Thoughts on Oceanic Air XS 2

[Scubi Do]

Hi all,

Well the day has come and my Trusty Dacor Pacer 300 can no longer be repaired. My replacement will be the Oceanic EOS with the FDX 10 1st stage but I am still indecisive over the occy (I have been using a Dacor Aero to date).

I am seriously thinking of the AIR XS2. Cannot find any substantial reviews on it, but I am starting to appreciate minimilistic diving and gradually getting rid of most things that dangle. One day when I grow up i will go air integration.

The biggest prob I can think off is controlling bouyancy while your BC valve may be in your mouth (obviuosly emergencies only).. and the next one was if I fly to dive sites with luggage restictions and leave the BC behind (due to my integrated weights) , I also leave behind my occy.

Any thoughts, suggetions etc appreciated.

Cheers

 

[Straegen]

Here is an applicable quote from Tobin in another thread on the Octo Inflator subject:

I am not an advocate for any of the combination "Octo Inflators" It's not a matter of breathing performance.

What the the "benefits" of using one? One less LP hose. That's a pretty short list

What are the potential negatives of using a combo Oct Inflator?

1) If you have to disconnect a free flowing Octo, you also just "lost" your power inflator.

2) In an OOA emergency do you want to try and manage the buoyancy of two divers with your "Octo" while also breathing from it?

As for an alternative, I have become a fan of the secondary reg being the same model as the primary reg. In this case that could be an expensive proposition, but I would still consider it.

 

[FishOutUvH2O]

. . . and the next one was if I fly to dive sites with luggage restictions and leave the BC behind (due to my integrated weights) , I also leave behind my occy.

I would not buy an integrated octo/inflater based on this reason. Your safety equipment needs to be something that you are used to using. Switching back and forth between a regular stand alone safe-second and an integrated octo/inflater may not be the best idea. And why use a rental octo, that you know nothing about it's maintenance and condition, if you don't have to?!

Any thoughts, suggetions etc appreciated.

Cheers

Do a board wide search for octo/inflater. There are enough threads on the subject, spanning several years, to keep you busy for a long time.

 

[Scubi Do]

IDo a board wide search for octo/inflater. There are enough threads on the subject, spanning several years, to keep you busy for a long time.

Cool, will do. I did a search specifically on the AIR XS 2 with no hits. Did not try on the generic occy/ inflator slant.

Cheers

 

[FishOutUvH2O]

Cool, will do. I did a search specifically on the AIR XS 2 with no hits. Did not try on the generic occy/ inflator slant.

Cheers

You could also try terms such as: integrated "octo/inflater", "octo/inflator", air2, SS1, octo-z, integrated safe-second, and hated equipment. We like to use nicknames for things, so doing a search can sometimes be a little rough.

Of the threads I remember, this one probably had the most opinions on the integrated octo/inflater-->http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/basic-scuba-discussions/258675-i-am-little-nervous.html

 

[Straegen]

Always better to use google for those compound small word searches:

"air xs 2 site:scubaboard.com"

You will get lots of very good specific hits with that search. I believe the board search filters out small words probably three letters and under.

 

[rstofer]

The biggest prob I can think off is controlling bouyancy while your BC valve may be in your mouth (obviuosly emergencies only).

Well, you hit on the big reason for not using this device. It is particularly problematic when a wetsuit is involved and air needs to be vented during ascent. Even worse when you or your buddy has to operate it during a rescue.

So, I gave up on my AIR II device that I loved when I dove warm water. It's back to an octo and necklace.

As I only use Oceanic Omega II regulators, the octo and primary are identical except for color. They are also ambidextrous so you don't have to put an S bend in the hose while passing it off to your buddy. All around, the best regulator ever created; in my view (not universally shared, by the way). That EOS is supposed to be magnificent.

The really long "I am nervous" thread covers this in great detail. There are some strongly held but wildly divergent opinions. Including mine...

The newer scheme of a primary on a 5' hose wrapped around the head (well, around the neck but head sounds better) and an octo on a short hose (22") held by a necklace seems to be an improvement over other approaches. We'll see if it stands the test of time.

Richard

 

[promocop]

Once again a contrarian. I had a rig with AS2 and then sold it and went to a Octo with seperate inflater for the BC. Well, now I sold that rig and am going back to a rig with intergrated octo/inflater. Why? Simplicity. In a emergency, i didn't like looking for the octo and certainly wanted to eliminate one more hose. Sorry but for me less is more. I know that the 'octo' is on my left side with the same manufactuer reg as my primary. The more I dive the more I want to streamline the hoses/regs isssue. Works for me.

 

[promocop]

...and one more thing. I would NEVER dive with anything around my neck, be it an octo or otheriwse. I even take off my necklace when diving so has to avoid any issue of choking/strangulation. As a LEO, I NEVER wear anything on my neck while on duty for the same reasons. To each his own.

 

[Straegen]

I am going to go out on a limb here and say I don't think anyone has strangled themselves underwater with an octo necklace. It wouldn't be easy for a bungee/silicon to strangle someone in any scenario. That said, strange things happen.