IS/WAS this a J Valve?

[Scuba Lawyer]

Just saw this on Craiglist. Vintage Voit tanks with the HP port on the valve. I never knew about this feature.
Scuba tanks - sporting goods - by owner - sale

Is that still considered a J Valve?

Not a J-valve. Just a type of K-valve with a HP port. IMHO stay away from Voit J-valves as they don't seem to hold up as well over time as US Divers and other J-valves. All of my US Divers and Dacor J-valves work great.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Interesting. I thought it was a J Valve with the reserve mechanism removed but I've never seen one. I also have a Norris (HJ) 72 tank with a complete J Valve (same as James79) that came as a package with the PST 72.

The gentleman I got it from was in his 80's and said he used to use it for abalone diving. He gave me his ab float, lead, and weight belts, too. It came with Dacor backpacks, same as the attached pic. The straps were hard and stiff. It has these cool handles to carry it sideways. If I use it, I'll have to replace the straps and learn to use a horse collar.

I sure hope he was using it south of the GG bridge! ..

 

[Luis H]

Just saw this on Craiglist. Vintage Voit tanks with the HP port on the valve. I never knew about this feature.
Scuba tanks - sporting goods - by owner - sale

Is that still considered a J Valve?

Actually, this is a type of reserve valve that Voit had. It is not an HP port. That cable is for actuating the reserve instead of the lever on the valve.

Most divers used the rod to make it easier to actuate the reserve rather than reaching for the lever directly.

Voit solution was to incorporate this push-pull cable to actuate the reserve. You can see at the end of the cable that there is just a disc as a pull handle.

They were notoriously problematic even back in the 70's. The cable could easily get slightly deformed and pinch the moving portion, making it almost impossible to operate. We had a few customers with them (in the 70's) and I was always concerned handling those tanks when filling them.

It is an interesting conversation piece, but one of the least practical reserve mechanisms.


Added:
Wow, this person want $200 per cylinder for a tank with 1/2" neck and a valve that is only a conversation piece. And then he makes the comment that the backpacks will need work... you think? One is totally broken...

 

[Scuba Lawyer]

I stand corrected.

 

[captain]

• Voit made a convertible valve in the 60's and 70's. It had a large plug that could be removed and replaced with a J valve mechanism.

 

[Sam Miller III]

Agree 100% with @Luis H - re Voit Cable reserve

A little history on the "Cable reserve"
It was one of the innovations and "Improvements" of dive equipment designed by Fred M Roberts (of the book Basic SCUBA fame)

It was introduced in the 1963 Voit catalog on pages 6 & 7.with very little verbiage but a spotlighted picture. Two pages over on page 10 an entire page was devoted to this new reserve valve identified as (R) VJ with a price of $35.00

 

[crzyfish]

Is there a market for J Valves? I just pulled the other Sherwood J Valve off the PST 72 and cleaned it up with my ultrasonic cleaner - it's so shiny now! The orings on the stem, bonnet nut, and outlet are shot. I was going to rehab it and sell it or just keep it it with the tank when I eventually sell the tank. For now, I'll put a new-ish K Valve on the tank for future use.