Power inflator octo

[Diver0001]

If you lived in Los Angeles this would make sense too...

I've been to LA a couple of times....

I rode the bus.

R..

 

[spectrum]

Will a combo unit work? Of couse it will. IMO removing a hose hardly equates to streamlining in and of itsself. Getting your gear in close, and having compact effective components is more important to me. I chose to go with independent devices, here's what went into my decision.

http://www.scubaboard.com/showpost.php?p=1169848&postcount=3

Pete

 

[pablosells]

I used an Oceanic AirXS for almost 80 dives and I'm just getting rid of it. Why?

1- It's much easier to mistreat your backup regulator when it's permanently attached to your BC. I found myself not treating it as well or soaking at is long as my primary.

2- You need to leave your BC at the shop when you get your regs serviced.

3- It's harder to travel with your regs only since you don't have a secondary attached.

4- In an OOA situation it's really not that easy to breathe off the thing and control buoyancy.

5- The primary is typically on short hose (30" or so?) and it's tough to have a buddy breathe on that.

Sure there are some advantages but freeing up a LP port is meaningless for most divers as is streamlining. If streamlining is a concern no one should be using jacket BCs.

I'm going with a secondary on a short hose and a primary on a long hose.

 

[Tassie_Rohan]

I dont understand this 'streamlined' thing.

My normal occy sits in the hollow of my armpit, with the occy hose tucked into the waistbelt: so everything is inline with my body when diving. Nothing sticks out. Thats streamlined.

Look at the location of the inflator hose when diving - where does it fall? it hangs vertically down beneath the diver, particularly with the longer hoses used with these inflator-occy combinations. The inflator occy is not tucked in with the body and, in terms of relative drag, is similar to less streamlined than a well-positioned standard occy. It is also more exposed to damage when poking around in tight spots or plowing through the mud.

Cheers,
Rohan.

 

[dlndavid]

I used an Oceanic AirXS for almost 80 dives and I'm just getting rid of it. Why?

1- It's much easier to mistreat your backup regulator when it's permanently attached to your BC. I found myself not treating it as well or soaking at is long as my primary.

Again personal opinion, much easier for YOU, I have no problem soaking my Air2 along with my primary, and the rest of my gear for that matter.

2- You need to leave your BC at the shop when you get your regs serviced.

Not true for me. My Air2 was detached from my BC, how do you think it got there, it ain't permanent.

3- It's harder to travel with your regs only since you don't have a secondary attached.

You're reaching here... how is it harder? My Air2 tucks away very nice, down the edge of my carry on bag and I always bring my BC.

4- In an OOA situation it's really not that easy to breathe off the thing and control buoyancy.

I hear this all the time, have you experienced this? Did you think about using you other dump valves to ascend? You are ascending I hope, no need to add air, right?

5- The primary is typically on short hose (30" or so?) and it's tough to have a buddy breathe on that.

Apparently if you are DIR, this is impossible, it is only possible if you are PADI trained.

Sure there are some advantages but freeing up a LP port is meaningless for most divers as is streamlining. If streamlining is a concern no one should be using jacket BCs.

I think streamlining is very important, and what do jacket BC's have to do with streamlining or not streamlining?

I'm going with a secondary on a short hose and a primary on a long hose.

Now I can't argue with you here, as it is what you want, my opinion is worthless here.

 

[Chad Carney]

Nancy asked for experiences, and she sure has heard plenty.

Here's a perspective from someone that has used, sold and taught with AIRs since the first generation debuted. I think AIRs still need some work, but that won't stop me from using the device that I far prefer to any other spare second stage.

Some are a bit shorter on the hose than other fully integrated models, but are very service free. Many others have some issues with more service needed. Some require the use of an independent BC exhaust valve, and others do not.

It's probably safe to say that few of the responding divers that think an AIR does not simplify or streamline, ever freedive!
I hate every hose that I must use... every additional piece of necessary gear. (No long hoses for me, thank you.)

BTW, 4 port LP adapters became available for regulators in the mid seventies, and were built into many regulators by the late seventies. AIRs, which hit in the early eighties, were not designed to rectify port problems, even though they did solve them for old or economy model regulators.

To each their own. An AIR can certainly work very well for a diver in St Pete, FL.

Nancy, hello from Tampa Bay!

Chad
Zeagle Octo+ owner.

