That darn arch in the hose!

[Ladyvalea]

Ok..so the rentals for the OW dive had such a strong arch in the hose that it felt like it was pullin the Reg out of my mouth!

So I found this.. can you use it for other regs? or is it only for Diverite brand regs

What do you think about the placement of the reg hose running under the arm? it looks comfortable...SCUBA Diving Equipment for Technical, Wreck and Cave Diving: Dive Rite, Inc - Product Catalog - Right Angle Adapter

 

[vladimir]

It's pretty late (or early, I guess) in Texas. I think that fitting is pretty standard. I have a right-angle fitting on my 40" regulator hose and it works well. It is comfortable, streamlined, and you'll lose the darn arch.

 

[tstormdiver]

You can use the right angle adapter or even a swiveling adapter. I use a long hose on both my recreational set up & on my doubles. On my recreational regulator I have a 5ft hose that routs from my first stage regulator, under my right arm, across my chest, over my left shoulder, behind my neck & around the right side of my face. The 7ft hose, I have on my doubles, is quite similar in it's route. It comes off my right side regulator, down along my right side, tucks under my canister light battery at my right hip, then up & across my chest to my left side & just like the 5ft hose, over the left shoulder, around the back of the neck & around the right side of my face. Because of the length & routing of the hoses I do not have to use any kind of right angle or swivel adapter. Plus, also with the long hoses, in open water, it is nice to know if I have to share air, my OOA buddy & I do not have to be right on top of each other. The longer hoses can afford a little space between us, if they need a moment to collect themselves. Of course, if they're in a full blown panic, I will do all I can, safely , to hold on to them & control the situation, but if my buddy just needs some air & moment to catch their breath, they have a little space to do so. It takes a little getting used to at first & you must also get used to the deployment, but after a few times, it's really not a big deal.

 

[Ed Palma]

Another vote for the long hose. I noticed that my mouthpieces were getting ripped, especially the right bite tab. The standard hoses that I used would push the regulators at an awkward angle, necessitating a stronger bite, and increased jaw fatigue. I toyed with the idea of using a swivel, but decided that if I was gonna spend the money for one, I may as well add a bit more and get all the benefits of a long hose.

 

[spectrum]

Ladyvalea,

Kudos for observing and problem solving.

That fitting mates into the standard LP hose connection so it will work on any common second stage.

First about that rental..... There are a lot of things that can contribute to that feeling you described.
* The hose may have been too short forming an tight stressful arc.
* The regulator may have been carelessly set-up with a less than optimal position chosen for your primary hose
* You may have mounted the regulator without aiming the hose to the best advantage. I like to see it shooting off at a 90 degree angle to the side, not up or down.
* The mouthpiece may have not been the best for you. Some small rubbery ones (like the one my wife uses) just don't jive you much leverage and leave you noticing an pull.
* The hose may have been some stiff aged piece of history.
*If you were in a heavy current that will exert some temprart force.

There are those that like the underarm routing and it is a valid option. Heaven knows you will (are) be encouraged to adopt a 5 or 7 foot configuration and that is a valid option as well. If you simply wish to dive a mainstream rig (which is all that most ever want or need) I'd begin with what I mentioned above.

The millex hoses are catching on and if you are starting from scratch may be a nice way to go.

Pete

 

[TSandM]

My husband uses a 40" hose and an angled adapter, and he likes the way the reg sits in his mouth. This hose length is commonly used for a primary reg, with the backup regulator hung by a necklace around the diver's neck, just below their chin. Air-sharing is then done by donating the regulator you are breathing, and taking the backup reg for yourself.

But it is possible to use the 40" hose with a standard octo. It just makes for a lot of hose on you!

 

[John_B]

My husband uses a 40" hose and an angled adapter, and he likes the way the reg sits in his mouth. This hose length is commonly used for a primary reg, with the backup regulator hung by a necklace around the diver's neck, just below their chin. Air-sharing is then done by donating the regulator you are breathing, and taking the backup reg for yourself.

But it is possible to use the 40" hose with a standard octo. It just makes for a lot of hose on you!

