dhampton82
Guest
I purchased an adjustable regulator the other day on ebay for a pony bottle rig that I want to set-up for solo dives in the springs.
Anyways the reg can be seen here, as you can see it is a very low quality regulator but it was a cheap price and I do not do much solo-ing so I didn't know if I wanted to spend $300 on a good one yet, when I am still diving a jacket BC :shakehead .
Ok, back to the story, I went to the pool in my apartment complex to give 'er a little test drive. Max depth 6'. Hooked it up to my tank. And opened the valve. Checked my gauges, 3200psi. Good fill. Then a second later I heard a *PSSSSSSSS* coming out of the first stage. And it was loosing pressure fast. Of course I was already set up and ready to go, So I just went home and got my normal regs and went for a dip in the nice warm (77 degree) pool.
Moral of the story, I will definitely think twice or even three times before ever buying anything bootleg, SCUBA related or not. I am glad that it did die on land and not in the water.
I cant help but think, what if it didn't die right then, and decided to die 40' down in a cavern (once I get to that point) when I needed it???
**DISCLAIMER**
I only "solo" in OW and not in the cavern of springs at a max. depth of maybe 25'. There is alot of snorkelers around and a few divers in the area. By solo, I am implying that I do not have a designated "buddy" right there with me. And please dont turn this into a thread lecturing me about solo diving
Also I DO NOT mean this as an attack on the seller!!! I have emailed him about 10 minutes before writing this and I'm sure that he will do what he can to correct this mistake. And I do know that equipment failures can happen, whether it is some cheap Chinese knock-off or APEX or SP.
Anyways the reg can be seen here, as you can see it is a very low quality regulator but it was a cheap price and I do not do much solo-ing so I didn't know if I wanted to spend $300 on a good one yet, when I am still diving a jacket BC :shakehead .
Ok, back to the story, I went to the pool in my apartment complex to give 'er a little test drive. Max depth 6'. Hooked it up to my tank. And opened the valve. Checked my gauges, 3200psi. Good fill. Then a second later I heard a *PSSSSSSSS* coming out of the first stage. And it was loosing pressure fast. Of course I was already set up and ready to go, So I just went home and got my normal regs and went for a dip in the nice warm (77 degree) pool.
Moral of the story, I will definitely think twice or even three times before ever buying anything bootleg, SCUBA related or not. I am glad that it did die on land and not in the water.
I cant help but think, what if it didn't die right then, and decided to die 40' down in a cavern (once I get to that point) when I needed it???
**DISCLAIMER**
I only "solo" in OW and not in the cavern of springs at a max. depth of maybe 25'. There is alot of snorkelers around and a few divers in the area. By solo, I am implying that I do not have a designated "buddy" right there with me. And please dont turn this into a thread lecturing me about solo diving
Also I DO NOT mean this as an attack on the seller!!! I have emailed him about 10 minutes before writing this and I'm sure that he will do what he can to correct this mistake. And I do know that equipment failures can happen, whether it is some cheap Chinese knock-off or APEX or SP.