 

[fishb0y]

I truley love post such as these. I dove with bondage wings and an Air2, and now I'm trying out a "modified" hogarthian set-up . Thats the great thing about our hobbie, we are free to choose our own gear because lets be honest... most, if not all of the unsafe gear is off the market.

 

[pablosells]

Again personal opinion, much easier for YOU, I have no problem soaking my Air2 along with my primary, and the rest of my gear for that matter.

Of course we all have opnions but we can also speak from experience and my experience over the course of almost 80 dives with an AirXS is that it's much easier to soak your regs for an hour in fresh water than it is to soak your BC. The regs are smaller and need less water to soak in. A BC doesn't need to be soaked liked that so will most people really bother just for the inflator/octo?

Not true for me. My Air2 was detached from my BC, how do you think it got there, it ain't permanent.

Well a BC without it's inflator/octo combo is pretty useless. A BC with a regular inflator can be mated to almost any reg with an inflator hose.

You're reaching here... how is it harder? My Air2 tucks away very nice, down the edge of my carry on bag and I always bring my BC.

The point isn't that the Air2 is hard to travel with but that you need to travel with your BC and regs if you have an Air2. I don't like to travel with a bulky BC but I like to travel with my regulator. Tough to do with an Air2 since you're lacking a secondary. For new divers interested in purchasing a BC or a regulator it's a little tougher as well.

I hear this all the time, have you experienced this? Did you think about using you other dump valves to ascend? You are ascending I hope, no need to add air, right?

Of course I've experienced it. Doesn't everyone practice ;-) But seriously if you don't have another shoulder dump valve and you're ascending vertical it's trickier. In difficult situations when you're trying to do too many things it's asking for trouble.

Apparently if you are DIR, this is impossible, it is only possible if you are PADI trained.

I'm not DIR but if you're using an Air2 or AirXS etc. and you're going to donate your primary then you'd better worry about how long the hose is. An octo hose is 40"+. Shouldn't your primary be that length if you plan to donate it? How many people using an octo/inflator combo dive with a primary on a hose at least as long as the octo? How many dive shops recommend that when you buy an AirXS/Air2/etc?

I think streamlining is very important, and what do jacket BC's have to do with streamlining or not streamlining?

I just used this as an example because there are things that make a much bigger difference than having one less hose and of those is not having a massive air cell around your body. Everyone goes on and on and on about how one hose less makes such a big difference. It's just not true. Another poster pointed out that a big bulky inflator/octo hanging 12" below your body on a long corrugated hose pretty much kills an streamlining effect you may be going for.

Now I can't argue with you here, as it is what you want, my opinion is worthless here

I wouldn't say that. You bring up interesting points.

 

[dlndavid]

all good points, but if you don't care what gear you use, use rental gear, don't soak your gear, and everybody likes to take off a hose or two.

 

[KOMPRESSOR]

Excuse me for snipping away here, but I'm not so sorry

I hear this all the time, have you experienced this? Did you think about using you other dump valves to ascend? You are ascending I hope, no need to add air, right?

Yes you may indeed need to add air when you want to ascend, since you would prefer having a controlled ascend, even if "PADI trained" right? Using only your dump valves in a stressed out situation may very well have you dump your air too quickly.

Apparently if you are DIR, this is impossible, it is only possible if you are PADI trained.

Didn't you notice? A regular "octo" hose, you know the yellow one, is longer than the primary (black). Why? So you can at least have that distance to your freaked out buddy if you need to....to control the ascend of both of you...

I think streamlining is very important, and what do jacket BC's have to do with streamlining or not streamlining?

If you really do, get yourself a single tank wing and a metal backplate with harness. I doesn't have to be Halcyon even Your not streamlained in a regular bcd, even if you got rid of all your hoses. I had plenty of diving experience with a regular bcd when I made "the switch", so I already had reduced my air consumtion to "normal". I still dropped another 15-20% over the night when I started using my single tank Eclipse system. Why? Definitely because I use less energy when swimming. But then I do swim when I dive. I'm not just lying there over a reef, as many prefer to do (Which is just fine too!).


David, we may have different approaches to our diving. I am definitely not a DIR guru, or religious in any way! I too believe LESS IS MORE when it comes to diving, but I see no problem for the combos to solve. They are (for me in the arctic) definitely less worthy 2. stages. Therefore they have no mission other than for the diveshops to sell. That's not a good reason to get one, and I say this even if I do sell some dive gear on occation from my shop...

But enjoy your diving David! You too! :57: