Pros vs. Cons: Alt air on BC inflator?

[Dryglove]

trying to time your breathing to when you need to remove the reg from your mouth to vent or add air seems like some sort of barotrauma just waiting for a place to happen.

Actually if you are using a air2 type set up your BC should have a right mounted shoulder dump that way you dont have to remove the air source from your mouth to vent. Regardless i still dont like the set up.

 

[archman]

I wonder if this is the most commonly resurrected thread topic on this board. It's gotta be in the Top 10. Maybe we should make it a sticky.

Gogums, query a search with the keywords "AIR2" and take a deep breath. Hopefully your computer can handle all the downloaded information. I think the last thread on alternate air regs was 5 days ago.

 

[jbichsel]

Actually if you are using a air2 type set up your BC should have a right mounted shoulder dump that way you dont have to remove the air source from your mouth to vent. Regardless i still dont like the set up.

Good point about the shoulder dump. At the time I tried the Air2, the BC I had did not have a shoulder dump.

 

[rescuediver009]

Most people view the Alternate being on your BC as a negative thing because it is something that they are not used to. And while it does eliminate a hose, it is not like you have 10 of them everywhere. There are only four. One is under your left arm, the other is on your left shoulder and the other in is your mouth! So one more tucked under your right arm is not a huge deal. And along with getting used to the different system yourself you have to go through familiarizing every buddy that you dive with aswell. It takes alot of practice to et something right in an emergency when everyone is panicking and isn't thinking straight. Add in not being able to breathe and everything you practiced and prepared for goes out the window.

 

[Charlie99]

Another downside to the combo inflator/octo devices is that, judging from the comments of various users I've met while diving, the inflator/octos are both lower quality regulators and more prone to problems than standard octos.

 

[ShakaZulu]

So, what is the price of eggs in Russia???

 

[archman]

Another downside to the combo inflator/octo devices is that, judging from the comments of various users I've met while diving, the inflator/octos are both lower quality regulators and more prone to problems than standard octos.

There's a lot of comments like that on this board too, but they're mostly all hype. AIR2's are ScubaPro made and superior regs in their own right. I believe DA Aquamaster or some of the other regulator guru's on this board have posted extensively on this. Some AIR2's have been reported as overly "sensitive" and known to freeflow, but that can be corrected by a technician. My old one was like that, but now is adjusted and a superb performer. And I'm mean to my regs... drop 'em, leave 'em outside, rarely service, etc...

As for the other alternate inflator regs on the market, they're newer on the scene and still mostly an unknown (the AIR2 monopoly copyright expired only in the late '90's I believe). I'm sure some of them could be argued to be of inferior quality, but all this board ever seems to write about are AIR 2's. I think TUSA makes a model that looks virtually identical.

 

[DementialFaith]

I was doing a lobster dive on the opening "day"(or night), after getting out of the surf zone I told myself "I have too many stuff hanging on my bc." I am now beginning to look into inflator octo combo...

 

[The Chairman]

For me... range of motion is why I hate them. For fun... just use it for and entire dive. They aren't the best breathers, but they are "OK". Not an issue I would want to deal with when the poo hits the fan. Now check your range of motion... unless you have an unusually long hose, you will be forced to look to your left. In an OOA your buddy is to your right... Hmmmnnn, I don't want to struggle to see my buddy. Now, if you use an especially short BC hose (like I do), the are almost impossible to use.

BTW, I keep putting my two on E-Bay... but would gladly part with them to someone here.

 

[rescuediver009]

Another downside to the combo inflator/octo devices is that, judging from the comments of various users I've met while diving, the inflator/octos are both lower quality regulators and more prone to problems than standard octos.

True for most of the time but it does have exceptions like atomics apeks/zeagle and scubapro.