Lady, I occasionally use something similar to the above. The best 90° elbow IMO is the one Zeagle makes. Here is a link to a pic from my gallery of the Zeagle elbow on a 40" hose. You can get Scubatoys to order one for you relatively inexpensively and its much more solid IMO than the DiveRite version (which is not actually made by DiveRite, its rebadged from another manufacturer).

I put my primary/main reg on that elbow and 40" hose and route the hose under my right arm. No arch, so no ache! I then have my backup (in this configuration it is not called octo) hanging right under my chin on a short-ish 22" hose, the reg is held in place by a loop of bungee cord that will pull away if needed, but in reality this is never necessary. An OOA diver gets your primary reg and you go to the backup which is literally under your chin. This is similar to the long hose/hogarthian configuration you might have read about, but without the long hose that wraps around your body and behind your neck.

If you are interested I'll try to dig up some pictures. Or PM me with any questions you may have.

The nice feature of the elbows is they are solid, it does add one more o-ring but the o-ring it adds is identical to the one inside your second stage that allows it to spin around perpendicular to the hose. Very reliable.

One thing I want to warn you away from is any 360° swivel, a number of them were recalled in the past few years for catastrophic failures. Many of them were sold under the Trident brand but some were also sold under other brand names. If it says 360° or is ball shaped with a diagonal pivot through it, you don't want it.

One last option that you might consider is the new Miflex hoses, since they are much more flexible that could be another solution to the "pull" feeling you get from standard hoses.

HTH

John

 

[Tortuga68]

I also run a 5' hose on my single tank/BPW rig, and a 7' hose on doubles, as per the above posters

I have a Miflex hose on order, have heard good things

IMO the less joins you have in your hoses (ie by not using a swivel/right angle) the less chance of something going wrong

 

[Ladyvalea]

huh...I was reading about other swivels that have a recall due to possible drowning ?
... Do you think adding a swivel will increase failure points on your regulator?

Now I'm lookin in to the Sherwood Maximus Reg..with the swivel already build in?

 

[John_B]

Lady, you are right that some people wouldn't have an extra o-ring for any reason anywhere on their rig, and they have a point. I've been back and forth on the subject several times myself.

The Sherwood Maximus is basically like most any other reg, but with a 90° elbow built-in. If you look for some reviews (here) the one problem they don't seem to have solved is that divers still complain about it still feeling it "pull" because it isn't neutral underwater. They've added a lot of mass/weight to their version of 90° elbow, IMO unnecessarily. My main problem with that reg is that I don't think you can remove the elbow if you decide to later on (if you went to the long hose configuration, for example). I hate re-buying equipment because I either bought the wrong thing or because it was too single-purpose to be useful elsewhere. IMO the Maximus seems to be in the single-purpose camp.

And you didn't ask but I personally have never been a fan of any of those first stages where the hoses come out on a radial pattern -- around the circumference of the round body of the first stage -- because I think the hose routing stinks. But Sherwood regs are well thought of by a lot of divers, and their designs are pretty well tested.

Anyway, in addition to the 90° elbows (n.b. Scubapro makes a 120° version) there are two basic types of swivels:

1. The captured swivels like the Atomics and Oceanics are physically captured and are not going to come apart, though any connection can potentially leak.
2. The 360° swivels like this design put too much stress on the connection IMO and are the style you've read about where the pieces separate and the tank empties in a minute or two.

I'm not personally a fan of either of those types because I don't believe they serve a purpose submerged, but some people love them.

If I'm rigging my reg for a strictly recreational dive (<60'), I prefer the elbows because they allow you to move the reg to where you need it to be without the side pull and then you frankly don't need much swivel at that point. The o-ring design is captured; its exactly like the swivel inside your second stage where the hose attaches, nobody that I know of would try to eliminate that.

Just one person's advice who has worked this through pretty thoroughly, but I'd buy whatever standard reg I was otherwise going to buy (I own a handful of Apeks XTX100s regs, if I didn't I would also seriously consider the Scubapro MK17/G250V combination). Then I'd add the $30 or $35 Zeagle elbow fitting (part #340-1003) on a 40" hose and ask more questions here about the bungeed backup. That way you can remove the elbow but keep your regs intact if you ever change your mind (like I have).

HTH

John