Is miflex worth the extra $$$

[jashaw]

I need a new inflater hose as mine has a crack in it and will start leaking if i dont change it out. Is the extra money for the miflex material worth it? It will be for a drysuit inflator hose.
Thanks,
Jason.

 

[divin'dog]

I have a Miflex on my primary regulator and inflator hose... I think it's most definitely worth it... When you're down 100 ft and your hoses aren't pulling and everything is comfortable, it's worth it.

 

[jashaw]

Alright, thanks for the advice. It'll be for my drysuit which the extra flex could be a nice addition.

 

[tech3324]

Not sure if the flexibility of the Miflex is much of an advantage for an inflator hose on a BC. Another hose to consider is the Phantom Innovative Scuba Concepts BC Phantom Hoses - Dive Right In Scuba - Plainfield, IL. I have one on my reg and was impressed with how flexible and lightweight it is.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

I need a new inflater hose as mine has a crack in it and will start leaking if i dont change it out. Is the extra money for the miflex material worth it?

As tech3324 pointed out, flexibility of the hose usually isn't a big issue in selecting a BCD inflater hose. I look for two key things in an inflater hose:

1. That it's the proper length for my BCD (determined, in large part, by length of the corrugated hose) and
2. That it has an easy-to-operate quick-release with a flange on it.

This makes it easy to disconnect it in case you have a "stuck" BCD power inflater (dangerous situation that could lead to uncontrolled ascent). The flange facilitates release while wearing thick wetsuit gloves or drygloves. You can purchase inexpensive hose hats made out of plastic which slip over the textured collar of regular inflater hoses, but I prefer inflater hoses with an integrated connector like this XS Scuba one. I believe that the Miflex inflater hoses have a fairly easy-to-grip quick-disconnect collar, too.

I suppose Miflex hoses are worth the extra cost (approx. $10-$15 per hose more than conventional hoses) if you value the fact that they are lightweight and very flexible. Divers who do a lot of vacation diving might be willing to spend more to trim the weight of their dive gear.

I have a 5-foot Miflex LP hose for my primary reg. It works well for my reg configuration. The rest of my hoses are of the conventional variety. They work great, too. I'm not in a rush to change out any of them.

I recommend staying away from the Miflex HP hoses. Some SBers have reported troubling failures of those hoses.

 

[outlawaggie]

Love it my miflex reg hose but I don't really see the benefit on an inflator hose.

 

[rongoodman]

I had a Miflex inflator hose for my DUI TLS 350 and had problems with the fit onto the inflator. I could get it to work, but it was always a struggle. I ended up with one from Northeast Scuba Supply which went on much easier, and has a nice flange on it for gripping with bulky dry gloves.

 

[rickyd]

For those of us that use an SS1 or Air2, the miflex hoses are great to use on the BC.

 

[hypertech]

They are not that much more. When it comes time to change my drysuit hose, it'll be with miflex if for no reason other than it is easier to coil up in the reg bag.

The wife has had a miflex on her BC for quite a while. Same reason - we needed to replace her hose with a shorter one. So I just bought the miflex. She seems to like it.

 

[Downing]

I'm a huge fan of MyFlex LP hoses, but I could never get used to the pencil thin HP hose I used on my AI computer. I mentioned it to my LDS guy, and he swapped it out for another brand whose name I can never remember. Like the MyFlex, this hose is highly flexible and lightweight but has the same diameter as a conventional hose.

Much better.