New Kirby Morgan reg?
- Thread starter reefrat
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Rich Keller
Contributor
I do not think most sport divers would know what this is, they would just see a brand name they do not know and think it is a chinese made POS.
Ghetto Diver
Contributor
^lol
Apparently there are CHICOM clones out there of older models. I was offered a 2nd a while back but passed because I was suspicious of its mfg
Sent from my iPhone from my momma's basement
Apparently there are CHICOM clones out there of older models. I was offered a 2nd a while back but passed because I was suspicious of its mfg
Sent from my iPhone from my momma's basement
Beyond a high purchase cost, limited service unless you live near a commercial diving community, and performance that is insignificantly better above 200'? Nothing at all.
FYI to all: You can still buy metal-body regulators sold through the Aqualung Military and Professional Division.
SCUBA Regulators and Octos
If the recreational diver doesn't need the high degree of adjustment to match changing IP they could just get an old US Divers 2nd stage.....essentially the same reg (Super Flow....not this new one) without the adjustment piston and knob.
That was true decades ago but KMC did a huge amount of work to make them far better. R&D was one of the reasons they invested in Dive Lab, who also does a lot of testing for the US Navy and all of Scuba Lab's tests. EDU (USN Experimental Diving Unit) is down the street.
I used the old regulators on the KMC Band Mask in over 900' in the early 70s and you are right. There was little done to the US Divers second stage beyond adding the Dial-A-Breath. However it was also like sucking through a straw with any work at all, below 600'.
Minute differences in port shape, finish, and size make huge differences in the Cv (Flow Coefficient) and may not be readily apparent to the naked eye.
Edit: Of course Scuba regulators made for recreational use have also improved a lot in that time. Almost every regulator manufacturer has their own Ansti Breathing machine, but they generally don't bother development deeper than the 200-330' range.
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2014 Scubalab tested the Kirby Morgan Superflow. In the review it clearly states the adjustment has a pronounced effect warning it could result in a free flow. List price $825.
a bit off topic but the 2015 Scubalab test results also picked the HOG Zenith as the tester's choice.
a bit off topic but the 2015 Scubalab test results also picked the HOG Zenith as the tester's choice.
Rich Keller
Contributor
Agreed, I only mentioned it because a number of people still want an all-metal body. To be fair, the Conshelf is a very good regulator in terms of performance, durability, simplicity, and reliability. It is just too expensive to produce, large, and heavy to compete in the recreational market.
Rich Keller
Contributor
I only use all-metal regs myself. The conshelf 12s & 14s are also Kirby Morgan designs that US Divers just stuck their labels on after they bought Kirby Morgan. Every piece of commercial diving equipment US Divers tried to make after Bob Kirby & Bev Morgan left was a total failure. I never bought another piece of US Divers equipment once I found out how they treated them.
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