New Sherwood Regs

[darylm74]

Anyone know when Sherwood will be releasing their regulators with the new "look"? I was considering a new one and wanted to get one with the new design. All that I can find is Summer 2004. None of the local LDS's here have them yet or know when they will get them.

 

[rescuediver009]

Were orignally supposed to be after DEMA and then in the spring.... what else is new? Maybe they are related to OMS.... I would suspect that they will have some sales throughout the summer and getrid of the oldies.
The fact that they are getting rid of the extended exhaust tee is kinda dumb. They arereplacing it with the one like on the octo and then sending you the extended one in the box...

 

[Greg Barlow]

Anyone know when Sherwood will be releasing their regulators with the new "look"? I was considering a new one and wanted to get one with the new design. All that I can find is Summer 2004. None of the local LDS's here have them yet or know when they will get them.

From the reports that I am receiving, the first stage is unchanged. If this is accurate, then the performance will likely be lackluster for deep work. The ANSTI scores as compiled in three different independent testing arenas show that the flow rate of the first stages are not capable of US Navy Class A ratings.

Before the Sherwood fans get upset...They are very reliable, stable, and robust regs. They are also more than suitable for dives within the recreational realm. When the demand for gas exceeds 60 liters per minute, the effort begins to fall short of the Class A standards. The testing results show that the intermediate pressure begins to fall under such loads, and the first stage just can't "rebound" quickly enough to match the simulator's demand. Now, remember...this is a tough test for regs to pass. An overall work-of-breathing of less than 1.4lpm at 198' is beyond the scope of recreational divers in my book.

Greg Barlow
Former Science Editor for Rodale's Scuba Diving Magazine

 

[alemaozinho]

nothing changed but the covers and may be the price,same old thing.Greg is right ,sherwoods are good to a certain depth but then ,thats it.Purely recreational.Most new divers (students) are confused by sherwoods dry bleed system,unless explained otherwise.peace

 

[garyfotodiver]

From the reports that I am receiving, the first stage is unchanged. If this is accurate, then the performance will likely be lackluster for deep work. The ANSTI scores as compiled in three different independent testing arenas show that the flow rate of the first stages are not capable of US Navy Class A ratings.

That's OK, Greg. I'm no longer capable of US Navy Class A ratings, and I still dive.

Perhaps as a class, divers are getting worked up over excesses. If I am not going to dive the Andrea Doria, do I need to spend the $$ for a regulator that can?

 

[Greg Barlow]

That's OK, Greg. I'm no longer capable of US Navy Class A ratings, and I still dive.

Perhaps as a class, divers are getting worked up over excesses. If I am not going to dive the Andrea Doria, do I need to spend the $$ for a regulator that can?

I agree for the most part, but when one considers that "inexpensive" regs are on the market that can meet (or come darn close) Class A standards then why not get the available performance.

I also adhere to the thought that the "law of diminshing returns" exist in the realm of regs. If you are a purely recreational diver then why buy a very expensive reg whose inherent features aren't needed for the dive. One case in point is paying for the luxury of a reg composed of titanium parts. This is certainly overkill and does nothing for the performance of the reg. In fact, if one is using technical grades of nitrox then it becomes a negative point.

I recommend that divers purchase a reg that can pass the ECU standards with plenty of room to spare. The standard of 3.0j/l is far too lenient in my opinion. I want to use a reg that has a work of breathing of less than 2.0 at the depth of
165'. Dives below that level should NEVER be done on air, so the usage of helium based mixes allows the reg to actually increase in gas output.

Looking through the available regs on the market, one can easily find models for less than $350 (retail) that pass this standard with ease.

Like I said, Sherwood makes some reliable, robust, and very stable regs. So do many other manufacturers....Divers have never had it so GOOD!

Greg

 

[rescuediver009]

From the reports that I am receiving, the first stage is unchanged.

The regs are completely indifferent in the performance sense. Sherwood only changed the housing on the second stage and made the extended baffled exhaust tee an option, outfitting the new regs with the octo/brut style exhaust tee.

 

[darylm74]

Thanks for all the feedback. I was really just looking at the dates and so forth because I liked the looks of the new design better than the others. I think the current ones look a little on the drab side. I am not sure about the performance but my original instructor who has done rescue diving for years, as well as for the Olympics Kayaking team, said Sherwoods were the only regs of the many that he owned that had never failed on him. Just caught my attention and I started looking, though I am looking at several others as well.

 

[rescuediver009]

my original instructor who has done rescue diving for years, as well as for the Olympics Kayaking team, said Sherwoods were the only regs of the many that he owned that had never failed on him. .

Not to put him down at all, but it all depends on what he used and not to mention that reg innovations have come a ong way since then,

 

[darylm74]

I am not sure. He seemed to like the Sherwood Magnum a lot, though he dove with a US Divers reg when I was diving with him 4 weeks ago. I am not sure the full realm of his experience, though as said he has done rescue diving for years, and to my understanding comes highly recommended in that realm. He also did rescue work for the Olympics Kayak events on the Ocoee and was highly thought enough of to be asked to go to Australia. I forgot to ask him if he was doing anything for the Olympics this year. He's a very busy guy though so perhaps not. He's kind of one of those people that doesn't say a whole lot but when he does, everyone shuts up and listens. I haven't decided on which reg I'm going to buy. I have a new Aeris Atmos Sport that I had to 104ft in Grand Caymen and loved, but his comment was always have a backup regulator if not a full set of gear, so I have been looking at Sherwood, Apeks, Aqualung and the new Dynamo Regs that I saw a posting for on here and requested info on. His comment just sort of stuck in my head and made me consider Sherwood. Apeks and Aqualung were really my only considerations up until the recently.......though I'm kind of love struck on the Apeks Black Pearl.