doube hose

[Luis H]

I really liked my Royal Aquamaster...Someday I'm going to get it overhauled and put it back in service, hey who needs an SPG and BC.

No one really "needs it", but if you wanted you can just use a banjo fitting for the SPG and even a hookah adapter for a BC or Octopus (or both with a T adapter):

http://www.vintagedoublehose.com/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=6_17


Yeah...you should service it (or have it serviced) and dive it.


If you want to have it serviced here is a link:
http://www.vintagedoublehose.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=8

I do my own regulator work, but Bryan has a great reputation.

If you want to do it yourself you will also find service kits and other parts in that web site.

Good luck and have fun!

 

[DA Aquamaster]

Personally I got a good deal on a used Aquamaster ($100) in good overall condition with no dents in the cans, had it rechromed ($115) added new hoses and mouthpiece ($70), a silicone diaphragm ($40), a new duckbill ($15.00), a DA Aquamaster service kit ($25) and added a Pheonix conversion. ($185). I also got fancy with mine and added custom Pheonix Aquamaster labels to the case and yoke screw ($90) to compliment the new chrome bringing the total cost to $555. That is a $200-$250 more than what a new Mistral will go for on e-bay. However the result was a "new" 1956/2006 Pheonix Aquamaster that is a far better double hose regulator. Cost wise if you skip the chroming and labels you could save $200 bringing you back to the Mistral price range. If you can find an Aquamaster at a garage sale for $25, it gets even less expensive.

The extra HP and LP ports on the Pheonix conversion are very nice to have and allow the use of an octopus, an inflator, a dry suit hose, a high pressure SPG hose, and even a remote SPG transmitter if you want one. The HP ports are however 3/8" so you will need a suitable adpater to use 7/16" HP hoses in the 3/8" ports. This will cost about $7 and is available through your LDS from Trident (part number AA51).

In either case, the work of breathing with a double hose reg will be a higher than with a single hose reg in some positons and how it is positoned on you is much more critical so it takes some getting used to. Rolling to the left to clear the exhaust hose is not required but is still a useful skill as occassionally some water finds its way past the mushroom valve in the mouthpiece where it can be an annoyance that you want to get rid of.

The older straight and curved USD double hose mouthpieces look uncomfortable but they really aren't. You need to adjust how they sit in the hoses so that they point in the right direction and are not twisted one way or the other, but once that is done, the hoses themselves basically hold the mouthpiece in your mouth with very little jaw effort required. I have used mine on dives over an hour in lenght with up to 4 dives per day with no jaw fatigue.

 

[dbg40]

I just got another round label DA back from the chromers this morning, one of Jerry's new labels is on the way, the hoses and mouthpiece were like new, so no cost there... A complete refurbish, and I end up with a new reg for about 275.00 including the cost of the beat up DA, that now looks better than new!

 

[Nemrod]

DA Aqua Master is exactly right, no jaw fatigue is one of the advantages of the "real deal" Aqua Masters. Once set up correctly the weight of the mouthpiece in your mouth is virtually zero and the hoses keep it there nicely resulting in no jaw fatigue. Single hose regulators give me a headache sometimes from having to clench on the mouthpiece and thanks long ago to a drunk driver my teeth are sensitive to having anything pulling on them.

N

 

[SwimJim]

I pinched a nerve in my back putting me in dry dock. Haven't been on this site in a coons age. Great thread. I do not own, but have used, the new "Mistral". The mouth piece reminds me of when I had braces many moons ago. I found it uncomfortable. My original 1964 Mistral is a far superior reg in both comfort and performance. Even my Heathways Scuba Deluxe, made about 1960, comes close to matching the performance of the new Mistral. I have one particular DA Aquamaster that seems to out perform all. Why? I haven't a clue. I've rebuilt them all the same way. Same rebuild kits, same silicone diaphram, everything. It even breaths as well as my Phoenix and thats a sweet reg too. In the end, go original. Have it rebuilt, if your not comfortable doing it your self and start shallow. It is a different feel, which personally I enjoy, even if its not for everyone. Dive safe!

Jim

 

[Nemrod]

A well known lady on this board said when she tried her husbands DA that she hated the mouthpiece. Double hose mouthpieces don't have all the fancy comfo-bites and all that but because the hoses are bouyant--just enough--- to support the mouthpiece there is no need to clench down on the mouthpiece like one would with a single hose regulator. You just allow it to rest naturally inside the lips. I find them very comfortable but of course there are those who probably will not.

There was an "argument", :O , over mouthpiece volume and flow reisstence sometime back. All sorts of measurements were taken, I guess we all had different rulers because I measured my double hose mouthpieces as being at least marginally greater in total volume--therefore larger. I don't think they were ever offered in "sizes" as todays mouthpieces are.

A recent conversation with a friend revealed a mutual thought on the new Mistral and single hose regulators, the mouthpiece design results in the body of the mouthpiece/or single hose second stage, being quite extended in front of you, so much so it can block downward vision. While this has never been a concern with me, the traditional Aqua Master (curved or straight) mouthpieces are a lower profile--less mass extended in front of the face, less leverage to pull on your teeth/jaws.

N