If you came upon several bills you didn't know what to do with, I'd buy myself a new HID light 
New Mistral
- Thread starter Zaphod
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Zaphod, it is not just the ugly looks, I have used a new Mistral in a limited setting in a pool. I dropped my tank down where it should be on the test rig and swam it around. While it was not bad I did not like the huge hoses and the performance was quite a bit less than any one of my three Royal Aqua Masters. I dove my best Royal Aqua Master in the pool right behind the new MIstral and the Royal Aqua Master--at least mine--blows it away.
As to parts for a Royal Aqua Master, it is essentially a two hose Conshelf so parts are readily available for it and it is no problem maintaining one is superb condition. AND, I must point out, I have had far more success buying parts for my double hose units and rebuilding them myself than any modern single hose for which, with some exeptions, parts are virtually impossible to obtain (Mares for example). Heavy yoke Royal Aqua Masters can handle 3,500 psi air and some people are experimenting with Nitrox though that is an area I am not schooled in sufficiently to provide info.
As to any modern regulator out performing a doublehose, maybe, maybe not, some very high performance units such as Apeks and a few others do breath easier but the fact remains, a properly adjusted, well maintained Royal Aqua Master can perform on par with most any regulator, new or old and out perform most. I have used mine at depths and conditions that would test any regulator. They are also simple and very reliable. One thing, it is very important with double hose regulators to adjust the tank as low as possible on your back and also to use rigs that keep the tank(s) as close to the back as possible. There are many tricks to double hose diving which are actually part of the fun of using them. Make no mistake, a good Royal Aqua Master can accomplish virtually any dive sport divers would undertake. For a variety of reasons, none having to do with performance or reliability, I would not recommend them for cave diving or penetration diving. In those circumstances it is easier to provide system redundancy and buddy/team support with two single hose units, long hoses etc.
My Royal Aqua Masters are set up for supporting LP systems, octapus and use a banjo bolt for SPG. Diving a doubles rig using a Sherwood twin manifold I may sometimes use a seperate single hose vintage Voit MR12II or Calypso or actually anything as back up. In that case I generally let the single hose provide HP and LP functions. Hope this is helpful to you.
Oh, and the new Mistral is exceedingly ugly.
N
As to parts for a Royal Aqua Master, it is essentially a two hose Conshelf so parts are readily available for it and it is no problem maintaining one is superb condition. AND, I must point out, I have had far more success buying parts for my double hose units and rebuilding them myself than any modern single hose for which, with some exeptions, parts are virtually impossible to obtain (Mares for example). Heavy yoke Royal Aqua Masters can handle 3,500 psi air and some people are experimenting with Nitrox though that is an area I am not schooled in sufficiently to provide info.
As to any modern regulator out performing a doublehose, maybe, maybe not, some very high performance units such as Apeks and a few others do breath easier but the fact remains, a properly adjusted, well maintained Royal Aqua Master can perform on par with most any regulator, new or old and out perform most. I have used mine at depths and conditions that would test any regulator. They are also simple and very reliable. One thing, it is very important with double hose regulators to adjust the tank as low as possible on your back and also to use rigs that keep the tank(s) as close to the back as possible. There are many tricks to double hose diving which are actually part of the fun of using them. Make no mistake, a good Royal Aqua Master can accomplish virtually any dive sport divers would undertake. For a variety of reasons, none having to do with performance or reliability, I would not recommend them for cave diving or penetration diving. In those circumstances it is easier to provide system redundancy and buddy/team support with two single hose units, long hoses etc.
My Royal Aqua Masters are set up for supporting LP systems, octapus and use a banjo bolt for SPG. Diving a doubles rig using a Sherwood twin manifold I may sometimes use a seperate single hose vintage Voit MR12II or Calypso or actually anything as back up. In that case I generally let the single hose provide HP and LP functions. Hope this is helpful to you.
Oh, and the new Mistral is exceedingly ugly.
N
PaulChristenson
Contributor
Nemrod:
Holy smokes... it's the fashion scuba police...
"Holy smokes... it's the fashion scuba police..."
No, no dear fellow, I don't care about your color coordination, that would be the PadI bunch! No, from a mechanical and design view it is insulting to my senses, it hurts my eyes and sensebilities, it is therefore considered by myself to be "ugly". That is an adjective that I am comfortable with in this instance. It looks like Aqua Lung went dumpster diving and came up with a --uh---looser. Hey, I was never into "social promotions", I would hold this one back a grade or two. It isn't just Aqua Lung that suffers from idiocy, the entire industry is infected with near fatal Plastosocis. The disease is characterized by cheapness, non functionality, looks/style driven and the hall mark--ah--yes---plastic, plastic everywhere. N
No, no dear fellow, I don't care about your color coordination, that would be the PadI bunch! No, from a mechanical and design view it is insulting to my senses, it hurts my eyes and sensebilities, it is therefore considered by myself to be "ugly". That is an adjective that I am comfortable with in this instance. It looks like Aqua Lung went dumpster diving and came up with a --uh---looser. Hey, I was never into "social promotions", I would hold this one back a grade or two. It isn't just Aqua Lung that suffers from idiocy, the entire industry is infected with near fatal Plastosocis. The disease is characterized by cheapness, non functionality, looks/style driven and the hall mark--ah--yes---plastic, plastic everywhere. N
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