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Skim- you took the time to post that, why not actually post something worth reading?
Really, I'm not looking to start a flame war, just trying to figure out why some people seem to love it and people here generally hate it.
I have performed the search and I have read peoples posts about the fact they hate it, but none of them seem to explain. Its almost a chevy guy hating fords but never owned one...
One of my favorite saying is by the Canadian comedian Red Greene, "any tool can be the right tool". He is also a huge fan of duct tape and I think this is a reasonable analogy to spare air.
Duct tape and spare air are both tools. They can both get you out of trouble under certain conditions. The both have legitimate purposes. So far, so good.
However, the both have a reputation of being used for purposes far beyond their capability and then failing to perform. So when I see someone reach for duct tape or spare air as a primary choice I tend to ask myself why are they using it? In some cases, it may be perfectly legitimate need that fits the tool, in many others it is ignorance or other less desirable reasons. It a lot of cases, it is none of my business and I keep my mouth shut.
In my opinion the window of usefulness for SpareAir is limited. If I'm concerned enough to need to carry a fully redundant gas supply then my 30cuft pony bottle is the proper tool because it means I'll be diving from 80 - 130 ft, looking inside a wreck or going Solo.
I've heard the "just enough to get to my buddy" argument but I don't buy that as if I can't get to my buddy in less than a breath then my buddy has left me and I should be headed to the surface already.
Since I choose to dive in situations where I would want a pony bottle, unless I'm working with students (as a DMC now) I'll often times wear the pony even on shallow dives just to practice the skills. My pony can be released from my back-gas by pulling a single pin so I can donate it to a buddy in need.
There are a few possibilities:
1. People who hate SA haven't tried it.
2. People who love SA haven't ever actually used it to ascend.
3. People who love SA were pushed to buy it by their LDS, and to reduce cognitive dissonance, proclaim their love.
4. People don't really hate SA that much, but have nothing better to do but waste their time arguing about it on the internet.
SA is a really nifty concept that has no place in my diving. A diver should NEVER need to use a SA device, but that said, most divers are...well... It's like drivers. Most drivers say they are above average. Most divers consider themslves to be "above average," but my experience after meeting hundreds, if not thousands of divers, is there are a lot of divers that are really pretty unsafe, having put no thought into their diving lifestyle, or equipment. For those divers, SA might save a few lives, but it's more of a symptom solution than a problem solution.
If SA had more capacity, it would be a more viable safety solution. But, then it would lose all of the convenience factor. That would hurt sales.
Let me put it this way:
An average diver might use spare air.
A smarter diver might use a pony bottle.
A brilliant diver will not run out of air.
Spare Air is a well built product, that some people might find useful. After using one at 100 feet and finding it lasted only a few breaths, I don't see one being very useful deeper than about 45 feet. But, I try to plan my dives and do my diving so that I never run out of air, and that my buddy never runs out of air, so Spare Air becomes, like my octo, my knife, and my reserve gas-- unused.
Skim- you took the time to post that, why not actually post something worth reading?
Really, I'm not looking to start a flame war, just trying to figure out why some people seem to love it and people here generally hate it.
I have performed the search and I have read peoples posts about the fact they hate it, but none of them seem to explain. Its almost a chevy guy hating fords but never owned one...
Okay, I understand the general consensus is that Spare air is a waste of time and more of a danger than a safety net.
I would like to know why you feel this way, reviews of the product on other third party sites give it glowing positive reviews. How many of you who hate this product actually have owned and used it? How many of you hate it because of the small capacity? It seems that most people think you should have a pony, which is fine but if you're diving primarily between 30 and 60 feet, why will a Spare Air not be fine for an OOA emergency?
Not trolling just don't understand the hatred here and the love elsewhere.
Note, in "Solo Diving", the author is a huge proponent of Spare Air. So, again, WTF?
Do the math, and yes I have used it. At 60 ft the 3cu.ft spare air gives you around 1.06 minutes with a sac rate of 1 cuft/min (you're stressed) the 6 cuft one gives you around 2.12 min, the spare air is nothing more than a CESA aide. With that being said I would not recommend a spare air.
Not to me, nor well enough in the search function results to resolve my question. I am asking for peoples opinion on a product especially if they have owned and used it. Not whether or not you want to offer an unneeded and unwarranted response to a post. If you don't care or are sick of a topic, read the next one.
Skim- you took the time to post that, why not actually post something worth reading?
Really, I'm not looking to start a flame war, just trying to figure out why some people seem to love it and people here generally hate it.
I have performed the search and I have read peoples posts about the fact they hate it, but none of them seem to explain. Its almost a chevy guy hating fords but never owned one...
Not to me, nor well enough in the search function results to resolve my question. I am asking for peoples opinion on a product especially if they have owned and used it. Not whether or not you want to offer an unneeded and unwarranted response to a post. If you don't care or are sick of a topic, read the next one.
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