My latest acquisition

[Paladin]

I recently bought a regulator that I have been looking for for quite some time: A New Model Aquarius from the mid to late '90s. I have been a fan of the Aquarius since they first came out back in the 1970s and enjoy diving them. Unfortunately, they only had two LP ports and are rather limited for more modern diving configurations. So, I have been looking for one of the updated Aquarius regs made from 1994 to 1997 that have four LP ports.

I found one recently at Vintage Scuba - Vintage Scuba Gear at Vintage Double Hose. It was freshly serviced and came with a one year parts and labor guarantee for the paltry sum of $60. It came in the mail last Tuesday and I was truly impressed with its condition. Kudos to Bryan at VDH.

He also has some other single hose regs for sale, like a Conshelf Supreme (sealed first stage) http://www.vintagedoublehose.com/index.php/shop-online.html#ecwid:category=1643671&mode=product&product=6993117. If anyone is looking for a good, serviceable, economical regulator, they should check out Bryan's web site.

And this one, based on the Conshelf XIV:

http://www.vintagedoublehose.com/in...category=1643671&mode=product&product=6993117

 

[VooDooGasMan]

my aquarius was set up for doubles with a neclace snap strap and and the other 2nd had strap you put on shoulder d ring, and it gave 4 Lp with two 1st stages. worked well for twins or having a pony.

 

[chile7236]

someone needs to buy my inon lenses so i can pick up that conshelf supreme

 

[Six2Life]

I have a pair of Supreme's I'm looking to get setup as a budget twins regset. The port layout that will drive you nuts trying to route hoses on a single cylinder suddenly becomes quite practical when you pair them up.

 

[Paladin]

I had to rethink the hose routing on my Conshelf XIV because of the port layout. All the ports are on one side of the first stage. To get it to work best, I ended up having the primary second stage coming over my right shoulder, my SPG routed under my right arm, the secondary second stage coming under my left arm and my inflator hose over my left shoulder. If I tried to have the hoses routed as is customary, the inflator hose and octo come out of the "bottom" and inflator hose must be bent 180 degrees to come up and over the left shoulder.

Having the octo coming out of the left side of the first stage does have one benefit: it orients the octo so that an OOA diver can use in comfort without contortions. The setup takes a bit of getting used to but I adapted to it in a matter of minutes on my first dive with the rig. I'm actually considering changing all my regs to the same configuration.

 

[Six2Life]

When I tried to set up my Supreme for singles I oriented the HP port straight down and the last LP port straight up. The HP port was in a position that allowed the hp hose to make a gentle bend to the left side where the SPG traditionally sits. The only catch is you kinda have to use a 3/8" HP hose since the increased length of an adapter makes the hose interfere with the tank crown. The last LP port pointing straight up was used for the inflator hose. While not ideal the hose could reach the inflator with less than a 180 degree bend. The remaining 2 LP ports are then pointing to the divers right side for easy 2nd stage routing. I never got a chance to dive this config but it seemed to be the best I could come up with given the port limitations.



Edit: After posting the above I made myself curious enough to see if this would actually work in practice. I threw a set of gear together and this is how it looked. Even using a 3/8" hp hose it interfered with the tank a little. Threading the yoke all the way back against the circlip gave it a little more clearance. Here I am using a LP72. Larger diameter tanks may not work as well.

 

[Fishpie]

I too wish the 14 had reversed the left side ports with the HP under the LP.
My favorite Conshelfs are the 21 and 22.....least favorite the SE.

I do have a SE2 Supreme and a couple of brand new 14's for sale (the 14's don't have the USD logo on the yoke knob but do have a hose and over-pressure relief valve.....they were Morse bail out regs).

 

[Paladin]

I really don't mind the way I have my Conshelf 14 set up. Looking at the tank/reg setup from behind the diver, the the LP/Octo port is at nine o'clock. The LP/Inflator hose is at about ten o'clock. The LP/ Primary second stage is at about two o'clock and the HP/SPG port is at three o'clock.

If the HP port is on the left, at nine o'clock, the inflator is at about eight o'clock, the octo is at about four o'clock and the primary is at three. This is fine for the SPG, octo and primary, but the inflator must be bent sharply upward to go over the diver's left shoulder.

Some people orient the the reg so that the HP port is on the left and use an elbow for the inflator hose so that there is not as radical a bend in the hose. I prefer to just route the hoses as I have done.

The Conshelf Supreme is based on the Conshelf 14 and uses the same first stage with the addition of an environmental seal kit, so the port layout is the same.

For me, the port layout of the Conshelf 14 is but a minor issue and is easily compensated for. Personally, I would not trade my Conshelf 14 for any other (non-Conshelf) reg out there.