DementialFaith
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Saw one on da Apeks catalog, does any1 here have them? Do they have any draw backs, do they work well, are they worth it?
Free Flow Controller
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They aren't needed. Especially for a diver from Louisiana who rarely needs to worry about frozen regulators (lucky), free-flowing regulators aren't much of an issue unless you routinely drag yours through the mud or otherwise abuse them.
They are effective at blocking air flow to a free-flowing second stage, but in the event of a free-flow from the first stage they may actually be dangerous. The low pressure hose between the first and second stage isn't designed to take a high pressure load, block that flow and the hose or the fittings may burst with violent results. Most failures occur in the first stage.
They're a mechanical device and add yet another possible failure point, increasing the likelihood that you'll have some kind of problem.
I thought Apeks had stopped selling these things. They only cost beer money, but better to spend the money on beer. In the meantime, go ahead and learn how to reach back and turn your valve on and off - a good skill to have, even for single tank divers.
They are effective at blocking air flow to a free-flowing second stage, but in the event of a free-flow from the first stage they may actually be dangerous. The low pressure hose between the first and second stage isn't designed to take a high pressure load, block that flow and the hose or the fittings may burst with violent results. Most failures occur in the first stage.
They're a mechanical device and add yet another possible failure point, increasing the likelihood that you'll have some kind of problem.
I thought Apeks had stopped selling these things. They only cost beer money, but better to spend the money on beer. In the meantime, go ahead and learn how to reach back and turn your valve on and off - a good skill to have, even for single tank divers.
They're not that bad, unless you're one to count every last failure point ad nauseum. It's a very simple design, but it's also easy to accidentally move it to the "off" position or put the plastic sleeve on backwards - in which case it doesn't work very well. I've played with mine in the pool and it works fine, but I don't typically use it for anything. The cracking pressure went up by about 1/4" - 1/2" on my ATX-200 when I put it in. The instructions also specifically say to not put the FFC device on every second stage to prevent "hose blow-up syndrome."
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