You're going to hate me but: What is the best regulator for me to get for 2015?

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Actually the class was designed to be taught over two days and include all the products in the line and servicing of the inflators and dump valves on the wings, care and maintenance on the lights, dry suits, etc. It is supposed to cover all the regs including the D1, D2, D3, (plus the BP's if the students own those) and the second stages.

It can be done correctly in one day but that ends up being very long (Jack from HOG says for him it's a ten hour day and the students have to be quick on the uptake) once you go over all the preliminary stuff like the review of gas laws, oxygen handling concerns, how regs work as explained in the Reg Savvy Manual, plus the exam and review of it.

Normally it takes me a day and a half to cover everything. 9-5 the first day and 9-1 or so the second followed by a pool session to test the regs if one is available. Locally it is. When I travel to teach the class that is not always an option.

My certificate says EDGE/HOG Equipment Service Clinic Instructor. Not HOG regulator repair/rebuild instructor so it should cover all the gear in the line where service and maintenance is possible. That is what I was told in the Instructor class at DEMA in 2011 by Chris and Rod Pederson who was the IT for the class. I know there was some issue a while back where instructors were only teaching the regs and some only the D1 and second stage. That is not what the class was supposed to be.
 
Jim, I'm a hack. What can I say? :D My OW class takes far less time than yours and apparently, so does my HOG class. In my class, the students come away with a great understanding of the feedback mechanisms found in today's regulators. They learn how to diagnose and repair most any reg and the Hogs in particular. They get plenty of practice and know that they can call on me at any time. If you have to be taught how to pull apart your BC, then I'm not the instructor for you. I do include inflators, but they don't take long at all. I've had a couple of students that stretched this to six hours, but I'm not going to bore the fashizzle out of my students with an overly pedantic and obtuse class. As with most of my classes, I tailor them to the students' needs and desires. I actually ask them why they are taking a class and what do they hope to get out of it. No, I'm not going to go into oxygen handling, the elastomeric ratings of o-rings or the molar concentration of oxygen in an aqueous environment as I believe that is out of the scope of the class and makes it needlessly long. I'm not going to teach them how to change batteries and bulbs in their lights either.

Caveat: not all instructors are the same. That's a good thing. Some students can take theory and extrapolate the rest. Some need maniacally detailed instructions reminiscent of a Heathkit in order to do a competent job. Choosing an instructor requires you to balance what you want from the class, the type of learning that benefits you and the time you're willing to commit to the process. I've yet to have a student complain about the depth and breadth of my Hog class, but I realize that I'm not the instructor for everyone. To that end, I want all the slow students to take their class from Jim! :D :D :D
 
Or just get a couple of old Conshelf XIVs on eBay.

No worries, you simply confused new and fancy and expensive with bullet proof and reliable and solid. A common mistake.

N
 
The Conshelf XIVs are still in production, still the US Navy spec for a second stage and are just the original Kirby Morgan design with a US Divers label on them. I took one apart side by side with a KMB-8 band mask and the parts are interchangeable. You can get parts for these regs from any commercial diving supplier.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/

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