Integrated Power Inflators Are A Terrible Idea!

[Belzelbub]

Service is service. It's literally one zip tie holding it to the BC. Not a big deal to take it off. In fact, some brands unscrew from the corrugated hose. Unfortunately, the SP Air2 does not.

Ironically, the Atomic SS1 used in the video is one of those that unscrews from the corrugated. I use a Zeagle Octo Z. This also unscrews from the BC corrugated. I haven’t read the SS1 manual, but I expect it has the same advice as the Zeagle manual. The Zeagle manual instructs to not disconnect the quick release post dive. Instead, the Octo Z should be unthreaded from the corrugated to be stored with the rest of the regulator. No tools needed. This also makes cleaning the inside of the BC easier. At service time, you just grab your reg bag and take everything in for service.

Disingenuous by the guy in the video to claim how much of a hassle it is to disconnect.

The Zeagle manual strongly recommends storing with your regulator and references doing so to prevent dirt and salt from entering via the QD fitting.

Also, it really isn’t that hard to tell an instabuddy about your gear setup. True, they may have been trained in secondary donate, but could have just as easily been trained primary donate. Either way, if they didn’t learn about both methods during their training, their instructor did them a disservice.

Anyone is welcome to dive on my boat with an octo/inflator. We don't care as long as you can put fish in the box.

Same here. Of my most regular buddies (besides my kids), one uses a standard setup, and one uses an octo-inflator. We all do primary donate, so it’s not a big deal.

As luck would have it, one of my dive buddies is vegetarian. Strictly for diet reasons. He enjoys fishing, well he did until I showed him spearfishing. Now his fishing rods sit unused. So, any fish he shoots usually end up in my freezer.

 

[CuzzA]

Ironically, the Atomic SS1 used in the video is one of those that unscrews from the corrugated. I use a Zeagle Octo Z. This also unscrews from the BC corrugated. I haven’t read the SS1 manual, but I expect it has the same advice as the Zeagle manual. The Zeagle manual instructs to not disconnect the quick release post dive. Instead, the Octo Z should be unthreaded from the corrugated to be stored with the rest of the regulator. No tools needed. This also makes cleaning the inside of the BC easier. At service time, you just grab your reg bag and take everything in for service.

Disingenuous by the guy in the video to claim how much of a hassle it is to disconnect.

The Zeagle manual strongly recommends storing with your regulator and references doing so to prevent dirt and salt from entering via the QD fitting.

Also, it really isn’t that hard to tell an instabuddy about your gear setup. True, they may have been trained in secondary donate, but could have just as easily been trained primary donate. Either way, if they didn’t learn about both methods during their training, their instructor did them a disservice.


Same here. Of my most regular buddies (besides my kids), one uses a standard setup, and one uses an octo-inflator. We all do primary donate, so it’s not a big deal.

As luck would have it, one of my dive buddies is vegetarian. Strictly for diet reasons. He enjoys fishing, well he did until I showed him spearfishing. Now his fishing rods sit unused. So, any fish he shoots usually end up in my freezer.

I love spearos who don't eat fish. All but guarantees you won't run out of meat during the winter.

These days I don't even remove my reg set from my BC. It gets dunked and rinsed. I fashioned a snorkel keeper to the BC handle and first stage to keep the first stage from flopping around. Second stage clipped off and I use a nail polish coated magnet hose holder to keep my Air2 tight to the shoulder harness. Every so often I'll disconnect the QCs and vinegar wash the salt creep.

The most obvious benefit of an Air2 is for solo divers who occasionally buddy dive, or back mount pony bottles. So for the guy to put a blanket condemnation on them is silly. There's more guys with this setup spearfishing in Florida than there are technical divers exploring caves. They're popular because it's the right tool for the job and IS a solution for a problem.

 

[lexvil]

Dogma diver unable to deal with “different”

 

[Belzelbub]

They're popular because it's the right tool for the job and IS a solution for a problem.

Yep. One other benefit that isn’t often mentioned. I got to witness it twice during training checkout dives, involving different gear configurations.

My daughters both learned in their own gear. Setup the same as mine (Octo Z). When my oldest was on her third checkout, another diver accidentally knocked her regulator out of her mouth. She didn’t immediately find it during a sweep, so went for her Octo Z. No drama.

Another incident involved my vegetarian buddy who uses a traditional octo. During a Rescue course, he was playing role of air donor. He donated just fine, but took a bit to locate and release his octo.

I think it comes down to muscle memory. During a typical dive, the diver uses the inflator at least a few times. The standard octo is often tucked away and forgotten unless the diver is practicing regulator swaps. It can also come out of its stowed position without the diver realizing. Necklaced secondary is a solution to this, but it is not the typical configuration of most divers. Definitely more common in tech than rec.

