I need help on first reg purchase

[Belzelbub]

Thanks all!!! I appreciate all the help and advise I will purchase a set over the next couple of weeks, I will update you on what I buy. I brought I secondhand Zeagle ranger with a octo bcd, do you think I should stick with this or just buy a set of regs? Cheers j

By Octo BCD, I assume you mean an alternate inflator regular, right? Question is, which one? I'm again assuming a Zeagle. If you have an older Zeagle Octo +, I'd replace it. It's an older model that was made by Apeks. This model doesn't use the same service kits as other Zeagle regs, so getting it serviced may be a problem. If it's an Octo Z, I'd use that. In fact, that's what I have on my Stilleto.

Using one of these has a different air sharing technique than you may have been taught. If a buddy needs to share your air, you donate the primary, and breathe from the Octo.

 

[buddhasummer]

Sorry your question is confusing to me? do you mean Octo inflator unit combination?

---------- Post added August 21st, 2015 at 07:55 PM ----------

If you're going to buy s set of regs personally I'd lose the "Octo BCD" and buy matching 2nds. I see no benefit of alternate air units over "standard" 2nd stages and if you have same brand servicing can be less problematic.

 

[tbone1004]

buy a full reg set, you can still use the air2 style inflator, but i'd recommend against it, though frankly I'd just resell it and go to a BP/W since you're in cold water and you can certainly use the extra weight of a SS backplate

 

[ams511]

I see no benefit of alternate air units over "standard" 2nd stages and if you have same brand servicing can be less problematic.

Back in the day when carrying an alternate second stage became popular, there was a question on how to carry it. Theoretically, it was supposed to be carried in the triangle region in the front of your body. In practice, the octopus usually detached from the holder and was dragging behind the diver somewhere. Consequently, the diver may not know where it is. This could be deadly in an out of air situation. Scubapro's thought was that if the octo was integrated into to inflator the diver would always know where it is. So in an out of air emergency whether you donated your primary or had it ripped from your mouth you knew where the safe second was. The fact that it took one less hose was secondary.

At that time, no recreational diving agency advocated overhead or technical diving, so it was designed to get the diver to the surface after a failure, it was not meant for prolonged breathing while exiting a cave or doing deco. On Scubaboard the octo inflator gets about as much love as spare air, but I don't think the concept was flawed. Especially when many divers purchase the cheapest octopus available which doesn't breath any better than an octo inflator.

I agree that the best is to have two quality second stages, but I would prefer an octo/inflator where you donate a quality primary to the OOA diver and breath off the octo/inflator, than passing the OOA diver a cheap octo that could have been dragged in the sand.

 

[Justin Coe]

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what do you lot think of poseidon jetstreams are they old hat??? i found a single 1st and 2nd good condition £150 12831220-281-640x480.jpg

 

[tbone1004]

I love my Poseidons but they breathe very different from normal regs. That said, while they are very expensive new, I wouldn't pay that price for them used. I usually pay about half that if they need servicing

 

[ams511]

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what do you lot think of poseidon jetstreams are they old hat??? i found a single 1st and 2nd good condition £150 12831220-281-640x480.jpg

Make sure you have a competent regulator technician lined up. The biggest complaints about Poseidon regulators in the US, is that they are tricky and expensive to service.

 

[Tigershark007]

ScubaPro offers some very reliable regulators & first stagers for both cold and warm water. It looks according to their websites their are a handful of ScubaPro dealer in the UK and also have several around the world. So if your traveling and you something happens getting it serviced should be pretty easy that way. I've always been told to buy a first and second stages that can be serviced near where you live or somewhere you plan on going on a trip in case of emergency.

 

[Bottom Boy]

I love my Poseidons but they breathe very different from normal regs.

Me too. They are the easiest breathing regulator. I wouldn't use anything else.