Which kind of diver are you with respect to gear?

[Scuba Client]

I thought this was such an interesting comment by @MaxTorque in another thread that it might be worthy of a discussion on its own. I have thought about this before, but Max stated it well.



Which kind of diver are you? Group 1 or Group 2?

I'm definitely Group 1. I wish I had gills, etc., so that I wouldn't need any gear at all.

From your interpretation I believe 1+2=3. so I must be a 3.

 

[Bearded Diver]

I'm a two for sure!

I just like taking stuff apart, making it better (or worse ;-) ) and putting it back together again!

My lockdown project was a twinset build, using pretty much all second hand parts except where i either couldn't find a part s/h or it made no sense to use a s/h part

A pair or second hand cylinders, bought out of test cheaply, and hydo'd
An ex-display Apeks isolator manifold, much reduced
An second hand Mares XR backplate
Two second hand Scubapro MK25 1st stages, both fully rebuilt
A second hand Apeks MTR octo reg
A (very) second hand Intespiro Aga Full face mask, that someone had used in salt water, failed to wash out, then left. Was bought as "in freeflow" and inspection showed the dv assembly to basically be a corroded pile of scrap. Quick look through the parts books, and i found that the SCBA version of this mask uses most of the same parts, so i bought a very cheap ($20) second hand SCBA mask, and pulled it apart, and yes, the metal bits which were corroded were identical, so a rebuild kit and some o rings later and bingo, one FFM for under $100

The Apeks WTX45 wing is new, because a) it's safety critical and b) most second hand ones are well knackered by the time people want to sell them!
All the hoses and fittings are also new, because new hoses are cheap, and are effectively a service item anyway, and because i wanted exact lengths for tidy hose routing


My next project i think is a DIY WOB machine, to automatically plot respiritory pressure vs flow, including when wet, and at ambient water pressures up to 5 bar........

Awesome work. What is a “cheap” steel?

 

[Bigbella]

ERROR

 

[RobPNW]

I don't know enough to be any but diver 1.

 

[Nemrod]

I am Group 3, I have a camera and that is very much the center of most dives. I am otherwise both Group 1 and Group 2 in that I have been pursuing the perfect rig since I was a child. I want my gear to be transparent to my underwater exploration or pursuits (photography) so I am constantly modifying, changing out or trying new gear. I hesitate to call myself Hogarthian but I am heavily influenced by the concept, I guess I am a Minimalist. Anything I can eliminate I try to and what I keep must justify itself. Just liking something is not enough, it must be simple, fool proof and reliable. As for regulators, it needs to mimic by breathing pattern. Some regulators, and increasingly so with age it seems, trigger a life long anxiety/phobia in that I become anxious for my next breath. It is hard for me to explain because some aspects are psychological, not physiological. In any case, I am really particular about a regulator and especially the exhaust effort. And I do not like anything touching my chest thus my fondness for Hog type rigs and BP/wings that leave my chest area completely open.

Regulators fascinate me for some reason and fins seem to get a lot of my attention also. I have not found the perfect regulator or fin yet but keep searching. Currently I seem to be focused on Scubapro G250s (Mark V, 10 and 25) and a new G260 (Mark 17) for regs replacing various double hose rigs and my various Conshelfs and for fins Scubapro Go-Sports may have just supplanted Eddy Fins and prior to them Quattros. Me and my wife:



James