Octopus

[cornfed]

If you want something cheap and reliable, go with a sherwood standard octo. Cheap. Reliable. Warranty. There are all of three parts replaced inthe service so that gives you an idea of how simple it is.

Personally, I wouldn't use "cheap" as a primary factor when choosing a piece of equipement that will only be used in an emergency.

 

[H2Andy]

I'd go for a Blue Ring - highly poisonous, pretty, starred in a James Bond movie - what more could you want???

:rofl:

 

[BIGSAGE136]

If your reg fails you...why would you want to draw a desperate breath on something cheap? If your buddy's reg fails and he is coming to you, cheap was probably HIS/HER path.

This is a personal call but my reg and octo are a matched set.

Dive safe...if it aint fun thumb it!

 

[DA Aquamaster]

There is a difference between "cheap" and "inexpensive" and I think what was meant by cheap was in fact inexpensive.

A Scubapro R190 will not cost you a lot of money at around $120 at a dealer (and even less through leisure-pro). But it is simple, reliable and offers good performance and excellent freeflow resistance. Good qualities for an Octo.

An R390 offers the same basic performance and the same internal parts in a smaller package for a little more money (around $160 from a dealer).

There is also a lot to be said for an AIR 2 as it has the same basic valve assmbly as the R190 or R390 in an integrated inflator for around $180. It is not the answer for technical diving situations but is well suited to recreational diving, where an OOA situation means an immediate ascent, despite all the divers out there who will disagree (most of whom are tech divers who have good reasons not to use one, or rec divers who have never actually used one but who heard it was a bad idea.)

I have a viper and they do make good octos, but I have had better breathing regs and the stock moutpiece is a little small. It is low profile but can cause things to breathe a little wet in some conditions.

 

[Katz]

How about Oceanic Slimline octopus? It's cheaper than Viper and can also be used at any direction.

 

[iflyprops]

i have a sherwood Brut for an oct and I love it. It's relatively small, will perform when you need it and resistant to freeflow. Think it has the same innards as the sherwood standard octo, but i'm not positive.

 

[ScubaTexas]

How about Oceanic Slimline octopus? It's cheaper than Viper and can also be used at any direction.

Has anyone tried the Oceanic Slimline octo? Have there been any reports of air leakage at the swivel joint?

 

[Firefyter]

I have to say that I agree with DA on the AIR 2 issue. I own three, and for general rec diving, would not be without one. It's definitely NOT for tech diving, but it works well for me, without any problems. Despite rumors to the contrary, they will work well at normal rec depths. I've used mine at 100' several times, just to make sure it did work, and it breathes almost as easy as my primary. A lot of people bashing them have never used them, they've just jumped on the bandwagon.

 

[d@n]

The idea of matching my primary second stage made the most sense to me and that's what I did for my octo.
Just my $.02

 

[Greg Barlow]

Has anyone tried the Oceanic Slimline octo? Have there been any reports of air leakage at the swivel joint?

I had one of the earliest ones that was produced. Mine developed a major crack in the area where the LP hose attaches.

It had a high WOB effort, but did breathe dry in all positions other than upside down.

Greg