naedward81
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so what if it is decorative. it one of those things that you won't need once you have it, but would've needed if you didn't have it.
Pony setup
- Thread starter littlejohn
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so what if it is decorative. it one of those things that you won't need once you have it, but would've needed if you didn't have it.
r2t
Contributor
Get some form of number one....When the **** hits the fan I don't care who you are it's nice to have your own complete independent source of air. Tank mount or sling is your choice no one else.
Ron L.
Ron L.
.....course your not serious tell us.
NorthWoodsDiver
Contributor
if I am above 100' and in good viz and warm water I use a tank mount 19 with the quick draw bracket. for deeper dives or in poor viz or colder water I use a slung 40. for anything deeper than 150 I use doubles on 1/3rds only.
fishwatcher
Registered
Hello littlejohn,
Comparison Article
You might want to read this article that compares redundant air systems: Got Air? - Scuba Diving Magazine
The Three Choices
All three of the choices you mentioned are good ones. With the appropriate accessories, all three of them can be front-mounted (slung) or back-mounted.
1. Pony Bottle lets you choose your own regulator setup and any tank size. For me, this turned out to be the most cost effective setup. I already had a decent 1st stage, then I added a compact 2nd stage octopus in traditional yellow. I can use my existing tank pressure checker for accurate pressure readings. If there's a problem with my 1st or 2nd stage, it's easy for me to get service or to substitute with non-proprietary regulators (I think you can use standard 2nd stages on the H2Odyssey and Zeagle Razor).
2. Zeagle Razor has limited tank sizes, but lots of mounting options.
3. H2Odyssey has two lines: "Redundant Air System" line, that has a 2nd stage hose and the "Extra Air Source" line that has the 2nd stage connected to the 1st stage without a hose, similar to the Spare Air brand. With a hose, you can back-mount the bottle and use the 2nd stage hands-free. Without a hose, it's more compact, but it might be difficult or impossible to use hands-free (mounting it to your BC near your face is probably not practical). My preference would be for a hands-free setup, but a hands-on setup is better than no backup system.
Recommendation
Answers to the questions below may help you narrow down your choice.
- Decide how you plan to use the product now and in the future (spare air only for yourself? to share with a buddy? to be able to detach it from yourself and hand it off to a buddy?) - This may help determine what mounting options you'd like.
- Determine what volume of air you'd like to carry. I noticed that you've specified a 20 cuft. tank with the Zeagle, so perhaps you've already decided. [Some divers calculate how much air they believe they need from a particular depth (e.g. 100') and factor in that they may be breathing more rapidly in an emergency and would still like enough air to perform a saftey stop. Some divers opt for a small bailout bottle because they're easier to travel with (they would not travel with a large bottle and so wout have no bailout). Some divers feel that a small bottle is better than nothing, others feel that a small bottle is virtually useless and may create a false sense of security.]
- Determine whether you'd like to be able to use a specific regulator, or whether you'd like to have a standard first stage.
- What are the options for filling or refilling the bottle?
- Are there any other features that are important to you personally?
I hope this information proves useful and good luck with your choice!
Comparison Article
You might want to read this article that compares redundant air systems: Got Air? - Scuba Diving Magazine
The Three Choices
All three of the choices you mentioned are good ones. With the appropriate accessories, all three of them can be front-mounted (slung) or back-mounted.
1. Pony Bottle lets you choose your own regulator setup and any tank size. For me, this turned out to be the most cost effective setup. I already had a decent 1st stage, then I added a compact 2nd stage octopus in traditional yellow. I can use my existing tank pressure checker for accurate pressure readings. If there's a problem with my 1st or 2nd stage, it's easy for me to get service or to substitute with non-proprietary regulators (I think you can use standard 2nd stages on the H2Odyssey and Zeagle Razor).
2. Zeagle Razor has limited tank sizes, but lots of mounting options.
3. H2Odyssey has two lines: "Redundant Air System" line, that has a 2nd stage hose and the "Extra Air Source" line that has the 2nd stage connected to the 1st stage without a hose, similar to the Spare Air brand. With a hose, you can back-mount the bottle and use the 2nd stage hands-free. Without a hose, it's more compact, but it might be difficult or impossible to use hands-free (mounting it to your BC near your face is probably not practical). My preference would be for a hands-free setup, but a hands-on setup is better than no backup system.
Recommendation
Answers to the questions below may help you narrow down your choice.
- Decide how you plan to use the product now and in the future (spare air only for yourself? to share with a buddy? to be able to detach it from yourself and hand it off to a buddy?) - This may help determine what mounting options you'd like.
- Determine what volume of air you'd like to carry. I noticed that you've specified a 20 cuft. tank with the Zeagle, so perhaps you've already decided. [Some divers calculate how much air they believe they need from a particular depth (e.g. 100') and factor in that they may be breathing more rapidly in an emergency and would still like enough air to perform a saftey stop. Some divers opt for a small bailout bottle because they're easier to travel with (they would not travel with a large bottle and so wout have no bailout). Some divers feel that a small bottle is better than nothing, others feel that a small bottle is virtually useless and may create a false sense of security.]
- Determine whether you'd like to be able to use a specific regulator, or whether you'd like to have a standard first stage.
- What are the options for filling or refilling the bottle?
- Are there any other features that are important to you personally?
I hope this information proves useful and good luck with your choice!
vicdiver656
Guest
He is kinda right: you have to be right no top of things, or the unexpected is bound to happen. (Murphy's Law) When I was last at my LDS, I told the owner I dive BPW, and he immediately told me that the BPW setup doesn't right itself (keeps you face-down in the water) if the diver goes uncontious. I immediately told him that this is the least of my concerns because most diving should be done with a buddy. Although sometimes annoying, buddies can be helpful! Besides.....what happens if your situations isn't an OOG (out of gas) situation, and you become uncontious (I think I'm spelling that wrong....), or something blocks your windpipe? Recovery is next to impossible. Last week, a memorial was held for a friend of my dad who was a diver. A piece of the reg came out and lodged in his buddie's throat, and he made a beeline for the surface (at 130 feet down) His buddy survived, (they think because of oxygen deprivation) but he followed him too fast and blew up when he hit the surface.
Anyways, I'm not trying to bash you, just trying to tell you a little story that happened to a friend, and has caused me to learn a lot.
Just my two euros...
Anyways, I'm not trying to bash you, just trying to tell you a little story that happened to a friend, and has caused me to learn a lot.
Just my two euros...
FredGarvin
Contributor
I am curious. Do you know the brand name of the defective regulator? Perhaps model too? Was it properly serviced? I never heard of a reg. disintegrating and launching pieces into the throat of a diver.
Thanks,
"The Garvelous"
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