sherwood

[Gator Diver]

What has been people's experience with
Sherwood regulators. If you could comment
on the specific regulator, how long you have
had it, type of diving you do. A couple
of people have recommended them but I have
not seen much discussion on this board about them.

 

[Walter]

I bought a Sherwood Magnum in 1983. It's pretty much bullet proof. It works well and requires little maintenance. OTOH, it won't deliver enough air for two divers to breathe it at 100 ft.

 

[SubMariner]

I bought my Sherwood Blizzard new in 1991. At that time most of my diving was done in the cold, low viz waters of The Great White North, so it was important that my reg be able to withstand the temps as well as be environmentally sealed. Nevertheless, that reg has also been throughout the Caribbean, off the Channel Islands, and in the Red Sea.

However, even though it was a balanced piston reg, I found that at depth (100+) it could seem like it was a bit of a harder draw than in the shallows. So about 3 years ago I switched to a Mares Abyss, which is a higher performance reg. I still have the Sherwood & in fact it is used regularly by friends & family on dive trips. (We are the official gear people. )

Pros:
- as Walter said, pretty much "bullet proof"; they seem to be able to be fixed just about anywhere.
- with the exception of the Brut model, the 2nd stage is designed to capture the moisture from your breath & return it to you, which significantly cuts down on "cotton mouth".
- because of the positive air bleed from the 1st stage, they are essentially environmentally sealed.
- good sized exhaust T cuts down on bubble interference.

Cons:
- although balanced, it's not high performance. It may not be a big deal, but you CAN feel the difference at depth.
- some people dislike the bulky exhaust T.

Hope this helps,

~SubMariner~

 

[Gator Diver]

Submariner,
You say the Sherwood is harder to draw at depth.
What depth are you talking about? I plan
to do most of my dives under 100ft. Thanks
for your info so far.

 

[Walter]

The Sherwood will breathe a little harder at 100 ft, but not so much that it's an issue. OTOH, if you'll be buddied with strangers at 100 who might run out of air, I'd recommend a high performance reg.

 

[Born2Dive]

I've gotton my Sherwood Oasis for around two months. Did about 12 dives in it, mainly warm water for an average depth of around 60ft.

Pretty happy with it, has the moisture rentention fins that helps prevent dry mouth, thot it was a gimmick at first, but apparently it works. It breathes very easy, though yet to try it at depths. Like the exhaust as the bubbles are deflected away from the front to the side.
Erm,...some cons,... maybe it gets very slightly difficult to breathe if i were to look up and breathe, but then i would really be nit picking for faults.
Other than that, i think it is a pretty decent reg to use and very easy to breathe off. Again, i have not gone to around 100 ft yet, so i can only say for what i've experienced.
I felt it was very comparable to the SP mk2/r190 performance, which i have used b4.

Cheers. :boozer:

 

[Glub]

newbie-in-fl once bubbled...
What has been people's experience with
Sherwood regulators. If you could comment
on the specific regulator, how long you have
had it, type of diving you do.

I bought an Oasis 2 used and, after having it serviced, have about 60 dives on it, 10 - 30 meter range, and I love it. I can not say that I have ever noticed it working hard to deliver me my precious air.

Pros
I believe the "anti-cotton mouth" feature really works.

The dry bleed system is a simple way of sealing the first stage

As already mentioned - bombproof

As already mentioned - you can get parts/servicing almost anywhere.

Wide exhaust T makes for less bubbles in your face

No user adjustments to screw up

Cons
Not the smallest second stage

Dry bleed system results in tiny bubbles escaping from first stage - some folks will swear you are about to blow an o - ring and it can make for bad photo ops

I hope that helps.

FYI - The Oasis 2 is the older model, the Oasis is the newer model - go figure.

I also have the "Shadow plus" OCTO/intergrated into BC inflator. I wouldn't call that a high performance second stage but I dove 20+ meters for 40+ minutes breathing on it with no complaints.

Bottom line - I don't think you are going to find anyone giving up their APEKS for a sherwood but you could do worse.

 

[shrwdtech]

Thanks for the kind comments everybody!

 

[Big-t-2538]

Damn near every dive I have made has been with a sherwood magnum....

been to 120 ft (not by plan....damn narcosis and cool fish) in warm water with no problem...

been to 90+ in cold water with no problem.

We didn't try an air share at 90 in cold water....

For the price (if you look you can pick up a blizzard or oasis for around 200$), you can't beat a sealed piston first stage....

As I understand it the blizzard and oasis are identical with the exception of a grey plate on the second stage of the blizzard.

 

[shrwdtech]

There are a few parts differences between the Blizzard and the Oasis regulators.

Their main emphasis is on the Blizzard being more resistant to frosting over in extremely cold water conditions.