The Air Buddy

[KeithG]

Want to hear from people who use this Alternate air source, what's your opinions?

'Seem's like a good idea, I am interested in the inflator hose one.


Air Buddy -- The Ultimate Alternate Air Source

First thing it made me think of is a "compressed air" air embolism. Not sure if 150ish PSI can do that? Not sure how tough the skin inside my mouth is.
But 150 psi can most likely cause some serious lung damage.
I think you would need to excercise considerable care.

 

[Nemrod]

First thing it made me think of is a "compressed air" air embolism. Not sure if 150ish PSI can do that? Not sure how tough the skin inside my mouth is.
But 150 psi can most likely cause some serious lung damage.
I think you would need to excercise considerable care.

Not being mean, but I think you have no experience with the device. It does not put 150 psi air to your mouth any more so than the typical second stage, did you read the part about leaving your lips slightly open? Or about biting on the mouthpiece to initiate flow which can be modulated, the harder you bite the more you get? It can be modulated from none to a lot, by bite pressure.

Tank pressure --> Intermediate pressure --> Ambient pressure

Now, if you are into weird things, I suppose you could duct tape your mouth closed and then puncture the tape and then stick the Air Buddy into your mouth and then put a document clip on your nose and then bite full force on the Air Buddy until you explode, yeah, anything is possible.

But, most people would not do that.



N

 

[KeithG]

Well if you remove all the complicated and delicate parts from your second stage that are used to allow it to deliver air at ambient pressure, I assume you have a device that delivers IP pressure.

The flow rate may be low due to a restriction (just like the HP port) but the pressure will be IP.

 

[Hatul]

So how does it increase the breathing time from the air source by 20% as they claim?

 

[eelnoraa]

According to this: Up to 20% more breathing time on your air supply

basically, it is saying that the amount of exhaust air inside the regular 2nd stage housing gets inhaled again on your next breath. But when you exhale, some of the "fresh air" in the casing also got blow out. In the case of air buddy, these doesn't happen.

However, I doubt the volumn in the 2nd stage housing account for 20% of each breath.

 

[ozzydamo]

First thing it made me think of is a "compressed air" air embolism. Not sure if 150ish PSI can do that? Not sure how tough the skin inside my mouth is.
But 150 psi can most likely cause some serious lung damage.
I think you would need to excercise considerable care.

Ok
So what do you do if you suffered a free flow from your primary second stage reg. on a dive?

---------- Post added April 27th, 2014 at 05:12 PM ----------

Search "air buddy"

yes.... I did do that before making this post, got nothing!

---------- Post added April 27th, 2014 at 05:23 PM ----------

I have two questions.

1. Do you remove it from your mouth every time you exhale?
2. Who services it? It's rubber and has moving parts right?

Or I guess for $40 just throw it away when it needs it and buy another one.

If you looked at the link they have a you tube of a guy demonstrating its use, I would imagine it being so simple it would be simple for a reg tech person to service and any parts would be basic(adds to appeal for me, less likely to fail).

It is not $40 it's $100USD, I am not concerned with price, it's more about getting rid of the hose and the bulky occy hanging from my rightside D-ring(I do photo's so have lots of gear to hike underwater). Also it's usable for inflating an airbag or smb and using it on a pony bottle directly from the first stage, even just to blow dry the first stage rubber bung after a dive- it appears to me to be "slick and simple". After reading Nimrods replies I have thrown dollars into the cyberspace and bought one, will test it once it arrives, if it does feel good I will take them up on their return offer(30 days).

You only live once, I'll give it a whirl! Thanks for your comments.
Damo

 

[Mike.D]

Damo,
I'd be interested to hear your review after you've dived with the airbuddy!!
Mike


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[tursiops]

The QD on a standard LPI hose has a small Schrader valve in it, which does not let much air past it. Enough to fill a BCD slowly, but not to breath heavily from. You'll have maybe noticed that the LPI hoses to devices like the AIR II actually have a much larger fitting at the end, with a much larger shut-off valve inside.

So the Air Buddy on the end of a regulator hose has only the disadvantages of an Air Buddy. But one plumbed into a standard LPI hose also has the restricted flowrate problem.

Before you give your buddy the reg in your mouth and use an Air Buddy for yourself, you might want to work out how you are going to vent air from your BCD as you ascend....

 

[Rich Keller]

Tilt valves were used in early scuba and commercial diving helmets. This is the simplest valve there is and should not require a tech for service. There are only 4 parts and just 2 of them move. The Air Buddy consists of parts 51-54 of this diagram.

 

[Nemrod]

Before you give your buddy the reg in your mouth and use an Air Buddy for yourself, you might want to work out how you are going to vent air from your BCD as you ascend....

Actually, you disconnct the LP hose with Air Buddy, Air Buddy goes in your mouth, the BC corrugated hose is free to go whereever.

Most people diving wings vent from the rear dump, not the corrugated hose and the issue you bring up has been hashed over and over and is intrinsic to integrated inflators. Flow restriction with the BCD inline version is a concern, you will definitely want to be going up.


N