 

[BackAfter30]

I've been diving an Air2 for a few years now. I'm about to switch to a necklaced secondary and doubt I'll look back.

I like:
- One hose for my primary, one hose for my Air2, AI transmitter, that's it. If you want a minimalist config, that's it. Love this aspect of it.

I don't like:
- It breaths bad
- It free flows on entry. Easy to stop...when I finally locate it since it is jetting away from its normal position. My tech and I settled on tuning it light to ease the hard breathing, but free flow is the tradeoff.
- It is awkward to breath IRL. Learned this in Rescue. He is right about the assent/inflate/deflate/air share/breath at the same time thing. Less than ideal.
- Just swimming around with it is not great. Limits head movement; resistance from the corrugated, relatively short BC hose.
- It is heavy and large. It dangles and can get in the bottom/reef when in diving position and low. It's the only thing in my kit that isn't high and tight. (Well, I need a different arrangement for my DSMB. It dangles a bit)
- I'd like my corrugated hose to be shorter, but with the Air2 on it, that would make awkward breathing even worse.

 

[Capt Jim Wyatt]

I think these are probably OK for shallow water diving when there is a direct ascent to the surface with no required decompression stops. These things do not breathe well and are sometimes like sucking molasses through a straw.

But, once again if the OOA diver has to breathe it for only a short time to make a direct ascent, sort of like a CESA then I guess these things are OK.

I quickly Googled and saw a price of $319.00 for an AIR 2. Seems pricey when compared to a Dive Rite second stage for $150.00.

 

[CuzzA]

I've been diving an Air2 for a few years now. I'm about to switch to a necklaced secondary and doubt I'll look back.

I like:
- One hose for my primary, one hose for my Air2, AI transmitter, that's it. If you want a minimalist config, that's it. Love this aspect of it.

I don't like:
- It breaths bad
- It free flows on entry. Easy to stop...when I finally locate it since it is jetting away from its normal position. My tech and I settled on tuning it light to ease the hard breathing, but free flow is the tradeoff.
- It is awkward to breath IRL. Learned this in Rescue. He is right about the assent/inflate/deflate/air share/breath at the same time thing. Less than ideal.
- Just swimming around with it is not great. Limits head movement; resistance from the corrugated, relatively short BC hose.
- It is heavy and large. It dangles and can get in the bottom/reef when in diving position and low. It's the only thing in my kit that isn't high and tight. (Well, I need a different arrangement for my DSMB. It dangles a bit)
- I'd like my corrugated hose to be shorter, but with the Air2 on it, that would make awkward breathing even worse.

FWIW the 5th gen has a dive/predive valve adjustment. Never had a free flow, but an octo will free flow too if tuned like a primary and you hit the water just right.

It's just part of diving.

 

[BackAfter30]

FWIW the 5th gen has a dive/predive valve adjustment. Never had a free flow, but an octo will free flow too if tuned like a primary and you hit the water just right.

It's just part of diving.

Yep, got that on mine. I don't like the idea that this piece of emergency gear would want fiddling in a stressful time. I could flip it after splashing, but that's just another step to forget. I haven't free flowed my necklaced reg yet. It is another B2 tuned like my primary, but with the adjuster cranked in. Even cranked in, it still breaths way better than the Air2. If I ever do free flow my necklace, I know right where it is, no searching around.

 

[CT-Rich]

I have had an SP AIR2 for about ten years. I have it tuned down so it is a little tough to breath off of, but nothing terrible. My Nighthawk has FOUR ways to dump. I can pull the inflator hose (hardly use this any more), right shoulder dump, Left shoulder dump (a small lever on the top of the hose) and the right rear dump. Assending I use the left shoulder dump most of the time, it give me a fine control of release.

I can't imagine mistaking a snorkel for an AIR2. Know your gear and watch your air and don't dive with idiots that don't know theirs. I never been a fan of divers that make blanket statement about gear. At best they are talking about the conditions specific to their type of diving, at worst they are talking out their bung-hole...

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I have breathed from them and experienced the molasses thru a straw and also no real difference from the primary. Two things that I don't like is the size and length of inflator hose required to breathe comfortably from.
From a rescue standpoint, I see most talking about the diver using it being the one rendering assistance. What happens when the roles are reversed and the rescuer has never used one? Or used a different model? Saw this exact scenario in a rescue class where the brief was only something like "This is my octo and inflator combined. You push the button on the front to inflate."
Problem was there was more than one button. Rescuer under the influence of adrenalin and pressure of the class came up from behind the "panicked" diver using the air 2 type device, hit the wrong button and sent them directly towards the bottom.
They realized it of course and corrected the error and they were under observation but it was enough that the "victim" ditched the air 2 type device and used a standard inflator and octo from then on.
I also observed some difficulty in the use of it be people with smaller hands.
They are kinda clunky.