Low profile octo recommendation?

[mbs]

Wife's 30 year old Sherwood octo has developed a hairline crack - just don't last that long do they So we are looking for a replacement. First question - any reason not to consider a low profile design? Anyone out there have the Mares MV octo? VERY reasonable price, decent reviews other than a couple of comments about breathing wet. Oceanic slimline 2 looks decent as well although its double the price of the Mares!
Thanks, Mike

 

[ams511]

I haven't used any of them so I can't help you with that question. However, you may want to pick a brand that is able to be serviced by whoever is servicing your regs.

 

[mbs]

Thanks, that was actually another question - any particular brand that we might have trouble finding parts worldwide? I'm pretty sure the folks servicing us lately will not have problems with parts...

 

[Hatul]

I'd advise against the Oceanic Slimline 2. It breathes hard and one time it violently freeflowed on me.

 

[elan]

I would advice against MV. Its a cheap octo but breathes so so and only warm water. If you REALLY want a slim design (which I really see no benefit of - just complicates things) check Apeks Egress.

I was not fond of it wither but it was certainly better than MV

 

[mbs]

Well the old sherwood only breaths so-so so that's not a major problem But seriously, how do you see the slim design as complicating things? It claims to work equally well right side up or upside down. Will it freeflow in cold water or just breath harder? We don't do much cold water diving. maybe once a year in a quarry, but freeflowing is a major concern!

I would advice against MV. Its a cheap octo but breathes so so and only warm water. If you REALLY want a slim design (which I really see no benefit of - just complicates things) check Apeks Egress. I was not fond of it wither but it was certainly better than MV

 

[SOFDiver]

Personaly, I would stay away from any/all slim line octos. They don't breathe well, and all seem to be on the cheep side. I would invest in second stage that is as good as your primary second, after all you or your buddy may need it for life support. Bet if you check the price, a good "primary second", less the hose, will cost about the same as an octo.

 

[Scared Silly]

I agree with the above post, WTF wants a regulator that sucks when there is an issue to be dealt with - like Davey Jones calling.

Here is an analogy I used a while back - a second octo is like spare tire. Sure you are rarely going to need but then when you do think about the worst possible place to have a flat. For me that would out on a dirt road 30 miles from the nearest paved road and another 30 to the nearest town. So for me having an octo that is every bit as good as my primary is SOP cause when Davy Jones comes a calling I am likely to be 30 meters under the water 30 meters into an overhead.

But in case you want to go another route:

Octo/inflator == run flat tire

cheap/slim octo == mini spare

std primary reg == full spare


So with that get a secondary reg that is the same or similar to the primary.

​

 

[milbournosphere]

I own an MV, so I'll add my two cents.

First, it sits really well on a bungee'd necklace; I really like its low profile. It does indeed give air in pretty much any orientation. However, elan is right in that there is definitely a difference between the MV and my ScubaPro primary. It gives air just fine but breathes wet. I am confident that it will get me home, but I wouldn't feel 100% safe going on demanding dives with it. It's not balanced, but I haven't really noticed any consequential increase in breathing effort from it at 80ft, likely due to the fact that my first stage is balanced. I haven't breathed from it any deeper than that.

For now it fits my needs, but I plan to upgrade my primary next year and make my current primary second stage my backup.

 

[mbs]

Ok, so should we expect an octo to breath as easily as a primary? Are they generally not detuned to avoid freeflows? I don't think anyone has said that any of the low profiles "suck." Lots of regs, primary or secondary breath differently. In this case this is going to be my buddy's octo so if I have a problem it will be mine. In which case I just need a reliable source of air to get me safely to the surface. BUT I get what you all are saying, why not have a full spare if you have the option!