Question tecline vs HALCYON deco reg

[Khalid82]

The Halcyon Aura is an unbalanced second stage and inappropriate for a deco reg - makes for an awesome backup second stage though.

What is this, smh. Using color-coded hoses with any connection to an increased safety scheme resulting from post-DCS hit **wisdom**, regardless of "im not planning to rely on them", is utter nonsense.

If you've already received proper training and mentorship - use it; if you haven't received proper training and mentorship - seek it.

Thanks @whynot , to start i wish you a very happy new year

brief intro: i've been diving for a long time, but relatively a new OC tec diver.

regarding the deco reg, i chose the first stage H-75P for being balanced to provide consistent IP and second stage will be used mainly from 21m for 50% until 6-3m for O2. asked few more experienced tec divers and tested them in a couple of dives, found them to be working fine at those depths. I could be wrong, thats why i'm open to take advice from experts like yourself and other members.

Regarding the "utter nonsense and DCS hit", you are right my reply was all over the place. obveusly not wisdom nor was it wise to post and not related. nevertheless, i don's see why it is not concedered a good idea to color code the hoses, while maintaing the usual gas swhitch proceadures. "as i am trying to be more cautious after my DCS " lol

cheers

 

[whynot]

regarding the deco reg, i chose the first stage H-75P for being balanced to provide consistent IP and second stage will be used mainly from 21m for 50% until 6-3m for O2. asked few more experienced tec divers and tested them in a couple of dives, found them to be working fine at those depths. I could be wrong, thats why i'm open to take advice from experts like yourself and other members.

When I said, "The Halcyon Aura is an unbalanced second stage and inappropriate for a deco reg - makes for an awesome backup second stage, though," I was talking about a Halcyon Aura second stage being unbalanced and thus inappropriate as a deco reg; there no reference from me about first stages. Within the context of Halcyon's second stages and deco regs: Auora ='s bad; Halo ='s good.

nevertheless, i don's see why it is not concedered a good idea to color code the hoses, while maintaing the usual gas swhitch proceadures.

Well,
a) the reasons why it's a horrible idea have been documented throughout Scubaboard (so I won't reinvent the wheel there)
and
b), doing so has killed divers. And I am not talking about folks who have a random green hose here and there. I am talking about the practice of color-coding hoses.

The human brain, and humans as a whole, is/are things/creatures of convenience. Even with the employment of the most rigorous and time-tested gas switch procedures, your brain will want to, and will, use the color coding as an indicator of gas contents (no matter the extent) - that's nature - no if and or buts about it. Fight nature, and you perish - or so the saying goes. It's 2024; we know better than to color code reg hoses.

 

[Khalid82]

a) the reasons why it's a horrible idea have been documented throughout Scubaboard (so I won't reinvent the wheel there)
and
b), doing so has killed divers. And I am not talking about folks who have a random green hose here and there. I am talking about the practice of color-coding hoses.

Interesting, that's really helpful, i will diffently read more in scubaboard and elswhere before moving forward on the color coding. as my main reason was to improve gas swhitching. never thought about it from this prospective.

 

[ams511]

"The Halcyon Aura is an unbalanced second stage and inappropriate for a deco reg - makes for an awesome backup second stage, though," I was talking about a Halcyon Aura second stage being unbalanced and thus inappropriate as a deco reg; there no reference from me about first stages. Within the context of Halcyon's second stages and deco regs: Auora ='s bad; Halo ='s good.

Why are unbalanced second stages unsuitable as deco regs?

 

[whynot]

Why are unbalanced second stages unsuitable as deco regs?

Why? The answer one would likely expect.

Simple - easy breathin’.

The primary second stage for back gas should be high-performance (balanced and adjustable) (if it’s not, well ).

You'll likely be on deco gas for as long, if not longer, than on back gas; you want easy breathin’ and for various reasons, which means a high-performance (balanced and adjustable) second stage. And not an unbalanced second stage.

 

[ams511]

I am split on whether Taiwan-made regulators are as bad as some people suggest. Taiwan is a first-world country with a great manufacturing capacity. Taiwan's semi-conductor industry is a major world player. I use Deep6 regulators and the first stage (Signature) is as good as my MK10. The second stage does not breathe as well as a G250, the exhale is not as good, but I am splitting the hairs here. Deep6 has a place in my stable.

People have been throwing shade on Taiwan/Chinese regulators since HOG first hit the market around a decade or so ago. Except for a few anecdotes, I don't see divers having wide scale problems with Taiwan/Chinese regulators. People have anecdotes about Halcyon and Apeks failing also. As far as price differences go look at the European prices for Apeks and Scubapro, they are much cheaper and closer in price to the Taiwanese brands. In the US market, the big brands price gouge.

 

[whynot]

In the US market, the big brands price gouge.

This . These days I either order from europe, or buy used (G250 fan club member).

 

[mr_v]

This . These days I either order from europe, or buy used (G250 fan club member).

Ah, that's why G250s prices are going up ;-) I am in the same club, btw.

 

[mr_v]

People have been throwing shade on Taiwan/Chinese regulators since HOG first hit the market around a decade or so ago. Except for a few anecdotes, I don't see divers having wide scale problems with Taiwan/Chinese regulators. People have anecdotes about Halcyon and Apeks failing also. As far as price differences go look at the European prices for Apeks and Scubapro, they are much cheaper and closer in price to the Taiwanese brands. In the US market, the big brands price gouge.

So, I am with you on this one. I don't see problems, but I see the difference in finish. DGX XTRA is a good example - an excellent regulator that breathes really well out of the box. But if you put it on a stage bottle or on any tank that will bang against rocks, etc., you'll see the reg's finish come off. Granted, it is less than $450 for the 1st & 2nd stages, but still.

If I were to buy SP or Apex, I'd do it from Deepstop.de or 4thelement-diving.co.uk.

 

[mr_v]

@Khalid82 , @whynot - color coding reg hoses is bad. However, you can flag hoses/regs with gas mixture, i.e., place a sticker that says "32%" on a reg attached to a tank with a 32%.

This practice does not replace the proper gas change protocol. It is just an additional step in gas verification. If you use this approach, you must treat tank + regulator as a single unit and invest in additional operational steps. For example, if you need to change the regulator, you'll reanalyze the tank, confirm the tank sticker, attach the new reg, and then add a new sticker to the reg. There is a bit more to it in my routine, but I'll shut up now.

Long story short - if you're just starting out, don't color code or complicate the procedure ;-)