Should I get slightly lower quality octo than my primary?

[Edward3c]

I’m looking to buy a new octo. (My current octo was a second hand, inherited from a friend)

My primary is brand new, which costs ~$800, and I don’t want to pay that much for an octo. Is it a good idea to get cheaper octo?

(Cold water use)

Look at it from the other prospective. If you needed your buddy’s octopus would you like to know is capable of delivering the gas you want? It can be argued that your secondary should be a higher spec than your primary.

 

[Raphus]

Octo should be equal, or better quality then primary.

If you primary fails and you octo is of lower quality, then it will fail soon aswell..

800 is very expensive ofc..
I am not familiar with that brand, others might have a suggestion

 

[Julius SCHMIDT]

I dived one of these as my main regulator for many many years

Second 2nd Stage Scuba Explorer Diving Regulator Hose Octopus Hookah 145PSI AU | eBay

 

[Scuba-74]

It seems another T3 octo would cost ~$800 and it seemed too much

You do realize that you don’t need to buy another 1st stage, if you are just looking to replace the octo, right?

I’m a huge Zeagle fan, including for cold water, so I’m curious what exactly you mean when you say your octo “broke”. In either case, if you already invested in shop fixing it for you, why not just wait a week or so? There is nothing in the water out there that won’t be there next week (aside from a few lobsters here and there )

 

[tbone1004]

I’m looking to buy a new octo. (My current octo was a second hand, inherited from a friend)

My primary is brand new, which costs ~$800, and I don’t want to pay that much for an octo. Is it a good idea to get cheaper octo?

(Cold water use)

My primary( and its 1st stage) is the Atomics T3.
The octo was Zeagle F8, which was supposedly for cold-water, too. But then again, it’s old and broke now (you’ve seen my other thread )

It seems another T3 octo would cost ~$800 and it seemed too much

no you don't want to get a cheaper octo, no the T3 octo should not cost $800, but the Atomic octo's are pretty pricey around $350 ish. I would strongly recommend you buy an Atomic octo to make service easier on you and your technician, but also to have a matched performance secondary. Doesn't have to be yellow either, but the Z2 is probably the closest aesthetic match to the T3

 

[alex_can_dive]

You do realize that you don’t need to buy another 1st stage, if you are just looking to replace the octo, right?

I’m a huge Zeagle fan, including for cold water, so I’m curious what exactly you mean when you say your octo “broke”. In either case, if you already invested in shop fixing it for you, why not just wait a week or so? There is nothing in the water out there that won’t be there next week (aside from a few lobsters here and there )

By "broke" I meant it kept making the "psssss" sound on land, and once submerged, it breathed wet (like only water came out of it - no air at all). The shop I frequented doesn't generally service zeagle, so they recommended me sending it in.

no you don't want to get a cheaper octo, no the T3 octo should not cost $800, but the Atomic octo's are pretty pricey around $350 ish. I would strongly recommend you buy an Atomic octo to make service easier on you and your technician, but also to have a matched performance secondary. Doesn't have to be yellow either, but the Z2 is probably the closest aesthetic match to the T3

Cool! Yeah, looks like I can get one for $299

 

[M-Cameron]

If you run out of gas, and you need to borrow someone's octo.....do you want to be breathing out of the cheapest octo they could find?......Or do you want to be breathing out of the same thing they trust their life too?

Do you not think other people deserve that same level of thought when purchasing your own equipment?

Oooor, if something goes wrong with your primary and you need to use your octo, is that the time to be thankful you save a few pennies buying cheaper?

Not saying you need to buy top end everything, but don't cheap out

 

[lowwall]

The "bottom end" Atomics octo is a $300 Atomics Z2. It's certainly good enough for any recreational and the vast majority of technical dives. She's not talking about buying an $80 Leisurepro special.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Look at it from the other prospective. If you needed your buddy’s octopus would you like to know is capable of delivering the gas you want? It can be argued that your secondary should be a higher spec than your primary.

I completely agree. I suppose the reasoning behind it being common for a reg set to include an inferior octo is that the out-of-air diver would only be using it for the couple of minutes it takes to ascend from common recreational depths (let's say 100 ft maximum). And that is assuming the diver is of the mindset to follow the common recreational diving protocols of ascending at 30-60 fpm without delay. The savvy diver (in my opinion) anticipates the possibility of a delay and, moreover, reserves enough gas to allow both divers to ascend at the normal rate in a calm and controlled manner. The savvy diver would want both regs to deliver gas equally well under those circumstances.

 

[BoltSnap]

I have an ST1 I use for recreational diving and I have a second ST1 second stage on it as a back up, not an octo. which I prefer over an octo. Atomic has at least 3 models of octos, T/B/Z2. I'd recommend buying one of their octos. if you don't want to buy another T3 second stage. (I have primary donate with backup on short hose).