Octo Advice

[SVT_Tactical]

I've got a reg on the way. Looking at an octo to go with it. How important is it really to go with the same "type" as my primary. I got a Mares instinct so should I get the instinct octo or will a basic mares MV do all I need?

 

[nimoh]

Assuming you are asking in order to save some money by purchasing a less expensive second stage to use as an octo.

Do you think the reg will be good enough for your buddy to breathe from in an emergency? If you think that it is, why not save even more money by getting two of them and using one as your primary?

 

[spectrum]

Most products sold as alternate second stages are perfectly adequate, though I am no fan of alternate/inflater gadgets. Be sure that if your 1st stage has ports designated as "Primary" that you use those for breathing. Some brands such as Sherwood do have secondary ports best used for accesories like power inflators and drysuits.

My only real guidance is to stick with a brand for ease of servicing.

Pete

 

[gizmo1972]

at the end of the day it doesnt matter as long as it supplies air then thats all its there for
one of my rigs is Atomic tx2 but i run an Aqualung abs octo it does the job its only there to get them out of trouble so why spend a fortune on an expensive reg that is not required unless you want it to look good ? imho!
i just stay well away from Air 2's and bcd inflator regs Nasty !!! and will fail when your on a trip and cant repair it lol

 

[nimoh]

at the end of the day it doesnt matter as long as it supplies air then thats all its there for
one of my rigs is Atomic tx2 but i run an Aqualung abs octo it does the job its only there to get them out of trouble so why spend a fortune on an expensive reg that is not required unless you want it to look good ? imho!
i just stay well away from Air 2's and bcd inflator regs Nasty !!! and will fail when your on a trip and cant repair it lol

why spend a fortune on an expensive primary reg when it isn't required?

 

[SkimFisher]

Why buy once when you can buy three times?

 

[gizmo1972]

i love the way it breathes my choice and its easier to get service kits where i am simple! my choice also my choice for a simple octo that works in either direction and both make a light rig for travel !

 

[SVT_Tactical]

Assuming you are asking in order to save some money by purchasing a less expensive second stage to use as an octo.

Do you think the reg will be good enough for your buddy to breathe from in an emergency? If you think that it is, why not save even more money by getting two of them and using one as your primary?

I'm not trying to cheap out, i'll spend if needed. Question is will one do exactly what you say better than the other. The mares MV is a simplistic octo from all I see. Was also the octo I had on my gear when I trained and on my wifes when we did our class so I did buddy breath on it and it worked fine. Do you think my buddy would care if it wasn't "purdy" when he needed it or do you think he's fine as long as it work?

 

[gizmo1972]

if it supplies air thats all it needs to do !!!
i replace my rigs every 2 years and pass on a nice rig to someone else simple!
it keeps me current with the market and an instructor who dives gear out of the ark does not inspire confidence and takes his diving seriously to stay current imho

 

[lindenbruce]

"Purdy" no. But, reliable and easy to breath off with a low break open pressure yes. If the less expensive octo will provide this then it's an easy sell. If not then your choice is clear. The days of using an el'cheapo 2nd as an octo are slowly fading away. If you have to donate your octo chances are things are hitting the fan anyway. So do you want to add to the receiver's stress by providing a hard to breath off of octo that will only raise their stress level even further. Was recently taking another class and took along my Titan 1st with a Sherwood octo to use on a deco bottle. I had never used this particular octo before as the one that was on there before was an el'cheapo and had to be replaced. Well, breathing on the replacement el'cheapo octo was like wrestling a Salmon from a brown bear. Totally ticked me off. Needless to say before my next trip this el'cheapo octo is going in the trash and getting replaced with a much better 2nd stage. And never again will I make that mistake. It's cheaper to buy once than twice. B.