myself. (Sherwood made no atempt to contact me about this potentialy dangerous malfuntion) So I do ask what is the history of this piece of gear? I should state that I am a somewhat new diver but quality gear is very important to me. I'm in this for the long haul! I dive in the tropics as well as in the NY/Long Island area. I plan on doing a bunch more local wrecks this summer and I was wondering if I have to change my reg. Any thoughts would be welcome. Thanks, DG
 
No, I found about the recall by a random check of the Sherwood website. The LDS in question did not sell me this reg and I am sure that they were not trying to make a sale. They are a quality outfit and I know that they have my safety and enjoyment in total forefronts of their minds.
 
If your Maximus is not part of the recall, then you should be fine. I use Sherwood regs older than the Maximus and I have not had any problems. BUT Sherwood Regs are NOT known for easy breathing, and that could be what your LDS is referring too.
 
I use a Maximus and am very happy with it. My $.02 for the day.
 
I have heard about it not being a great deep regulator, but it was from somebody the #1 did not dive Sherwood and #2 could not show me documentation about what he said.

I dive and really like my Maximus. I have the older 3600 and a newer 5600 along with an Oasis.
We did a test of sorts.....two divers at 90 feet trying to over breath the reg without hyperventilating. My buddy signaled that he was not 100% satisfied with the performance of the octo. It was a viper and it was not plugged into a "Primary" port. We traded and I also agreed that if was a little stiff and slow compared to the Sherwoods. Granted that I have not gotten that octo tuned to the first stage so the list of reasons for the reg to not perform goes on and on.
We were not in panicked situations or heavily tasked and only at 90 feet but I give the reg a thumbs up.
 
Yes, my maxumus was part of the recall. ( Had it put right by my LDS). I stated earlier that I was put off that Sherwood did not atempt to find me and tell me that the reg was faulty. That lack of attention could have been a problem for me if I had not done the research myself. Scuba Manufactures should spend some time keeping track of the faulty gear that they have sold . All that aside I do return to my basic question: Is this a good reg for northeast diving?
 
David Gallo once bubbled...
Hello all. I was that the LDS today and the reg topic came up. I dive with a Sherwood Maximus and was told today that they are "not always reliable at depth" (I assume below 130'-where I do not plan to tread for a few more years ) I trust these people a great deal and am sure they were not just trying to sell me a new item. But, I do ask: Has there been a problem with this Reg? I do know that I was a bit put off by the recall. I had no problem with the recall per-sey, its just that I was annoyed that I had to find out about it myself. (Sherwood made no atempt to contact me about this potentialy dangerous malfuntion) So I do ask what is the history of this piece of gear? I should state that I am a somewhat new diver but quality gear is very important to me. I'm in this for the long haul! I dive in the tropics as well as in the NY/Long Island area. I plan on doing a bunch more local wrecks this summer and I was wondering if I have to change my reg. Any thoughts would be welcome. Thanks, DG

There's a recall on the 2nd stage of this reg. It has to do with a part inside the resistance adjuster that can potentially break when you turn it, causing a free flow. You can take it to your Sherwood dealer and they'll replace the part with a metal part that solves the problem. You can also visit the Sherwood website and see a list of serial numbers of affected regs.

As for reliability I would challenge your LDS to come up with one concrete example of a Sherwood regulator (of any sort) acting "unreliably" at any depth. Ask for details (unreliable in what way?), cases (apart from the 2 examples that resulted in the Maximus recall), websites, reviews, magazine articles, incident reports and so on. I can almost guarantee you that they won't be able to produce any evidence except some sort of vague anicdotal stories with no basis in fact. It's not for nothing that Sherwood regs are mainstays of rental inventories all over the world. They're virtually bulletproof.

This sounds like a classic case of your LDS planting a thought that will grow into a new purchase.....

......but..... that's not to say that there aren't better regs on the market. By better I mean drier and with a lower work of breathing, especially as you go deeper (is this what your LDS meant?). I'm also not a fan of the "single adjustment" of the 2nd stage but that's an issue for the person who has to service your reg and as a user you shouldn't have to be concerned with this.

I used my Sherwood Maximus as a primary reg for several years but I now use it as an octopus (I have a two reg system). My primary reg is something else that breathes a little easier and a little drier but I have a lot of confidence in the Sherwood.

R..
 
As long as you are confident that your LDS made the recall repair correctly, I would not worry. There is no reason to be concerned about the reliability of these regulators - they are generally well designed and constructed. OTTH, as others have pointed out, they are not generally considered to offer the highest performance. If you're regularly diving below 75 feet or so, I would consider another reg, and there are many good ones out there.
 

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