Question about air2's

[Pin83]

I dive with a bungeed octo, and donate primary. A few years ago, when I was new to diving, I had a DiveRite integrated octoinflator. Thought it was great, nice and streamlined, but a bit fiddly to orally inflate.
On a shallow dive, I noticed I was having buoyancy problems, and kept dumping air frequently. Inflator was leaking air into the bladder, and I kept drifting up. Had to finish the dives with it disconnected (therefore, no inflator, no octo...)
Sent it for service (with Scuba Doctor), and the valve was seized and unserviceable....throw away after about 20 dives.

Luckily, I bought it cheap, and Peter did me a good deal on a new octo (I still had the original inflator), so it was not a disaster. I wouldn't go back...

Sometimes, when you combine two things the whole is greater than the sum of parts. Sometimes it's a poor compromise. I'm not convinced the added streamline offsets the downside, but it's a personal choice...

 

[saudio]

My experience is that the octo is clipped off and pretty much forgotten over time. The combo is usually in a newbie's dominant hand. In a "brain-lock" emergency, the more options you have, the greater your chances of a good outcome.

---------- Post added May 19th, 2013 at 10:34 PM ----------

I donate the primary and my backup is bungeed around my neck. Mine alone. There are agencies that see a clipped-off octo as sub-optimal.

I'm not sure why a clipped off octo would be forgotten any more than any other piece of equipment you have to handle before every dive, including an octo that is bungeed. And wouldn't a combo inflator be mounted on the diver's left?

At least we both agree that an octo is a better option than a combo.

 

[maniago]

Luckily, I bought it cheap, and Peter did me a good deal on a new octo (I still had the original inflator), so it was not a disaster. I wouldn't go back...

Sometimes, when you combine two things the whole is greater than the sum of parts. Sometimes it's a poor compromise. I'm not convinced the added streamline offsets the downside, but it's a personal choice...

And sometimes you buy someone's junk and you get....junk. And that's ok if you form that opinion - like people never buying Ford again because they bought a lemon Pinto in 1974 (not sure of the Aussie equivalent), but might require a grain of salt. After all, if you get a crap regulator, you're not going to swear off all regulators then. Just saying.....

---------- Post added May 20th, 2013 at 10:04 AM ----------

The combo is usually in a newbie's dominant hand.

Exactly. Spot on. As a noobe, they are so focused on bouyancy that the inflator is always in their hand. And so is therefore is their backup/octo/second reg whatever you want to call it. It eliminates a step in chain (locating the octo), and for noobes or anyone in the panic cycle, this can be crucial. I just don't see how this is a detriment or why anyone would rail against it as vehemently as happens on this board.

 

[BDSC]

Pretty much any diver who is somewhat competent in diving skills should have no problem using an AIR II. The only people I know that have had problems with them have been folks on the internet. Never met one in real life.

 

[lowviz]

...//... And wouldn't a combo inflator be mounted on the diver's left? ...//...

Good catch, I see the world differently. There were eight in my immediate family, six lefties and two righties...

 

[maniago]

Good catch, I see the world differently. There were eight in my immediate family, six lefties and two righties...

I've never seen a left handed or right handed BCD. As far as I know there is only one standard convention world-wide, tech and cave not withstanding....

 

[saudio]

And sometimes you buy someone's junk and you get....junk. And that's ok if you form that opinion - like people never buying Ford again because they bought a lemon Pinto in 1974 (not sure of the Aussie equivalent), but might require a grain of salt. After all, if you get a crap regulator, you're not going to swear off all regulators then. Just saying.....

---------- Post added May 20th, 2013 at 10:04 AM ----------



Exactly. Spot on. As a noobe, they are so focused on bouyancy that the inflator is always in their hand. And so is therefore is their backup/octo/second reg whatever you want to call it. It eliminates a step in chain (locating the octo), and for noobes or anyone in the panic cycle, this can be crucial. I just don't see how this is a detriment or why anyone would rail against it as vehemently as happens on this board.

It's really simple. There are two things that have to happen in an out of air emergency. One, you have to establish air sharing. Two, you have to safely get to the surface. A combo inflator makes both of those tasks more difficult. Not impossible, but more difficult. More thinking involved to do it right, at a time when you are going to be very stressed.

And you trade this added task loading in an emergency for one less hose. To me it's like taking off your shoulder belt in a car and only using the lap belt because it wrinkles your jacket.

 

[lowviz]

...//... As far as I know there is only one standard convention world-wide, tech and cave not withstanding....

Yes, the inflator will come over your left shoulder, you will use your left hand to operate it.

It's really simple. There are two things that have to happen in an out of air emergency. One, you have to establish air sharing. ...//...

Go for donation first. Air sharing is difficult at best.

Becoming reduced to air sharing pretty much requires two unrelated and simultaneous failures. Unlikely, but not impossible.

 

[saudio]

Yes, the inflator will come over your left shoulder, you will use your left hand to operate it.



Go for donation first. Air sharing is difficult at best.

Becoming reduced to air sharing pretty much requires two unrelated and simultaneous failures. Unlikely, but not impossible.

I use those two terms interchangeably. I was referring to getting a spare regulator in your mouth.

 

[Pin83]

Maniago, you misunderstand. I bought the Air2 (well, a DiveRite one, but they were rebadged ScubaPro anyway) brand new, from a shop, never wet...just on sale. It wasn't someone throwing away junk (although I have bought old, used regs before, and I understand the risks....I dived an old second-hand side-breathing Posiedon for years, until the valve-body needed replacing... I loved that reg! )

I believe the internal design of the Air2 is inferior to a conventional occy. WOB is poor, and oral inflation is weird. I know inflators can and do fail and leak ...but with a conventional occy, disconnecting your inflator doesn't disconnect your occy. It's probably easier to service, and less likely to need replacing (but I'm no reg tech, and happy to be corrected...)

I'm not a die-hard DIR fan, just a humble diver.... but my experience with Air2 was not favourable.

Dave.