ScoobieDooo
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OKall you double hose regulator fan's - previous and current owners / users. Lets put it to the polls...
Favorite Doube Hose Regulator
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I really should be voting for a DA Aquamaster. But to be honest I prefer the way my single stage US Divers Mistral breathes compared to either of my Aquamasters.
You really should just edit the poll selection to "US Divers", as they came in many more flavors than just the DA Aquamaster
You really should just edit the poll selection to "US Divers", as they came in many more flavors than just the DA Aquamaster
ew1usnr
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Before this thread gets rolling, let me put a disclaimer up front.
**It is safer to dive with a BC, an octopus, and a pressure gauge. J-valves are not proper substitutes for pressure gauges.**
If you get uptight about people diving with old equipment, stop reading right now and go somewhere else. I am not going to say that "this is for historical reference only" or this is "for display only". I dive with my double hose regulators and love it. Its nice to have the bubbles behind my head, where they belong. It keeps things quiet because the bubbles arent rushing past my ears and provides a better view.
**It is safer to dive with a BC, an octopus, and a pressure gauge. J-valves are not proper substitutes for pressure gauges.**
If you get uptight about people diving with old equipment, stop reading right now and go somewhere else. I am not going to say that "this is for historical reference only" or this is "for display only". I dive with my double hose regulators and love it. Its nice to have the bubbles behind my head, where they belong. It keeps things quiet because the bubbles arent rushing past my ears and provides a better view.
ew1usnr
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Your Mistral looks gorgeous with the new yellow hoses. I tried a Mistral a couple of weeks ago and was amazed with how well it breathed. The guy had it tuned right to the wire. It delivered air like a tornado and inhaled as easy as a lot of single hose regs, even a slighly head down position.
Here is another try at that last picture that I tried to post. I'm swimming with my circa 1965 Dacor Double Diaphragm Model R-4:
OP
ScoobieDooo
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...that wasn't meant for Boogie711 was it?
ew1usnr
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I saw this beauty in an Orlando pawnshop twelve years ago with a $5 price tag on it. I asked the owner if he would take $3.50, and he said ... "Yes"!
This regulator was introduced in 1959 and was the type used by diver Mike Nelson in the TV show Sea Hunt. Early versions had blue-painted brass cases. It was given a chrome-plated case in 1962. "Where were you, in '62?"
I love this regulator for its absolute simplicity. It is a non-balanced diaphragm one-stage regulator. A lever behind the big inhalation diaphragm pulls a down-stream seat away from a pinhole nozzle. This nozzle squirts tank pressure air (with venturi assist) behind the diaphragm until the pressure is equalized. It's very easy to service because there is no intermediate pressure to set.
It is a pleasant regulator to dive with. I have not quite taken it to 50-Fathoms (300 feet), but the label does read "Compensated - Easy Breathing At All Depths".
Parts and service for double hose and other old regulators at:
http://www.vintagescubasupply.com/
and http://vintagescuba.com
This regulator was introduced in 1959 and was the type used by diver Mike Nelson in the TV show Sea Hunt. Early versions had blue-painted brass cases. It was given a chrome-plated case in 1962. "Where were you, in '62?"
I love this regulator for its absolute simplicity. It is a non-balanced diaphragm one-stage regulator. A lever behind the big inhalation diaphragm pulls a down-stream seat away from a pinhole nozzle. This nozzle squirts tank pressure air (with venturi assist) behind the diaphragm until the pressure is equalized. It's very easy to service because there is no intermediate pressure to set.
It is a pleasant regulator to dive with. I have not quite taken it to 50-Fathoms (300 feet), but the label does read "Compensated - Easy Breathing At All Depths".
Parts and service for double hose and other old regulators at:
http://www.vintagescubasupply.com/
and http://vintagescuba.com
That counts as another vote for the Mistral as intenally the Voit 50 Fathom and the US Divers Mistral were virtually identical. 
I often see the comment that the Voit 50 fathom was used on Sea Hunt but the episodes I've seen recently all show Mike in a US Divers reg. I suppose it was much like TV and movies now where if Coke pays money, a can of Coke is used in the scene rather than Pepsi. Or maybe US Divers hoses were more readily available. This would have been an important consideration given that somebody's hose got cut on nearly every episode.
I often see the comment that the Voit 50 fathom was used on Sea Hunt but the episodes I've seen recently all show Mike in a US Divers reg. I suppose it was much like TV and movies now where if Coke pays money, a can of Coke is used in the scene rather than Pepsi. Or maybe US Divers hoses were more readily available. This would have been an important consideration given that somebody's hose got cut on nearly every episode.
ew1usnr
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Lloyd Bridges was an avid sport diver. I'm sure that he loved trying out different regulators. He said that he had the time of his life filming that TV show. On a Cousteau episode a Calypso diver was using a single hose Scubapro. I couldn't believe it! It's amazing that Jacques didn't have him keel hauled.
[/i]That counts as another vote for the Mistral as internally the Voit 50 Fathom and the US Divers Mistral were virtually identical.
[/QUOTE]
I politely beg to differ. From my 1960 copy of "Basic Scuba" and the Vintage Scuba Supply web site, the Voit Sportsman (1955-1959) was virtually the same as a US Divers Mistral. It was replaced by the 50 Fathom (1959-1962). Quote: "The 50 Fathom regulator is the exception in the Voit line of diving regulators. It is distinct from the other units and manufactured soley for Voit." The 50 Fathom was replaced by the Voit Polaris which again was virtually the same as a Mistral.
I popped off the lid and took a picture to show the unique 50 Fathom mechanism (see attached). While I had it open I freed up the sticking duckbill exhaust valve. A nice feature of the Voit regulators versus US Divers was that Voit used a one piece clamp to hold their regulators together. This makes them a lot easier to open for inspection and service than are the US Divers regulators with their seven little aluminum clips. The dot under the demand lever is the air nozzle. Another dot on the upper forward edge of the valve block is the venturi jet. I like the way the way the block is held in place with the four hex screws at the corners.
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ScoobieDooo
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Your 'Da Man' ew1usnr!
I had not been aware that Voit had moved away from the Mistral design in between the Sportsman and the Polaris.
Looking at the internal parts, I can see why they went back to a Mistral based design though. In the 50 Fathom there would be much less venturi effect in comparison to a Mistral and the demand lever appears to be a single rather than compound design.
Now was the Voit Navy was still basically a DA Aquamaster?
Looking at the internal parts, I can see why they went back to a Mistral based design though. In the 50 Fathom there would be much less venturi effect in comparison to a Mistral and the demand lever appears to be a single rather than compound design.
Now was the Voit Navy was still basically a DA Aquamaster?
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