Opinions on the Sherwood Shadow Plus?

[nickbaum]

Hi everyone,

A couple of years ago, I finally bit the bullet and purchased my own gear. I settled on a Zeagle BC and the Octo-Z, since that let me have one less hose.

Unfortunately, I've found that I often want to travel with just my regs, without lugging around the BC. However, this leaves me without an octopus

A friend of mine lent me a Sherwood Shadow Plus, which seems like the best of both worlds. I can't seem to find any other alternate that will connect to a regular dive-shop BC. Besides, it's currently only $100 on closeout.

* Thoughts on the Shadow Plus?
* Should I be concerned about the fact that Sherwood apparently doesn't sell it anymore?
* Any alternatives I should be considering?

Thanks for the advice,

-Nick

 

[RAWalker]

I have one I keep in my reg bag in case my octo/inflator fails and I need to rent a BC on short notice. It works, it breaths well enough only problem is that in most cases the inflator hose is too short and will require you to keep you head turned slightly. I don't have this problem with my Air 3 as the mouthpiece is further down by 3-4" giving me enough hose to turn my head if needed. In a OOA even I'd consider disconnecting it from the inflator to breath on and manuallly inflateor reconnect it at the surface.

 

[nickbaum]

Great, thanks for the information. I'm not too concerned about the fit, after all the hope is to never have to use it, and if you ever do, to surface quickly.

The ability to connect to a rental BC is really the big selling point for me. Are there any other alternates that allow this?

-Nick

 

[RAWalker]

That same config is marketed under a number of manufacturers badges.

 

[keyshunter]

In my opinion the Shadow+ is the WORST of both worlds. I had one and could not get rid of it fast enough. It was a lousy breather (and yes, I know how to adjust a reg) and made for a very clumsy inflator setup. Actually, the older round Shadow was a better breather, but even more clumsy. If I wanted an octo-inflator, which I do not, the Shadow+ would be my last choice.

 

[nickbaum]

Hi keyshunter,

Thanks for the input. I understand the limitations, but it seems to me these only come into play when you have to use it as a reg. This is my alternate, not my primary, so I should rarely have to use it as a reg (fingers crossed).

Having just used one on my last trip, I felt the convenience of not having to bring my BC outweighed any marginal clumsiness in the inflator design. Given that no other octo-inflator seems to enable this, I've gone ahead and ordered the Shadow+.

Cheers,

-Nick

 

[Mopar]

I have one and love it. I read above were the inflator hose is to small. It is but I put a longer hose on it to match my BC's corrugated hose. That fixed the problem. Also mine breaths fine. Maybe the person who posted theirs did not breath good just got a lemon I don't know. I just had mine serviced and dove it awhile ago all is well.

 

[Wayne at DiveSeekers]

Another option is the Atomic SS1 Safe Second Inflator. Typically you will rent the same BC for the whole week so this will require just a hair more work (Cut off zip ties, take off BC inflator and connect SS1, reapply Zip ties) but it will be well worth it. This maybe more expensive but it is the best breathing, most reliable one on the market. Besides that, it is easier to use in the unlikely event that you have to switch to it. When purchased it comes with adapters to fit any size corrugated hose.

 

[Hatul]

I have the Oceanic Slimline 2 for my pony bottle and it does breathe hard. I'm sure it's purposely detuned to prevent free flow, but still I would not buy it for an octo.

Adam

 

[keyshunter]

Nickbaum,
Enjoy your new Shadow+. Hopefully you will never have to use it in a true OOA emergency. It has long been my contention that the reason octo-inflators in general are so popular is that their owners are so seldom involved in a true OOA emergency. For example, in more than 4100 dives, I have been a doner in only 2 OOA emergencies. Please believe me when I say that things do not go nearly as smoothly as they do in drills.