Is this Conshelf(?) regset worth buying?

[GJC]

Worth buying? It depends.

If you are just looking for a cheap regulator set, probably not.

If you are really interested in in vintage diving stuff for diving or just for display, I think it's probably worth the $100. If you bought all the parts individually on EBay, it would be hard not to spend more than $100. Conshelf second stages run around $30-40 by themselves and Scubapro 109s run around $70.

If you plan to dive this, you definitely have to have it serviced and you will probably have trouble finding a service tech willing to work on it and may have to mail it away to get it serviced. Parts are readily available, however, at vintagedoublehose.com if you decide to service it yourself. All the hoses are probably very old and should be replaced. So keep in mind that you will have some additional expenses to make it divable.

Zooming in on the picture, I think I see Calypso IV on the first stage label. Calypso IV is a balanced piston good quality first stage, not quite up to par with Scubapro balanced pistons. The LP ports are on a rotating turret. In 1979, there was a recall for all Calypso first stages that required the addition of a bushing to prevent the first stage seat from dislodging during a dive. If you plan to dive this, make sure the service tech looks to see if this bushing has been installed. If not installed, you can still get the bushing at vintagedoublehose.com

 

[DavidFL]

I have a Calypso IV with two Aqualung chrome metal second stages; I bought them new in the early 1970's to replace my Royal Aquamaster double hose. I still have all of them; I was able to get the Calypso IV and both metal seconds serviced with Vintage Double Hose about two years ago; and VDH has service kits for them if you want to try to do the service yourself. I occasionally use them on pony or stage bottles; still diving the double hose fairly regularly too. The cost of having someone competent service them will likely be more than $100.00.

By the way, at the time, Calypso was promoted as more sophisticated (and higher priced) and Conshelf more basic. As it turns out, the Conshelf design had legs with some elements of the design in Aqualung products today, which is the main reason it is now easier to service and regarded more highly in my opinion.

 

[txgoose]

I have another question on how people collect single hose era regs. Is it mostly single make collections? Or for that matter is there any collector market at all beyond Scubapro. It seems like other regs are mostly valued just for their usability?

I have some US Divers and some Scubapro (thanks to the enablers). Those are the brands (vintage era) I found were easy to get supplies for. I wanted to work on my own gear so that was my first concern. If I had grown up on Dacor or my dad had used a Dacor I might lean that way. There are a lot of brands out there. Find one or a couple that scratch your itches and go for it. If you're collecting as an investment then you'll need to put a lot more thought into it. And maybe you're just starting down either path. In my experience chrome is a slippery surface. Watch your step.

 

[GJC]

Thanks everyone.

So, entry level first stage and 2 respected, but mismatched seconds. I think I'll pass.

I have another question on how people collect single hose era regs. Is it mostly single make collections? Or for that matter is there any collector market at all beyond Scubapro. It seems like other regs are mostly valued just for their usability?

Scubapro and US Divers/Aqualung were the 2 big sellers in the US in the 60s and 70s and a lot of those regulators are still around. Dacor was another brand that sold a lot of scuba stuff during those years. These were the years before a lot of the plastic regulators were made.

I think that most collectors have some emotional attachment to the type of regulators they collect and most of them like to restore them to dive them. A few collectors were instructors or dive store owners that kept their old inventory. I don't think there are a lot of collectors that have them for display or as an investment.

 

[DavidFL]

If you're seriously interested in maxing out your square-inches-of-chrome per milliliter/kg of air, you need to up your game.

 

[JamesBon92007]

I agree with others that $100 seems a bit high unless it is "ready to dive" then maybe, but I would try for around $50 if it's something you really want. I've acquired several good regulators on eBay for less than $50 (even less than $30) but they required some work. I have at least three regulators (that are now completely usable) that were basically free and came with something else that I wanted that was already a good price. I get good results on eBay with search terms such as "scuba gauge", "for parts or repair", and "lot of scuba gear."

 

[Kupu]

I think that most collectors have some emotional attachment to the type of regulators they collect and most of them like to restore them to dive them. I don't think there are a lot of collectors that have them for display or as an investment.

This sums up why I collect. I spent my early scuba years diving warm tropical waters, with just one regulator set and was content with that one set.

Nowadays, I am mostly stuck diving cold mudholes (lakes and quarries). The experience of finding and collecting, rebuilding, and then diving new to me regulators is enough to put joy in my heart and look forward to every single mudhole dive. Collecting Scubapro is where it started, but any brand will do at this point. I have boxes of regulators stacked in the closet, waiting for their turn...