I think that the best response to the core of your post is:
If you can afford the equipment and are willing to get the training/practice to use it correctly, a redundant air source is definately a good thing for any diver to invest in.
The question as to if "pony" bottles is a good bit of gear to buy/use a bit harder to answer, mainly because a "pony bottle" means different things to different people.
For a recreational diver in a "open water" environment where the only "overhead" is the reccomended safety stop, a pony bottle is not needed. If improperly used and/or poorly maintained, it (like any other piece fo diving gear) can be a much larger liability than safety device. Properly used, IMHO, in the vast majority of cases, it won't be a life-saving piece of gear but rather a psychological comfort when it is not used, and a physical comfort allowing a calm and easy breathing controlled ascent as opposed to possibly an emergency ascent exhaling slowly. Professional divers/instructors have obligations and requirements that I'm not well informed of, and hopefully are much better and more knowledgable divers than I who can better assess their safety requirements for their specific circumstance as to redundant air supply themselves.
In an overhead (hard or soft overhead) environment, if you do your dive/gas planning and size a redundant gas source properly to provide for exiting the overhead environent, then whatever capacity tank you end up with, whatever setup you prefer (independant/mandifuld doubles, slung cylinder, bathysphere, etc), and whatever you decide to call it (bailout bottle, pony bottle, faithful dog companion etc.) will be a definate asset.
If you can afford the equipment and are willing to get the training/practice to use it correctly, a redundant air source is definately a good thing for any diver to invest in.
The question as to if "pony" bottles is a good bit of gear to buy/use a bit harder to answer, mainly because a "pony bottle" means different things to different people.
For a recreational diver in a "open water" environment where the only "overhead" is the reccomended safety stop, a pony bottle is not needed. If improperly used and/or poorly maintained, it (like any other piece fo diving gear) can be a much larger liability than safety device. Properly used, IMHO, in the vast majority of cases, it won't be a life-saving piece of gear but rather a psychological comfort when it is not used, and a physical comfort allowing a calm and easy breathing controlled ascent as opposed to possibly an emergency ascent exhaling slowly. Professional divers/instructors have obligations and requirements that I'm not well informed of, and hopefully are much better and more knowledgable divers than I who can better assess their safety requirements for their specific circumstance as to redundant air supply themselves.
In an overhead (hard or soft overhead) environment, if you do your dive/gas planning and size a redundant gas source properly to provide for exiting the overhead environent, then whatever capacity tank you end up with, whatever setup you prefer (independant/mandifuld doubles, slung cylinder, bathysphere, etc), and whatever you decide to call it (bailout bottle, pony bottle, faithful dog companion etc.) will be a definate asset.
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