Hose swivel or elbow for comfort?

[Jim Lapenta]

I put a low pressure swivel on my GF's inflator hose from the Edge EXP 1st stage she is using. It routes the hose so nice and clean over the shoulder. No need for one on the second stages.

If the OP is using a CDX5 or DX4 first stage I can see putting a swivel on the 1st stage for the octo. Routes it down nice and clean. With it though the 36 is just barely long enough. I'd get rid of the 36 and replace with a 40 on the octo. The CDX and DX first stage LP ports that the octo is often routed from point straight out and create a bit of a loop. Using the swivel here eliminates that.

 

[Aqua-Andy]

With a proper hose and routing you don't need gadgets like a swivel. One more thing to go tits up at the wrong moment.

Agreed. Correct hose length + routing = good solution. Gadgets to accommodate for incorrect hose length and/or poor routing = bad solution.

Not in all situations. Two pictures of me one with out an elbow and one with, much more comfortable with. Using a seven foot hose with "proper routing".

 

[mathauck0814]

Not in all situations. Two pictures of me one with out an elbow and one with, much more comfortable with. Using a seven foot hose with "proper routing".

View attachment 134156View attachment 134157

Looks like in the first picture it's pulling to the right, correct? Perhaps what you need is a 90" hose instead of an 84?

 

[Aqua-Andy]

Looks like in the first picture it's pulling to the right, correct? Perhaps what you need is a 90" hose instead of an 84?

It's not necessarily the length that's the problem but the stiffness of the hose. I've tried different hoses, some are better than others but I really like the swivel. I just hope the one extra o-ring doesn't kill me. I see you're from Killington VT, do you ever dive up there?

 

[USdiver1]

my wife uses a routing under her arm with 40" hose ... i doubt if either of your hoses will be long enough for such a routing.

Holy Sexual Innuendo Batman!

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I put a low pressure swivel on my GF's inflator hose ...

Right you are Boy Wonder, We must tread carefully through this double entendre minefield of ambiguity.

 

[taucherguy]

Interesting question. I have not previously used a swivel attached to the first stage, but have now seen reference to that in two recent threads so I need to try it. For single tank diving, I generally do not either a swivel or an elbow, but when I use one, it is a 360 Omni swivel, attached between the second stage and the LP hose. Hose length makes a big difference in whether I need a swivel. If I have a 'proper' hose length (for ME), I don't need one.

I meant on LP hose and second stage. But I am open to other options. I like the idea to route the house under my arms though.

I have a swivel at the first stage/hose interface, and an angle adapter at the hose/second stage. The swivel tucks everything in tight and going in the right direction, and the angle adapter allows the routing where I want/need it.

edit: I'll clarify by stating that I have a factory non-swivel 1st, and have added swivel fittings to allow for better alignment of hoses (both HP & LP). I have it set so the HP goes straight down on the left, long hose goes straight down on the right, and LPI goes straight forward. The other hoses are not on swivels: DSI goes out and around (actually under left arm), bungied octo is out and around. Both seconds use angle adapters to keep hoses close.

Did this change for you in comfort level? Did you do both changes at the same time or just upgraded to make it more to your liking?

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Not in all situations. Two pictures of me one with out an elbow and one with, much more comfortable with. Using a seven foot hose with "proper routing".

View attachment 134156View attachment 134157

Thanks for sharing. This is a good picture that shows my dilemma. I have the same problem like you did on Pic 1. I want pic 2.

---------- Post Merged at 11:30 AM ---------- Previous Post was at 11:19 AM ----------

I put a low pressure swivel on my GF's inflator hose from the Edge EXP 1st stage she is using. It routes the hose so nice and clean over the shoulder. No need for one on the second stages.

If the OP is using a CDX5 or DX4 first stage I can see putting a swivel on the 1st stage for the octo. Routes it down nice and clean. With it though the 36 is just barely long enough. I'd get rid of the 36 and replace with a 40 on the octo. The CDX and DX first stage LP ports that the octo is often routed from point straight out and create a bit of a loop. Using the swivel here eliminates that.

Yes, I didn't have that big of a problem with my Atomic Piston due to the swivel turret. The DX definitely makes it more stiff.

 

[rhwestfall]

Did this change for you in comfort level? Did you do both changes at the same time or just upgraded to make it more to your liking?

I first installed a plain long hose, and found I had some issues. Step one was to add the angle adapter on the second as I wanted to see what it did for the "push/pull". That did achieve a bunch. Next, I wanted to address the porcupine effect (5 hoses) at my first stage. Adding swivels there allowed me to get everything in tight to the tank & BC. Much to my liking!!!!! I won'y claim any great reduction in SAC/RMV or reduction in fatigue because of this "streamlining", but I worry less of snagging or entanglement. I was actually able to go to an even shorter hose on my bungied octo with this configuration.

This was all added to a SP MK-17 DIN, which has essentially no adjust-ability.

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Holy Sexual Innuendo Batman!

---------- Post Merged at 10:18 PM ---------- Previous Post was at 10:14 PM ----------



Right you are Boy Wonder, We must tread carefully through this double entendre minefield of ambiguity.

It astounds me that as a "professional" (your bio lists Instructor/AI/Dive CON), you find it necessary to provide such useless commentary in a basic forum......

 

[halocline]

I want to reroute my HOG 2nd stage for comfort. Do you guys use an elbow so the hose is rerouted under arm or should I get a swivel adapter like the Omnis?

What do you prefer and why?

Thanks

To me by far the most comfortable routing is the modified hogarthian routing with a 5ft primary hose. The longer a hose is, the more flexible it will feel when pressurized. To me the typical discomfort with 'standard' over-right-shoulder routing is that when you turn your head left, the reg pulls, turn right, it pushes. You can mitigate this effect by having just the right length primary so that when you're looking straight ahead it's comfortable, but still nothing like the 5ft hose.

I really don't think a swivel at either end of a hose that's the wrong length will do much, but it sure sounds good in the dive shop.

The under-arm routing with an elbow is an interesting idea, and some people really find that comfortable. I still believe you'd need to get just the right length hose and figure a way to make sure it stays tucked. To me it wouldn't be as easy or convenient, both for normal diving and for air sharing, as the long hose/bunged alternate. The hogarthian guys really got this one right. You just don't need a 7ft hose that routs under a canister light. That length is designed for single-file air sharing in restricted passages like caves.

The braided hoses are reputed to be more flexible when pressurized, so that's another route you could try, and they are getting more reasonably priced.

 

[rhwestfall]

To each his own.

For me, at 6'7" tall, and long in the torso, a 7' hose almost isn't long enough to do the conventional wrap. The swivel at the first stage "adds" inches to the length by taking out the bow associated with a change of direction from the first stage, and the angle adapter allows for the transition of the hose around my neck once again "adding" inches.... Its all a game of inches...

a 5' hose would never stow/route properly for me.

 

[vladimir]

It astounds me that as a "professional" (your bio lists Instructor/AI/Cove CON), you find it necessary to provide such useless commentary in a basic forum......

It would be a lot more forgivable if it was even vaguely funny.

I agree with AWAP that with a 40" hose routed under the arm, the right-angle adapter is the way to go. A swivel near the second stage is not much help with that configuration.