Why do we hate the Air2?

[Eric Sedletzky]

I used to use an Air II a long time ago.
Here is what I found. You need to have a longer inflator hose so that when the air II is in your mouth you can turn your head both directions without it being pulled out. The problem with this is that with the longer inflator hose when you are horizontal it hangs down and catches on stuff and also gets filled with crap from the ocean floor if you are skimming the bottom.
The other problem is venting and breathing which isn't a real problem if it's practiced but one less hose also means one more action needed to be taken during the "real thing".
During our rescue class my buddy put his snorkel in his mouth thinking it was his Air II and he sucked water sending him straight to the top

I got sick of the Air II finally and went to a bungeed second. Now I'm sick of the bungeed second so I got rid of my buddy and now solo dive with one regulator.

 

[ZoCrowes255]

Rabbit Air2 has been around for more than 30 years.

1st Gen Air II

It's almost as old as the BC

 

[jlevine]

I used to have a Scubapro Knighthawk with an Air 2. I bought it at my LDS several years ago when I got my first set of gear. My LDS gave me the standard reasons for using one. I was new to diving and it was practically free so I figured I'd take it. There are three reasons I decided not to use it. First, I didn't like the idea of having a combined inflation/deflation/breathing device in an air sharing situation. It's not that I can't work with it. I just don't feel comfortable with it. Second, I don't want to have to remove my reg from my mouth when someone needs to share my air unless I truly need to buddy breathe with a single reg. Third, the hose that is used to connect the first stage to the Air 2 has a wider connector to accommodate the Air 2's connection. If I want to use my first stage on a different BC, I have to either change the hose or use an adapter. Is it hard? No. It's just something I'd rather not deal with. So, I think it comes down to what you feel comfortable with. Some folks like the Air 2 concept. I prefer an octo. I think the two most important things are your own comfort with the use of the gear (whichever setup you have) and that you make sure your buddy is aware of your setup.

 

[scubamarketing]

Longtime Aqualung AirSource 2 user, very happy. I've had to share at depth and haven't had any problems. I've used it teaching for years. It's a great solution, but just as others have stated, everyone gets to customize their kit how they like. I also love my Apollo Bio Fin's

 

[TSandM]

DIR crowd that is looking for standardized equipment among their peers poo poo them.

We don't pooh-pooh them. We looked at what they had to offer, and how it scaled up into more advanced diving, and concluded that it wasn't an option. The DIR system is built so that you begin, from day one, with gear you can use in an almost unaltered configuration, for the biggest dives anybody contemplates doing open circuit. The Air2 does not fit in that vision, for a number of reasons, among which are that it is cumbersome, doesn't breathe particularly well, requires a proprietary fitting, and combines buoyancy and backup regulator function in a way that doesn't scale to double tanks.

 

[VooDooGasMan]

ZKY, you can still dive with a buddy, just need to take old rescue class. or a double hose rescue class.

Or just review, this is my air, that is your air, see you on the beach.

 

[DevonDiver]

The noise you may hear about them or other pieces of equipment like wireless air integrated computers vs brass & glass SPG is just that noise.

People do tend to interpret things they don't understand as 'noise'. But that's ok... if it's relevant to you..and your diving requirements, you take heed of it. If it isn't relevant, then hearing 'noise' is acceptable.

 

[DaleC]

I was just thinking I haven't vented my BC through the inflator for a couple of hundred dives now...

What Lynne says about the DIR method of choosing equipment based on its ability to scale up into the most challenging environments makes perfect sense to me and I understand it completely. It's a choice one makes about the way they want to dive and gear preferences are the result of the "buy in" to that choice.

The flip side though, is that a lot of those decisions also constitute an artificial barrier to equipment at the recreational level because everything must contain the ability to scale up. While there may be few choices that work at the extreme end of diving there are many many systems that work perfectly well in the recreational realm and a lot of fun and education can be gained by using them. Doublehose reg's, single regs with no octos, singles regs with pony back ups, AirII's etc... even shallow water diving helmets and hookah systems will work in the recreational setting.

Computers vs BT/DG's
Wetsuits vs drysuits
Steel vs Aluminum
Splits vs Paddles
Team vs Solo

We all make choices and the gear we prefer is largely based on those choices. Some of those choices are made in the immediate context of the diving we do and some are made as part of a larger strategy. Some people enjoy being part of a larger strategy and some are simply content with their immediate experience.

Both can be right without someone needing to be wrong.

The most important thing in my book is to understand the abilities and limitations our choices create, to prepare for them, and to separate percieved biases from actual objections based on experience.

 

[knowone]

Love to find the bit where diving has anything to do with gear?

Unless it's Flash

Oh look a mid 70's bp/w

Anyone got an anti tremor camera

 

[Hepcat62]

Disclaimer: I'm a "DIR" diver, but I decided to ditch my Air2 prior to going that direction.

The thing I always found horribly annoying (at best) about the Air2 on my old Knighthawk is how tiny the mouthpiece is. I really like Scubapro's standard mouthpiece they include with their regs, but that little rubber stumpy thing on the Air2 is worthless to me. The raw breathing performance of the regulator isn't so bad, but I still hated breathing off of it because of the mouthpiece. The flipside is that a full-size comfortable mouthpiece on the Air2 would just be in the way most of the time. However, if I have to switch to my alternate then the only stress I want to be dealing with is the stress of the panicked diver in front of me. I do not want to deal with the stress of breathing off a mouthpiece that feels like it might rip out at a moment's notice if the flailing humanoid on the other end of my primary hose who's trained to hold onto my BC for dear life decides to jerk in the wrong direction...