Ok so I've been reading around the board and other places and have read about people using a double hose second stage. Is there a benefit to this or just another piece of gear to choose from and its all personal preference? Just curious.
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Not sure what you are referring to, a double hose regulator or a single hose regulator with an added second stage for sharing air.
Double Hose Regulators were popular in the 50's and 60's. Around the 70's is when the single hose regulator come on strong. There are still a lot of DH regs and people diving them including myself.
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If you are buying new equipment, you want to get a single hose regulator. That is the current standard and performs very well. There is at least one manufacturer making a new double-hose regulator. I saw a diver using one on a liveaboard trip a couple of years ago. The double-hose setup will not breath as easily as the single-hose design. The double-hose design has the advantage that the exhaust bubbles exit behind your head. An underwater photographer might find this to be a useful advantage.