Regulator for tec

[LanceRiley]

???
Using original Scubapro hoses, that tool is YOUR FINGERS.
The hose is designed to be hand-screwed, and the hose sleeve protector is designed in such a way of protecting the finned flange, for ensuring that it does not unscrew by contact with your body or the equipment.
This allows to swap the second stage on boat with your fingers, if needed. And it happened to me to do that a number of times...

hand screwed? then why does scubapro have a tool for that? ive seen some hand screwed ones that came off

 

[LanceRiley]

Yes, a tech diver should always service his regs. Consider this as a part of training required for becoming a true tech diver.
Regarding availability of original parts and proper tools, in my opinion no other brands equates SP. I still find original service kits for my four old Mark V (that is a MK5+109) after 40+ years they were built!
And during the years I was allowed to update them adopting all the innovations occurred, such as a balanced poppet for second stage, blue silicon exhaust valve, the new hand-screwed hoses, the stainless steel retainer for the turret on the 1st stage, the new conical seats for the MK10, etc...
I think that with no other brand I could be still using them after 45 years.
A word about the "grey market" for service kits. I do not know exactly what you do mean, but here in Italy there are several physical shops who are authorized Scubapro dealers, so they buy the kit directly from the factory, and then they sell them on the Internet. When I did purchase them, I got also the regular "scontrino fiscale", which is the document proofing the payment for the Italian tax Agency. All legal, all official, nothing "grey" or "black"...
As these online offers are not limited to Italy, you can buy these service kits online almost anywhere in the world.
Here for example a couple of them, selling the MK25 service kit:
https://www.acquasub.it/en/catalogu...58/maintenance-kit-scubapro-mk25-af-sa-t.html
Scubapro Kit Revisione 1° Stadio MK25/AF/SA/T/MK20/MK25 EVO - TEK Evolution
The second is a bargain, just 18€.
If you happen to come to these shops, you can also walk in and buy the kit at the desk. I see nothing "grey" in this...

what i meant was that there are people who service regs that arent certified by sp. ofcourse all the parts come from scubapro

 

[The Chairman]

hand screwed? then why does scubapro have a tool for that? ive seen some hand screwed ones that came off

Most of my personal regs are hand tightened only. I do check that they are seated before each and every dive, so I don't have a twist off. My OW and student regs get a slight snug with a wrench, but not much. Too many people overtighten hoses and such on their regs.

 

[Angelo Farina]

what i meant was that there are people who service regs that arent certified by sp. ofcourse all the parts come from scubapro

I do service my SP regs, and I am not certified by SP.
However I went once at their factory in Casarza Ligure (near Genoa), it was probably 1977 or 1978, and a technician did show me how to dismount and remount my Mark V, after replacing all the parts which should replaced annually.
And then how to tune it "the factory way" and "my way".
The training was individual, it took approximately 3 hours, I got no certification for it, but I did learn how to do that...
I think that getting a certification from SP is needed only if you work at a facility which repairs regulators for their customers. Not for working on your own regs...

 

[Angelo Farina]

hand screwed? then why does scubapro have a tool for that? ive seen some hand screwed ones that came off

The tool is for unscrewing hoses which were badly over-tightened by users or shops who are not aware...
The hoses you have seen unscrewing were probably not protected by the special SP sleeve, which is part of their design, avoiding accidental unscrewing. The sleeve rotates freely over the finned nut, avoiding that it can also rotate.

 

[LanceRiley]

Most of my personal regs are hand tightened only. I do check that they are seated before each and every dive, so I don't have a twist off. My OW and student regs get a slight snug with a wrench, but not much. Too many people overtighten hoses and such on their regs.

aah ok hand tighten is a bit subjective. depends on hand strength. but rest assured . i dont grip the handle of the tool like a bat. ill probably use 2 fingers to pull on the handle that way it isnt overtightened. i see that your a dive shop that does dive tours... that would be helpful to switch regs on the fly. im just a diver. ill probably bring tools

 

[LanceRiley]

The tool is for unscrewing hoses which were badly over-tightened by users or shops who are not aware...

i wont overtighten. 2 fingers pulling in the tool. learned that playing with firearms. torque with 1 or 2 fingers

 

[LanceRiley]

I do service my SP regs, and I am not certified by SP.
However I went once at their factory in Casarza Ligure (near Genoa), it was probably 1977 or 1978, and a technician did show me how to dismount and remount my Mark V, after replacing all the parts which should replaced annually.
And then how to tune it "the factory way" and "my way".
The training was individual, it took approximately 3 hours, I got no certification for it, but I did learn how to do that...
I think that getting a certification from SP is needed only if you work at a facility which repairs regulators for their customers. Not for working on your own regs...

ok thats interesting. but there are guys in the industry. well call them shop assistants who learned it from certified techs overtime left their jobs but still do reg servicing

 

[Angelo Farina]

ok thats interesting. but there are guys in the industry. well call them shop assistants who learned it from certified techs overtime left their jobs but still do reg servicing

So they were not trained at the factory, as it happened to me? And learned "second hand" from certified technicians?
And you thrust them for servicing your own regs? DIY will always be safer than relying on those "technicians"...

 

[Angelo Farina]

i wont overtighten. 2 fingers pulling in the tool. learned that playing with firearms. torque with 1 or 2 fingers

So exactly the same torque which you apply through the special "finned" nut of modern SP hoses...
The result is the same, a nut which is screwed enough for not unscrewing, but can be manually unscrewed, if needed, applying proper force but without any tool (again, thanks to the special finned nut, which allow your finger to apply a much larger torque than what you could with your fingers on a traditional hexagonal nut).