Help identify an old set of octopus regulators

[o0BigDave0o]

I managed to pick up some old octopus regulators from a car boot a few years back and have been eager to try them out. I took them to my Dive school and showed my dive master who couldn't fully identify them. He says they could be Ex-Military, and up to 40 or so years old.

Since they are too old to use, I am hoping to sell them to a collector ( or anyone else interested in old dive equipment). First however, I need to identify them and have no clue of their age, usage and overall value.

I have attached some photos I took of the gear to see if anyone could identify the set. If you know what the gear is, do you know how much it could be worth?

Many Thanks

o0BigDave0o

 

[stairman]

Not sure of the spiro but the chrome faced reg looks like an old conshelf and can still be brought back to life I believe.

 

[Sam Miller III]

Shame on your Dive school Dive Master!


US Diver's reg- Calypso IV part # 1084
Dacor instruments= Dacor has been out of business for many years
Octopus-Spiro Parent European company of US Divers
All early 1970s era equipment

Not considered collectable at this time

JUNK!

 

[Paladin]

I have a recently serviced Calypso J. Like Sam says, not really collector material.

 

[herman]

Not sure I would go so far as to call them junk but they are early to mid 70s US divers. They are fairly common and it's not uncommon for newer instructors/DMs to not have a clue about dive history. Parts for the first stage are a little hard to come by but odds are all it needs is a couple of Orings and maybe the HP seat turned over. The USD second stage is no problem to service,not sure about the Spiro but odds are it's not a problem either.As long as they work, nothing wrong using the gauges either. Not exactly a high end reg but still a solid built reg that will outlast several more divers. Serviced, they are fine to dive....getting someone to service them is a different matter.

 

[o0BigDave0o]

Not sure I would go so far as to call them junk but they are early to mid 70s US divers. They are fairly common and it's not uncommon for newer instructors/DMs to not have a clue about dive history. Parts for the first stage are a little hard to come by but odds are all it needs is a couple of Orings and maybe the HP seat turned over. The USD second stage is no problem to service,not sure about the Spiro but odds are it's not a problem either.As long as they work, nothing wrong using the gauges either. Not exactly a high end reg but still a solid built reg that will outlast several more divers. Serviced, they are fine to dive....getting someone to service them is a different matter.

Since they are fairly difficult to service and use, I'm going to try selling it. Do you know how much I could potentially sell the set for?

 

[John C. Ratliff]

oOBigDaveOo,

"...fairly difficult to service and use..."??? No, they aren't. The Calypso is a fairly simple regulator, with a flow-through piston design and adjustable interstage pressure. The second stage is also simple to service, and has a very good venturi built into it. This regulator tested very well with the U.S. Navy, and these test results are in the Rubicon Research Repository, and can be downloaded from that site (see the link). The Calypso VI (which is your regulator) can be seen on page 54, and the test results can be seen on page 266-271.

SeaRat

 

[o0BigDave0o]

oOBigDaveOo,

"...fairly difficult to service and use..."??? No, they aren't. The Calypso is a fairly simple regulator, with a flow-through piston design and adjustable interstage pressure. The second stage is also simple to service, and has a very good venturi built into it. This regulator tested very well with the U.S. Navy, and these test results are in the Rubicon Research Repository, and can be downloaded from that site (see the link). The Calypso VI (which is your regulator) can be seen on page 54, and the test results can be seen on page 266-271.​

SeaRat

Thanks for the links but I doubt I will service and use it. I currently have a set of regulators that I use do I'm hoping to sell this set so that I can invest in a new dry suit. I don't know how much it could be worth though :S

 

[captain]

Maybe in the neighborhood of $50 US.

 

[herman]

I rarely see them go for much more than $15 USD on ebay. Maybe a little more since you have the Spiro octo and gauges. They are not hard to service, just somewhat difficult to find parts for.