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I would like to set up a pony bottle for a redundant air source and I was wondering, is it better to use a octo or an adjustable reg for the reg? I will have this pony mounted to my tank not slung (no back-mount vs. slung fights please).
Ask yourself whats the diffrence between a standard reg and an octi?
To me an octi is is the same as a standard reg, except it MAY be yellow and it may be detuned.
Use any reg you are comftable with. If its adjustable then turn it down to avoid freeflow.
If you are going to buy one specificly for your pony then buy the same as your primary/octi for ease of service or swap over. Or upgrade your primary/octi and use the old one for your pony.
That was my original thought, to upgrade my old reg to a better reg and use it for that. But my old reg is a el cheapo (sea elite) and has no adjustment on it so I am concerned that it will free flow.
I just purchased (2) Tusa RS 130's from Scuba Toys to use on my pony set ups. One for me and one for my buddy (daughter)
The 130's have the Breathing resistance adjustment knob , so I can adjust the second stage to fit my needs.
I also was reading in Scuba Diving that the full size octopus ranked better in their reviews.
Here is a link to the article http://www.scubadiving.com/gear/regulators/17_backup_breathers/
1. If you are going to the pony in an emergency it won’t matter what reg you are using on it. It will breathe great.
I have never even heard of anyone using their buddies octo and then swimming off to someone else’s because they didn’t like the way their buddy’s was breathing. If air is coming out it is enough.
2. If you are worrying about free flow use one of the little octo holders that goes around the mouthpiece. The ones that look like a little ball and you stuff the mouth piece into. I have one and it keeps my reg from free flowing; it works like your finger is over the opening.
A cheap reg that doesn't deliver air at depth well, may promote CO2 buildup and potentially result in a CO2 hit to a stressed diver at depth (particularly at 100+ fsw).
If I donate a reg to an OOA diver I do not want them taking a CO2 hit and going into a panic because the reg is bad.
"Good breathing" is not just a matter of comfort, it is also a matter of safety...
Well, I gotta totally disagree. If you find yourself needing the bailout gas, it will be because things have gone terribly wrong. That is when it will be the most essential that your bailout reg is in perfect condition, of the highest quality, and functioning well.
It's possible that in an emergency a diver's breathing rate could be elevated. A restrictive reg could increase the chance of over-breathing and CO2 buildup, resulting in hypercapnia.
That was my original thought, to upgrade my old reg to a better reg and use it for that. But my old reg is a el cheapo (sea elite) and has no adjustment on it so I am concerned that it will free flow.
One thing about an octo 2nd stage over a "primary" is that it's de-tuned like someone else said.... that will help keeping it from free flowing. (remember most of the time we never use our octos as they hang on our BC... and most of the time they don't free flow either).
Nothing wrong with using an el-cheapo. My pony reg is a Sea Elite also. BTW... I use the octo instead of the normal 2nd stage. Reason is 1.) because the octo is the small square one and it's smaller and more compact. 2.) the hose is about 6" longer.
Having a longer hose like which comes on the octo 2nd stage is nice if you plan to back mount the pony and need to wrap around the 2nd stage. Consider your hose length in whatever you use.
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