Double hose regs

[SwimJim]

Five functoning double hose regulators that I dive, I rarely use modern gear. A Pico Mistral that I have had a very long time and I have dove the hoses off it more than once! I have a very nice DA Aqua Master and three Royal Aqua Masters, two round labels and one square label. One is essentially brand new. My favorites are the Royal Round Labels. My favorite due to personal significance is the Mistral. When I use it things feel right.

Oval masks, UDT fins and a Royal Aqua Master, it just don't get better. In the picture, that is a square label Royal Aqua Master, Dacor oval mask and UDT fins under the water.

My favorite single hose, vintage, are the Voit MR12 types.

My favorite annoy the divemaster regulator--though not vintage --is the Tekna T2100.

Take a stand, burn a BC today!

I cannot wait for the Oriskinay, probably I will not get there for a year yet, I plan to swim through the hanger deck at 160 feet with my Royal Aqua Master!!! It will be a grand day. N[/QUOTE

Let me know when you do the Oriskinay! I may cruise the flight deck with you using my DA on my doubles with my Xstreams for back up. Okay, I'm chicken, Ha. But I think it would be an awesome dive. Maybe we can get a few of the "Vintage" divers to join us. What do you think?

jim

 

[Nemrod]

SwimJim, I am very serious about diving the Oriskany but as I mentioned, it probably is a year away. I have several personal reasons that likely will prevent myself and wife from getting the Whaler down there this summer, mostly two elderly dogs.

BUT, yes, this is a future vintage event in the making, when, I don't know, perhaps a prelude to SDIV.

If we could get a charter out that changes everything but I figure as a realist, the only way out there to dive vintage is in private boats. I really doubt dive charters will go out there with out arm twisting. N

 

[james croft]

I have a Warner DA Aquamaster and a Voit 50 Fathom. I also have a bunch of early Conshelfs, Voit MR12, and a couple of Dacor Darts. Am diving the Aquamaster and some Conshelfs and the MR12. Am going thru the Darts and the Voit. I am getting excited about the vintage gear as I finally realized how cool this stuff is and the support available for it on the internet. Before, I had the gear as a display and had forgotten about using it. I enjoy the comments from folks about it. The next time I go to dive team training I will be using my Aquamaster. Now if I could just find a red stocking cap and a Speedo.

 

[Nemrod]

Ron Boulder (sp) has the red stocking caps and a huge JC collection, the Speedo ought to be easy---lol. N

 

[ClevelandDiver]

Just getting started collecting them myself.

Healthways Scuba Deluxe, Nemrod Snark III and a DA Aquamaster.

So far I have only dove the Healthways. I am eager to put the Snark up against the Aquamaster this summer.

 

[Creed]

Well, I ran across this in a search, and decided to update my entry.
I now have 2 DAs, 1 a shiny chrome Warner, 1 a matte finish Pico. I rebuilt the Pico, and aside from needing some adjustments, it works fine. I ended up repainting the label, and it looks pretty good.
I also have 2 Healthways double hosers. I rebuilt 1, and the other is currently disassembled.

 

[ClevelandDiver]

Well, I ran across this in a search, and decided to update my entry.
I now have 2 DAs, 1 a shiny chrome Warner, 1 a matte finish Pico. I rebuilt the Pico, and aside from needing some adjustments, it works fine. I ended up repainting the label, and it looks pretty good.
I also have 2 Healthways double hosers. I rebuilt 1, and the other is currently disassembled.

Sounds good Creed. Did you get a kit from VDH for the Pico? What kind of adjustment do you think it needs?

As for my updates, I rebuilt all my double hose regs this winter plus picked up another from my LDS for helping them move and found a Voit Trieste online. Rebuilt both of them too and have dove all 5 this year. I must confess, my first double hose, the Healthways, has been very neglected since I picked up all of those 2 stage double hoses.

I really need to stay away from ebay for a while.....

 

[Creed]

Yeah, I bought a rebuild kit and a duckbill from Bryan at VDH. The Pico currently breathes pretty hard(to the point that it doesn't freeflow when I am face up), so I need to adjust it. Given that that was my first double hose rebuild, I was happy that it functioned. I also need to adjust my Healthways, which suffers from the same problem. It actually shudders sometimes when I inhale. And I hear you about ebay. But then again, someone scored a mint DAAM the other day for $35 in a buy it now. With deals like that, I don't feel so bad about checking a handful of searches a few times a day. After all, I got my Pico for $49.

 

[ClevelandDiver]

Yeah, I bought a rebuild kit and a duckbill from Bryan at VDH. The Pico currently breathes pretty hard(to the point that it doesn't freeflow when I am face up), so I need to adjust it. Given that that was my first double hose rebuild, I was happy that it functioned. I also need to adjust my Healthways, which suffers from the same problem. It actually shudders sometimes when I inhale. And I hear you about ebay. But then again, someone scored a mint DAAM the other day for $35 in a buy it now. With deals like that, I don't feel so bad about checking a handful of searches a few times a day. After all, I got my Pico for $49.

$49 for a Pico?!?! Nice job. My ebay DAAM was just over $100 and the first stage parts were corroded together in a clump. A trip to the acid bath fixed that problem. Do you have one of those Octo adapters for the hooka port and an IP gauge? I set the IP on mine to about 110-120 and they breathe great.

One trick I learned about the Healthways is that the needle valve seat in the first (and only) stage can be flipped once in the regs life before needing replaced. It looks like a metal donut with an O-ring around it. To get it out you take apart the first stage and push it through the cylinder with a pencil. Just remember which end was facing the plastic needle valve and flip it around. This cured a slight free flow problem I was having.

Prior to finding out the trick, I kept adjusting the levers downward making it increasingly harder to breath. Another problem with the Healthways is that the diaphrams get stiff with age and force you to adjust the levers to avoid hitting the shrinking diaphram. Nobody seems to have a solution to that problem.

Good luck with your regs. Sounds like you are having fun.

 

[captain]

You can run the IP on a RAM up to 140 or 145 and they breath even better.