downinFL
Registered
There's a product out there called x-tra air. As I understand it, the thing is another first stage, fed via HP port from your primary first stage, but with a check valve to prevent backflows. In use, one either mounts another octo to it, or transfers the existing octo from the primary to the x-tra air.
It's designed to fit any tank, but the retailers usually mount it on an AL 6 or AL 13, meaning it's probably marketed at the recreational diver rather than the tekkies. The concept seems to make sense.
Pros:
- Your main always fills your pony; no forgetting to do so.
- In one instance, fewer hoses than a completely independent pony with its own octo.
Cons:
- The first few fills from your main would likely suck down a lot of air to fill the x-tra tank
- Switching gases -- air to nitrox and back again -- poses a new set of complications because the mix in the pony isn't necessarily the same percentage as in your main, due to "leftover" gas from the previous dive(s).
Any thoughts?
It's designed to fit any tank, but the retailers usually mount it on an AL 6 or AL 13, meaning it's probably marketed at the recreational diver rather than the tekkies. The concept seems to make sense.
Pros:
- Your main always fills your pony; no forgetting to do so.
- In one instance, fewer hoses than a completely independent pony with its own octo.
Cons:
- The first few fills from your main would likely suck down a lot of air to fill the x-tra tank
- Switching gases -- air to nitrox and back again -- poses a new set of complications because the mix in the pony isn't necessarily the same percentage as in your main, due to "leftover" gas from the previous dive(s).
Any thoughts?