Oceanic Air XS 2 Hose Question

[XLT_66]

Hey all,

I have an Oceanic Tour BC with the AIR XS 2 that I purchased used for $100.

I have yet to dive with it and am still in the process of putting together all of my various used equipment that I have managed to gather up from craigslist.

Anyway, a co-worker of mine gave me his old Scubapro MK5/AIR1 and the LP hose for the BC inflator is the original quick disconnect from 1982 and it does not fit the quick disconnect fitting on the AIR XS 2.

The LP hose from his MK5 fits his old Scubapro AIR2 that is attached to his BC from 1982 if that helps.

Can someone help me identify what fitting I need for the XS2? I read the manual but it didn't provide any

 

[submerge]

call oceanic and get a hose from them or ask your LDS to help you find one.

 

[halocline]

The easiest thing to do would be to get the hose from whoever sold you the BC; you could pay them a little extra or trade them a standard hose. But, if you're going to use an octo/inflator, I think the AIR2 would be considered a little better, (I'm not saying it definitely is better, just that it's considered a higher end octo/inflator) so you might think about switching them out anyway. IMO the best option would be to sell both of them and get a separate octo and standard inflator, but that's just my personal opinion.

Assuming you end up using one of the octo/inflators, consider putting your primary 2nd stage on a 5 foot hose. You'll be donating that in an OOA situation, and sharing air on a 26-28" primary LP hose is not fun, especially in an emergency. Having 5 ft of hose to work with makes life WAY easier in an otherwise tense situation. Then all you have to deal with is managing your buoyancy with the inflator in your mouth, which is a new task to learn but people do it and so can you.

The thing is (not to turn this into the 20 millionth octo/inflator thread) that you handle the inflator multiple times every dive, and having a standard inflator is less bulk on your chest, and you have the very nice option of using a 12-14" inflator hose. With the octo/inflator, anything less than 18" will likely be a PITA when you're trying to breathe off the thing and have a look around. So although you lose a hose, you gain a longer corrugated hose and a bulkier inflator mechanism right in front of you.

 

[XLT_66]

The only reason I am going to be using a octo/inflator is because it happens to be what came on the BC i purchased and I happen to be low on cash right now since I am saving every penny to go Sailing/Diving in the BVI July 3-11.

I have managed to gather up the following equipment from craigslist and co-workers for under $300:

Oceanic Tour BCD: Weight Integrated, Air XS 2 octo/inflator, excellent condition
Scubapro MK5/AIR1 with dive knife, depth, pressure, compass in excellent condition
Scubapro MK5/G250 Graphite/Scubapro AIR2/Depth & Pressure in good condition (not sure about AIR2 condition)
Aeris XR1 dive computer in excellent condition
Scubapro Twin Jet fins with booties in excellent condition
2 tanks that need hydro testing

I will be switching out the octo/inflator for the G250 as soon as I can afford a decent newer 1st stage.

I have read just about every thread discussing the pros and cons of the octo/inflator along with all the opinions that go for and against it. I am going to dive it for now because I don't have the cash to spend on anything else.

Mattboy, I'll be contacting you hopefully soon to meet up and go over these regs for that AIR1 you want.

Anyway, i'll head to my LDS to figure out what I need to do to mate the XS 2 to my MK5.

 

[Web Monkey]

Scubapro MK5/G250 Graphite/Scubapro AIR2/Depth & Pressure in good condition (not sure about AIR2 condition)

I'd have this attached to the BC. The Air-2 is current, works nicely and unless someone drove over it with a truck is either working or fixable. The MK 5 should be repairable by a good SP shop. I have a Mk1 that mine still manages to take care of. There should be no problem getting a hose. They're a little pricy new, bit if you're willing to go with a used one, I'm reasonably certain that your LDS has a bunch of them and would be willing to part with one for not much money.

You'll need to get all the regs serviced anyway, since they contain rubber/plastic parts that wear and degrade over time and need to be replaced. Once serviced, it should breathe just like new.

Terry

 

[weaponeer]

The alt air / inflator male fittings are different between Oceanic and Scubapro. There is a "Scubapro style" quick disconnect and a "Seaquest style" quick disconnect for alt airs. Oceanic uses the Seaquest style, while Scubapro uses the Scubapro style (go figure). If you want to use the Oceanic Air XS 2, you'll definitely need the hose and adpater that Oceanic supplies. BTW, it isn't a standard regulator hose like the Scubapro AIR 2 uses.

 

[halocline]

I will be switching out the octo/inflator for the G250 as soon as I can afford a decent newer 1st stage.

You'll have a really hard time finding anything at any price that's much better than a G250 2nd stage. Since you've done a good job so far of saving money, I would suggest that you plan on using that as your primary, and eventually buying a simple downstream 2nd stage like the R190 for your octo. You could sell the two octo/inflators and end up making some cash in the process.

For now, since you have the air 2 hose, the easiest thing is to install the air 2 on your oceanic BC. You can bring everything when you come down and we'll get it set up.

 

[Web Monkey]

You'll have a really hard time finding anything at any price that's much better than a G250 2nd stage. Since you've done a good job so far of saving money, I would suggest that you plan on using that as your primary, and eventually buying a simple downstream 2nd stage like the R190 for your octo. You could sell the two octo/inflators and end up making some cash in the process.

And if it was from the same timeframe as the MK5, it made with actual metal inside.

If you want that now, you have to spring for the G250V.

Terry