SHERWOOD SR1 Reg.

[RawFish]

Hey Guys..

I tested my new SR1 yesterday at the pool. It's spectacular! you can tell by switching to the octo... the difference is monumental. What a nice reg.

One thing though. I set it up as the picture above a so the reg is in the right-front hose. One the air is open the second stage hose's pulls the reg out of mouth, especially when I turn my face to the right.

I'll try switching the second stage to the plug in the right-back of the first stage so to give the hose more room. Also, the turret doesn't move much because the 2 front hoses touched my back.

Any thoughts?

 

[BrandonT03]

Hey RawFish I'm having the same problem with the reg getting pulled out of your mouth i tried all hose configurations i could think of but if it wasn't pulling when i turned left it would pull right so i think im going to try switching the mouth pieces because i found the factory rubber to soft and slips between your teeth so easy...how did you make out switching yours???

 

[halocline]

One thing though. I set it up as the picture above a so the reg is in the right-front hose. One the air is open the second stage hose's pulls the reg out of mouth, especially when I turn my face to the right.

I'll try switching the second stage to the plug in the right-back of the first stage so to give the hose more room. Also, the turret doesn't move much because the 2 front hoses touched my back.

Any thoughts?

If I understand you correctly, it sounds like the hose to the SR1 2nd stage is too long. IMO, most regs are sold with too-long hoses. You could try a shorter one, maybe one of the miflex, or you could switch out both hoses and try a modified tech set up. You put the primary 2nd on a 5-6ft hose, and the alternate on a 22-24" hose. The primary goes from the 1st stage, under your right arm, across your chest, over your left shoulder, behind your head, and around to the right. You make or buy a bungie necklace for the alternate, and it sits right under your chin. To share air, you dip your head and donate the primary, and breathe off the alternate. It's very comfortable and an excellent solution for sharing air.

The reason the reg hoses are against your head on the right is because the LP inflator hose is too long (very common) and it's pushing the turret around. Contrary to what you would expect, the turret will not swivel much when the reg is in use because the LP inflator hose will pretty much determine where the swivel sits.

 

[Timoblue]

If I understand you correctly, it sounds like the hose to the SR1 2nd stage is too long.

Roughly 32'' from the first to the second stage hose.

I would say go for a longer hose to resolve the problem.

You put the primary 2nd on a 5-6ft hose, and the alternate on a 22-24" hose. The primary goes from the 1st stage, under your right arm, across your chest, over your left shoulder, behind your head, and around to the right.

But not that long.

 

[Dive Right In Scuba]

I have a 48" miflex hose and a 360 omniswivel on mine...routes under my arm...ITS AWESOME!! No pull and is extremely comfortable! I'm 6'3" 195lbs for comparison. I highly recommend this for anyone as an upgrade to an already great reg

 

[RawFish]

I will definitely consider the 360 swivel... for now I have changed the mouthpiece to a comfobite one (similar to Aqualung ones), which is bigger and has a palate guard... should keep the reg in my mouth.

When the air is open the hose of the regulator hardens and it tends to straighten the hose, which I think is pulling the reg out of my mouth when I turn my head to the right. However, this doesn't occur with the octopus... I think because the octopus is in the back port, so the hose has more space and is not forced to be bent as much.

I've switched my SR1 to the back port on the right, will test and post the results.

P.S. Are those 360 swivels expensive?

 

[Dive Right In Scuba]

I will definitely consider the 360 swivel... for now I have changed the mouthpiece to a comfobite one (similar to Aqualung ones), which is bigger and has a palate guard... should keep the reg in my mouth.

When the air is open the hose of the regulator hardens and it tends to straighten the hose, which I think is pulling the reg out of my mouth when I turn my head to the right. However, this doesn't occur with the octopus... I think because the octopus is in the back port, so the hose has more space and is not forced to be bent as much.

I've switched my SR1 to the back port on the right, will test and post the results.

P.S. Are those 360 swivels expensive?

If you think the hose is causing you trouble, get a Miflex Hose:
https://www.diverightinscuba.com/catalog/xsscubamiflexhoseslowpressure-p-2141.html

As for the swivels, expensive is in the eye of the buyer Its one of my favorite purchases, so to me, on a $600 reg, its not much at all:
https://www.diverightinscuba.com/catalog/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=swivel&x=0&y=0

 

[RawFish]

Hey All... Reporting back almost a year later with bad news, unfortunately.

Since I started using my SR1 in the summer 2009 I noticed random free-flows at the pool, in the St-Lawrence river, in Quarries, at the surface, at 50ft, etc. So I took it back to the LDS and they adjusted it. Then all was good for a while, until late August, I was Diving in a quarry at 100ft for 5 minutes and a free-flow almost drowned me; I switched to the Sherwood Octo after noticing I couldn't breath from the SR1 and the Octo was not performing either at such depth; my tank emptied in about a minute. I Had to breath from my buddy's Octo my way up, he had the same sherwood octo so I couldn't breath very well... as expected anxiety raised, heart-beats to the ceiling... we managed a controlled ascent, but still my computer punished me with 5 minutes safety stop, still breathing with difficulty through my buddy's Sherwood Octo; at that point an Instructor came to the rescue and handed me his spare Apex, and only then I saw the light at the end of the tunnel.

After the incident, I called a buddy who bought the same SR1 with me and he said "I had so many free flows with that reg... I returned it last month..." This was not very motivating.

So I did the same thing, returned it. The LDS owner said a few clients had returned their SR1 regs for the same issue... maybe we are pushing it too much? or are we pushing it as it is advertised? (top of the line - high performance - deep - cold water...)

I'm sorry. I cannot trust it anymore, and besides, as per my peers' comments I cannot recommend this regulator for cold, deep, demanding dives. I guess if you are in the caribbean at 50ft it may be Ok.

That is my terrifying experience; Worst of my life so far. I still think about it and feel the adrenaline rush through my veins. I'll get a better (more reputed) reg with my credit cuz I want to do my Rescue and DM courses and don't want to be on the "what's-gonna-happen-next" mode.

 

[driftwood]

At 100' for only 5 minutes, all hell breaks loose and then you listen to your computer about a safety stop?

I would have figured that my dive day was over and ignored my computer. Especially since you did a controlled assent.

 

[halocline]

I was Diving in a quarry at 100ft for 5 minutes and a free-flow almost drowned me; I switched to the Sherwood Octo after noticing I couldn't breath from the SR1 and the Octo was not performing either at such depth; my tank emptied in about a minute. I Had to breath from my buddy's Octo my way up, he had the same sherwood octo so I couldn't breath very well...

If I understand you, the primary 2nd stage was free-flowing so you switched to your octo, which was very hard to breathe from, so you breathed off your buddy's reg? Or did both 2nd stages free flow?

Anyhow, I have a feeling that someone really competent 'should' be able to fix your reg. But, since there are so many excellent options for regs out there, I understand why you would want to ditch it and get something else.

I would suggest a scubapro MK17/G250V. This is one of the most proven and copied 2nd stages in existence paired with a rock-solid 1st stage with excellent cold water performance.