edge/HOG annouces a industry first!

[Thalassamania]

They are excellent regulators, and the parts availability and self-servicing policy has made me decide that the four regulators that I need next year (two for me and two for my son) will all be Hogs.

 

[The Chairman]

Dayo Scuba does as well. They don't know it yet, but they do!

I was able to attend the inaugural class for this, and Chris has clearly misrepresented himself. Clearly!

It's not just regulators gang: it's how to maintain ALL of your HOG gear. I was amazed at the inclusiveness, and it took me only a second to see the value in all of this. Sure, there are a number of shop monkeys who don't need to know the inner workings of the BC inflator valve. But there are a growing number of tech divers who do not want to let just anyone touch their stuff. This class will enable you to service all of your HOG/Edge gear competently and efficiently.

 

[Indian Valley Scuba]

We 're there and glad to have brought the Edge Line into Indian Valley Scuba & ScubaGearPlus.com. Great gear, good design, and excellent company philosophy.

 

[cerich]

this is wonderful news. i saw a demo on dive right regs when i was new newbie and loved it. i saw a quick demo at the quarry this weekend and was really into it. I will take you up on this and look forward to it. Is Prime Scuba on board?

thanks chris
ww
scuba siren

Prime is not a EDGE/HOG dealer at this time.

 

[cerich]

Once the inaugral bunch of Instructors (that includes you Pete!) finish their assignment )remember that pesky thing about exam questions) they will be registered and ready to rock. I am hoping (nudge) that will be done by the end of the weekend so when I get back from cave diving I can send in their certs!

As soon as that is done I will be posting on the web site what dealers offer it.

In the mean time I certainly do here in Georgia! $300 for the two day course, 2 student min. Includes books and student registration.

 

[scubamountaingirl]

Prime is not a EDGE/HOG dealer at this time.

well they should be and i will put in the plug...they are my closest lds i am upstate NY. got any suggestions? i would love to learn how to take care of all my gear as Doc said above. At the very least, understand how it really works.

thanks again
ww

 

[no excuses]

so why do you need to be a tech diver to attend these classes or buy the kits? Non tech divers not smart/good enough to buy/rebuild their own gear?

stan

 

[mksmith713]

so why do you need to be a tech diver to attend these classes or buy the kits? Non tech divers not smart/good enough to buy/rebuild their own gear?

stan

I second this question.......
The most I aspired to was intro to tech as I enjoy spending most of my time at NDL.
I do, however, feel that I should be able to service my own regs.
I trust myself more than anyone else on this earth.
I've had regs freeflow on me on the first dive after having them serviced.

 

[The Chairman]

Chris is out having fun in Cave Country this weekend. I was supposed to join him this morning, but congestion is stopping me!

Depending on how well this goes, I am certain that we will see the class expand to include the non-techies. The Powers That Be at TDI/SDI and Chris negotiated the particulars and this was what they came up with.

 

[SDAnderson]

Teaching end-users to service their own gear is unheard of in the industry and it’s no surprise that there is a lot of resistance to the idea – a quick search of this board will show that it’s been a sore spot forever. Folks should be a little understanding if Edge/HOG and TDI proceed with caution as they break new ground. Frankly, I think this is the time to encourage these innovators rather than whinging about the not terribly onerous requirements, but that’s probably just me.

I don’t work for Edge/HOG or TDI but I am one of the newly minted instructors for this course. I have also been a working service technician for years and have been through the manufacturer training programs for most of the regulators out there: Aqualung/Apeks, ScubaPro, Atomic, Zeagle, Mares, Oceanic/Hollis/Aeris, TUSA, Sherwood/Genesis, etc. Despite my training and experience, I’m still learning how to fix regulators – rarely does a week go by that I don’t encounter something new, often thanks to someone who decided to work on their own gear.

Fixing regulators is not as easy as many armchair technicians think. It’s often more art than science, rocket or otherwise. Getting good at it requires time, a meticulous nature, some study, some experience and some rather odd tools. There is a lot of concern that the average recreational diver simply is unable to meet these requirements. Heck, it’s often hard to get Joe Reefdiver to rinse his regulator after a dive, let alone focus long enough to learn how to service the thing. Technical divers, on the other hand, are by nature and training better equipped to handle fussy protocols that take forever to follow, have a more-than-casual desire to do the work (properly) and, not insignificantly, typically will get a lot more practice at it because they own so many regulator sets. It's a good place to start the program and I'm sure changes will be made as time goes by.

Up until now, if you wanted to learn how to work on your own equipment, you were SOL unless you could get a job in a local dive shop that sold your gear and over a year or so maybe learn how to work on your stuff. Edge/HOG is testing the waters and offering a new option that will provide you with the training and access to parts that you need:

1. earn a technical dive certification
2. own at least one of their regulators
3. take the TDI Edge/HOG Equipment Service course.

You may not meet the requirements, yet, but the path is clear. Prove that you are exceptional by following it.