anyone using a regulator necklace?

[Searcaigh]

View attachment 186494

I use a similar one

 

[Akimbo]

Sort of ironic really. All single hose regulators came with a strap until somewhere in the 1980s. It connected to an extension molded onto the mouthpiece. I think the main motivation was because the market was dominated by double hose regulators, which of course couldn’t flop around or dangle behind you.

Attached is a page from the 1961 US Divers (now Aqualung) catalog. I wonder how long it will take for manufacturers to add back a more elegant provision for a necklace?

 

[emoreira]

I use this one (the black one) :
Manta Regulator Necklace at LeisurePro

I was tought to give my primary second in case of air sharing and pick my octopus after donating, so my octopus is attached to the necklace.

 

[Trexmdr]

I imagine there is nothing more comforting for the OOA diver in panic swimming up to you, looking right at your mouth breathing in air than to see you take that air supply out of your mouth and hand it to him.
No fumbling around looking for the extra hose attached somewhere on your gear.
And as you hand off your air then the comfort of knowing that your new air supply is right under your chin must be as rewarding.
Great posts here guys.
Scubaboard forum members are the best.
RT

 

[Dr. Lecter]

I do all the time, whether diving Recreational or technical. Very handy. Mine is a home made one made of very thin bungee. It is basically 2 fisherman's knots with a loop for the mouthpiece in between. Costs only a dollar or two & takes about 5 minutes to make.

This, except I prefer a medium thickness bungie. Some have taken to either placing knotted bungie under the ziptie securing the reg mouthpiece to the reg body, or using the same approach with a separate ziptie. Having tried it, I'm not impressed and went back to the simpler approach.

I like to keep the necklace itself quite snug, so the reg sits right under my chin; it's out of the way and with a little work, I can get it in my face without hands.

 

[John C. Ratliff]

We used to have the neck strap available on our regulators. Here are two examples. This is from the 1968 and 1976 or so. Note no SPG, no octopus, and no power inflator.

SeaRat

 

[rongoodman]

How do you like it and which one do you use?

I assumed you were asking about a necklace for the back-up regulator. Were you talking about a necklace for the primary? In that case, no, since the primary is going to be the one donated to the OOA diver.

 

[videofly]

I know that a lot of people don't like them, but my family and I all use Scubapro BC's with Air2 back-up regulators. For us, it seems so easy and natural to donate the primary secondary regulator by handing it to our buddy's mouth, while holding each other's BC shoulder straps with our right hands, and then simply reaching to our chest for the Air2 with our left hand. It does place us in very close proximity, which I think is more reassuring with eye-to-eye contact than combative. We also sling ponies as an additional back-up. This does however, need to be reviewed with others on a pre-dive discussion. While we rehearse an OOA situation often, we are also in the habit of doing SPG checks on our own and each other's rigs often. To date, we have not run low on air during a dive and we work hard to help ensure that it never happens.

 

[AfterDark]

In the distant past single hose regulators came with a necklace type feature. It seemed everyone except me would pull them off and throw'em away. Mine finally ripped one day. After that I used a simple cord and alligator clip to keep my 2nd stage where I could find it. For quite a while now I've been using a black, rubber, non adjustable one piece necklace. Brand? Couldn't tell you, don't know, didn't pay attention. Does some company make rubber better than another?

When I use my ID's the 2nd stage for the left tank is clipped to a D-ring on the left shoulder strap. If an OOA diver goes for either the neck laced or clipped one they will be very disappointed and frustrated by the short hoses. They will however be presented with a 2nd stage with a very long hose from a 19cuft bottle, they can take it or leave it. My primaries are for me and are secured and configured that way.

 

[TotDoc]

I really like using a reg necklace for my octo, for all the reasons mentioned above. I like always knowing EXACTLY where my octo is in case I need it. I like it that there is no way for it to come loose and drag on the bottom without me knowing about it. Similarly, I would know if the reg is free flowing since it's right by my neck. Finally, it's easy to grab in in an emergency - even if my hands are occupied.

I have used the bungee cord version and the manta style reg necklace. In my experience, both work just fine. I do like the bungee version for the ease of getting the reg in and out, whereas the manta style can be a little more difficult to thread the mouthpiece back into place while wearing thick gloves. That said, my manta style necklace holds the reg in place a little more snug, so it's less likely to be dislodged during a dive...not that I have really had any problems with that.