Which 02 Analyzer do you recommend?

[pescador775]

The Analox is nice, really great for portable use, no hassle. Press the nozzle to the tank valve and bleed a little gas for a quick reading. The biggest bargain is probably the military surplus Miniox III which show up on EBay from time to time. Also, the tiny Miniox I is very reliable and cheap. However, figure price of a sensor to be added to auction price. Sensors last 3-5 years and rarely do surplus analyzers come with new sensor. The Oxycheq can be had for less from TDL . Name is changed to protect the innocent, I guess. This one is versatile and compact.

 

[pescador775]

I checked, the Analox O2EII is available on EBay for $225. The Miniox III goes for $125-135. I don't see any Minox I at this time. They usually go for $80. The Analox is a tough little British import, weatherproof and travel friendly. The Miniox III is at its best when used to monitor a NITROX stik. The Miniox I is similar to the Oxycheq but does not have the flow through feature, only flow by T with restrictor. All Miniox have the fancy coiled wire and stainless connectors.

 

[deepstop]

i own the oms unit ..bought it as a pkg on sale from oms c/w flow meter and case for around $350..it is a very nice unit however i upgraded to a din flow meter for about $100 and really do prefer it to the stock flow meter

 

[Bowzer]

I have used the OMS and built the El-Cheepo. They apear to work about the same. I use a blend stick with mine and the cable between the sensor and the unit works well in this use. I am not so sure the OMS unit would be as easy to attach to a blend stick. This form of mounting also allows me to easily remove the sensor and store it in a bag in the refridgerator. I picked up Patrick's book at the same time I got the kit. I found it useful, augmenting the Oxygen Hacker's Companion.

Building the kit was not a problem, if you have some soldering and modeling experience. If you are totally inexperienced with cutting plastic and soldering, find a friend with the skills, this isn't a kit for a first timer. On a scale of 1 to 10 it is a 3. Cutting the holes, removing a surface mount resistor (small) and soldering small leads where the resistor was located are the most challenging aspects.

 

[dannobee]

I'll agree with the El-Cheapo II. As for cutting the holes, I used a sharp utility knife (the razor blade with a handle kind of knife/box cutter) and a metal straight edge. Measure and scribe carefully, then take your time with the utility knife, making many passes until you can see the white on the backside, then cut it the rest of the way from the inside. It was my first time trying and the holes look like a factory job. Cutting out the two square holes took me about 15 minutes. The soldering and drilling the two holes took longer than cutting the big square holes. I had maybe an hour total in the whole project.

I do have a dremel with the tiny cutoff wheels, but I thought the utility knife would leave a cleaner looking cut. It did.