New long lasting regs?

[Umuntu]

Parts availability is the limiting factor. Parts for the Conshelf are, as Herman points out upthread, available mainly because they are specified by military and commercial users that are reluctant to change.

The Conshelf military service kits have different "part numbers" and are not available to normal dive shops.

There are also different parts used in the military kits compared to the civilian (Titan) kits. The military kit parts do suggest a reluctance to change.

 

[Akimbo]

The military kit parts do suggest a reluctance to change.

Reluctance to change or a huge infrastructure? Consider having thousands regulators in use around the world and in your inventory. You also have hundreds of employees trained to maintain them. How enthusiastic would you be for a new product with questionable improvements to replace it and effectively obsolete it as spares dry up? At least the use of a newer model regulator doesn't require massive retraining like the US Navy's switch from the Mark V helmet to the Kirby Morgan Superlites did.

 

[buddhasummer]

The Conshelf military service kits have different "part numbers" and are not available to normal dive shops.

There are also different parts used in the military kits compared to the civilian (Titan) kits. The military kit parts do suggest a reluctance to change.

The military kits, I had some, only differ in the filter washer, it's plastic, back up washer, it's the white split one, main diaphragm which is black and the seat is the old small surface black one. All those parts according to literature are only to be used with Air only and not Nitrox.

The Titan kits use the better designed one piece concave back up washer, a stainless filter washer, the usual grey diaphragm and can be used with nitrox to 40%. They also use the current blue seat as found across the range. I see no benefit to the military kits. The diaphragm is thicker though if that means anything.

 

[oldschoolto]

And again.. If you know the secret hand shake the kits are easy to get..

Jim..

 

[ams511]

The Conshelf military service kits have different "part numbers" and are not available to normal dive shops.

There are also different parts used in the military kits compared to the civilian (Titan) kits. The military kit parts do suggest a reluctance to change.

This was discussed on SB years ago. The Conshelf XIV was approved for military use, if they changed the model model number it would need to be re-approved. So when Aqualung updated the Conshelf XIV they changed the model name to Conshelf 14 to fool the military, even though there were some changes to the product. The service kits for military use also carried the same part numbers and used the older parts.

I am not sure you need a secret handshake to get parts, you just need to want to pay for them. DRIS is an Aqualung Military dealer, I would contact them first.

 

[buddhasummer]

A few years back it was a secret handshake to get anything military conshelf related, now it's just more of a nod...a little persistence, some relationship building and a promise not to go public...well, that is my experience anyway.

 

[AlphaDiver]

Everything relates back to how much you willing to pay.

 

[Akimbo]

Everything relates back to how much you willing to pay.

Not necessarily. Some of the longer lasting regulators that have withstood the test of time were at the low to mid end of the market. Simple often wins the day.

 

[buddhasummer]

If I'm traveling it most certainly does. US4 and Conshelf seconds.

 

[Rusty Shackleford]

Reluctance to change or a huge infrastructure? Consider having thousands regulators in use around the world and in your inventory. You also have hundreds of employees trained to maintain them. How enthusiastic would you be for a new product with questionable improvements to replace it and effectively obsolete it as spares dry up? At least the use of a newer model regulator doesn't require massive retraining like the US Navy's switch from the Mark V helmet to the Kirby Morgan Superlites did.

It's hard to get the military to make changes, even for clear improvements on working systems as long as what they have is working well enough.

Case in point: The M16/M4. There are like two dozen changes Colt wants to make to the M4 design to make manufacturing simpler and make the weapon better. Like switching from button-rifled to hammer-forged barrels that are both cheaper to make and last longer. Diemeco/Colt Canada already incorporates these changes and the Diemeco M-4 is acknowledged as being a bit superior tot he American one as a result. The Diemeco uses a hammer forged barrel too.

I, as a civilian, can and have purchased a superior barrel for an AR-15 build than is available to our service members in their M-4s.

Because once the Military locks in their Technical Data Package for an item, it almost takes an act of Congress to change it as long as it is working 'good enough'.

Military procurement is severely broken/outdated but that's a story for another day.