Which is the most durable regulator?

[Gilldiver]

By the way, you don't have to give up the modern to do the double hose. Here is one of my sets of 1970's steel 72's on an old Sherwood two post mainfold with the Aqua Master with the Phoenix nozzle on the center post. The right post has a Posidon 1st stage with a Kerby Morgan Supperflow 2nd stage. This is just a fun rig to dive down to 130' or so.

 

[Luis H]

By the way, you don't have to give up the modern to do the double hose. Here is one of my sets of 1970's steel 72's on an old Sherwood two post mainfold with the Aqua Master with the Phoenix nozzle on the center post. The right post has a Posidon 1st stage with a Kerby Morgan Supperflow 2nd stage. This is just a fun rig to dive down to 130' or so.

Pete

May I suggest that the next time you service that set of doubles, you could swap the valves so that the second outlet end up on the left tank facing backwards. That way your alternate regulator will not interfere with the hose on the double hose.

I have asset of those valves in some twin 40’s. They are great.

I want to set up some other similar doubles.

 

[Nemrod]

Gill, you could reverse mount your Posiedin on the LH post of your Sherwood manifold. Flip the post to the left side. This prevents the "back up" regulator from interfereing with the hoses of the Aqua Master that I see happening in your picture. Look for a low profile type 1st stage regulator like a MarK V or old MR12 for this. A MR12 is shown here but I actually prefer a Mark V in this configuration, the swivel turret is very easy to set up.

SeaRat turned me on to this method of mounting to prevent the conflict you have about four years ago. This way the double hose can route correctly without your tilting the horns for clearance.

N

 

[Creed]

By the way, once you get one you may not be able to stop.

Oh, now, that's just not true.....
*looks behind him at the table full of rebuilt double hose regs*

Hmmm, you may be on to something. My vintage collection seems to be growing, and that's just my big knives and most of my double hose regs(including the super sexy Phoenix wearing the hoses and a reproduction mouthpiece and valve set).
I have to hide my single hose collection, because Nemrod might call me a 'girly man' and make me cry.

 

[Gilldiver]

I know all about turning the Right post into a backward left post, but I use my 72's for a lot of wreck diving in Long Island Sound in the 60 to 120' range (which covers about 60% of the Sound) on air. I just don't want to use the larger tanks for these more common dives, as I just end up wasting too much gas - I pp blend NITROX and Mix so most of the time I have to dump any remaining gas.

 

[Luis H]

I know all about turning the Right post into a backward left post, but I use my 72's for a lot of wreck diving in Long Island Sound in the 60 to 120' range (which covers about 60% of the Sound) on air. I just don't want to use the larger tanks for these more common dives, as I just end up wasting too much gas - I pp blend NITROX and Mix so most of the time I have to dump any remaining gas.

Personally, I would be using a Phoenix RAM for those dives. My deepest dive was with an Aqua Master (down to 198&#8217 and it worked great al all depths.

There is no difference in depth limitation for a double hose regulator as compared to a single hose. The limits will be just the gas being used. At some point I would like to get recreational trimix certified and my regulator of choice for any deep dives would definitely be a Phoenix RAM. I have being using Nitrox with my PRAM and there would be no issues using trimix.

Most regulators are very reliable, but if you start looking at points of failures a RAM has much less failure points than any modern regulator due to their simplicity.

Many deep dives have been done with DH regulators without isolation valves, etc. Cousteau's regulator of choice was the Spirotechnique Mistral due to its simplicity and unmatched reliability. They used Mistral with heliox to dive the Britannic

 

[Gilldiver]

My vintage collection seems to be growing, and that's just my big knives

You are in BIG TROUBLE, LEON LYONS is said to be coming out with a book on dive knifes after the second edition of "Helmets of the Deep" is published this summer. The bar will be raised way high as soon as it is.

I also heard the Leon is adding over 100 pages in the 2nd edition of Helmets, so that bar just got raised also.

 

[Gilldiver]

Personally, I would be using a Phoenix RAM for those dives. My deepest dive was with an Aqua Master (down to 198’) and it worked great al all depths.

There is no difference in depth limitation for a double hose regulator as compared to a single hose. The limits will be just the gas being used. At some point I would like to get recreational trimix certified and my regulator of choice for any deep dives would definitely be a Phoenix RAM. I have being using Nitrox with my PRAM and there would be no issues using trimix.

Most regulators are very reliable, but if you start looking at points of failures a RAM has much less failure points than any modern regulator due to their simplicity.

Many deep dives have been done with DH regulators without isolation valves, etc. Cousteau's regulator of choice was the Spirotechnique Mistral due to its simplicity and unmatched reliability. They used Mistral with heliox to dive the Britannic

My Aqua Master works real well with a 35% He mix, the lower gas density seems to work real well with the improved wagon wheels etc. I also have it O2 clean so I could do 100% O2 if I ever wanted to. My issue with the double hose is clipping it off when I am doing a staged deco. As you know, unless you clip off the mouth piece lower then your mouth it will go into freeflow. I just don't like to have my neck area that cluttered.

 

[Luis H]

My Aqua Master works real well with a 35% He mix, the lower gas density seems to work real well with the improved wagon wheels etc. I also have it O2 clean so I could do 100% O2 if I ever wanted to. My issue with the double hose is clipping it off when I am doing a staged deco. As you know, unless you clip off the mouth piece lower then your mouth it will go into freeflow. I just don't like to have my neck area that cluttered.

I am working on a vintage looking simple DSV to stop the free-flow when the mouthpiece is out of your mouth and above the diaphragm.
I also had some poor man DSV (just a mouthpiece plug) made and it works great, but we haven't made any more.
I will have more information later.

 

[Nemrod]

The Poor Man's DSV works quiet well. BUT, staging is one of the things that began us talking about DSV valves a long time ago for the PRAM. Unfortunately, most don't understand why it is that some of us want one. It just goes over their heads. I have made the PVC DSV but it just does not meet my esthetic needs. The PMDSV does work, the plug stays clipped to my LH D ring with my whistle, which then secures the mouthpiece to the LH D ring when deployed. Yes, staging with a PRAM is a challenge until we get a good DSV. I have had my PRAM to over 150 feet, used it with nitrox etc, works fine and breaths just as nice at 150 feet as it does at 10.

For the Sherwood, one of mine has three posts. Yep, you can mount three posts. This way you can use the center for a double hose, the left for a reverse mount backup and for other diving you can mount two single hoses (one reverse). The Sherwood is a nice manifold but it is not full isolating. Not sure it would be my choice for wreck diving today. But,I do like them and I amin the market for another nice one, saving my pennies. I plan to mount it to twin 40s. that gives me double 40s, double 50s, double 72s. My double 85s are on a isolation manifold. I love those double LP 85s, pumped up to 3,000 there is a lot of air there, no can use with a double hose however with a modern isolating manifold, too bad that.

Creed has far surpassed me, I only have seven fully functional double hose, each one of them is cherry but I dive them all. I don't collect single hose stuff, I have a good assortment of Voit MR12s, Teknas and Conshelfs but aside from those, old single hosers don't interest me, they are just as girly mahn then as now.

N