Left side regulator???? Which one??

[spurtill]

Hi,

I'm looking to get a left sided regulator for my left bottle. I'm not manifolding my bottles as i dive twins only a few timers a year (yeah, yeah, i know, i should manifold them, but i ain't changing the pilar valves yet).

So what regulator do you recommend for the left bottle and comming over the left shoulder.

I was thinking Dacor Viper Metal but i'm getting mixed reviews on it, the Poseidon Jetstream is supposed to blow the back of your skull off if you purge it in your mouth.

It does not have to be a side-exhaust but they are handy as octopusses if i ever get around to manifolding them.

cheers,

S

[cornfed]

spurtill once bubbled...
Hi,

I'm looking to get a left sided regulator for my left bottle. I'm not manifolding my bottles as i dive twins only a few timers a year (yeah, yeah, i know, i should manifold them, but i ain't changing the pilar valves yet).

So what regulator do you recommend for the left bottle and comming over the left shoulder.

Why don't you just route the hose behind you head so it comes out on the right side?

I only know one person that dives independent doubles and I assume this is what he does because he has the same second stage I do and it doesn't come in a left handed flavor.

Cornfed

[spurtill]

I could route them over the same shoulder but at 50m in anything down to 1-2m viz and nark'd there is less chance of getting your bottles mixed up if you keep it simple (left shoulder reg = left bottle, right shoulder reg = right bottle)

So i'd prefer to bring it over the left.

S

[cornfed]

spurtill once bubbled...
I could route them over the same shoulder but at 50m in anything down to 1-2m viz and nark'd there is less chance of getting your bottles mixed up if you keep it simple (left shoulder reg = left bottle, right shoulder reg = right bottle)

So i'd prefer to bring it over the left.

S

OH MY GOD!!!

Re-read your message. Think about the problem. Think about your solution.

Cornfed

[spurtill]

Am i missing something blantantly bad here????

2 bottles, two regs. left bottle left reg, right bottle right reg.

Seems standard enough to me (though either i am going to eat those words or one of us is misunderstanding the other)

S

[Doppler]

spurtill once bubbled...
Hi,

I'm looking to get a left sided regulator for my left bottle. I'm not manifolding my bottles as i dive twins only a few timers a year (yeah, yeah, i know, i should manifold them, but i ain't changing the pilar valves yet).

So what regulator do you recommend for the left bottle and comming over the left shoulder.

I was thinking Dacor Viper Metal but i'm getting mixed reviews on it, the Poseidon Jetstream is supposed to blow the back of your skull off if you purge it in your mouth.

It does not have to be a side-exhaust but they are handy as octopusses if i ever get around to manifolding them.

cheers,

S


Where abouts are you diving Spurtill? Aussie or Brit -- or someplace else?

No comments about Isingles but I will say I wouldn't put any Dacor reg into service for a dive below 20 meters. ScubaPro R190s can be configured with the hose on the "other" side but not a reg that I'd use anywhere but a deco bottle. Think you're stuck with Poseidons...

[spurtill]

good guess on the Location, Ireland, around Dublin

the rest of the country has 20-30m viz on a good day, but Dublin is great if it gets 8m.
Makes you cringe at what your diving in :(

Figured the Posideons alright, cheers for the info though.

[sheck33]

spurtill once bubbled...
I could route them over the same shoulder but at 50m in anything down to 1-2m viz and nark'd there is less chance of getting your bottles mixed up if you keep it simple (left shoulder reg = left bottle, right shoulder reg = right bottle)

So i'd prefer to bring it over the left.

S

at 50m (165 ft) in bad viz, narced badly and having to manage independent doubles........:confused:

if that is not asking for trouble i dont know what is :eek:

dont say you dive solo too............

[cornfed]

spurtill once bubbled...
Am i missing something blantantly bad here????

2 bottles, two regs. left bottle left reg, right bottle right reg.

Seems standard enough to me (though either i am going to eat those words or one of us is misunderstanding the other)

S

See sheck33's post.

[Doppler]

sheck33 once bubbled...


SNIPPED

dont say you dive solo too............

Likely that is the case... since solo diving is the only time ISingles has ANY remote advantage over manifolded doubles... but like I said earlier, I don't wanna comment on ISingles -- or 50 meter air dives. =-) Just trying to focus on the regulator issue... first.

[sheck33]

Doppler once bubbled...


Likely that is the case... since solo diving is the only time ISingles has ANY remote advantage over manifolded doubles... but like I said earlier, I don't wanna comment on ISingles -- or 50 meter air dives. =-) Just trying to focus on the regulator issue... first.

i must be missing something then, why would ISingles ever have any advantage over manifolded doubles?

[cornfed]

Doppler once bubbled...

but like I said earlier, I don't wanna comment on ISingles -- or 50 meter air dives. =-) Just trying to focus on the regulator issue... first.

Fine... but then after you address the reg issue you then go back to tackle the others only to find that the regs aren't an issue.

Cornfed

[Doppler]

cornfed once bubbled...


Fine... but then after you address the reg issue you then go back to tackle the others only to find that the regs aren't an issue.

Cornfed

A Dacor reg IS an issue to me... and that's all this thread should be about. Isn't it?

[dlarbale]

Spurtil,

Stick to decent regs and don't worry about left and right - just my view on things.

I've done the deep air independants and having one reg on a backup and the other clipped off is the same as keeping left and right but you get the reg that you want!

Dave.

[Manos]

S#$#t i just spilled my coffee on the keyboard.


The problem is not which regulator man.

The real problem is that if you should continue diving or not.

Tween indepentand is a Death wish.

Spend your money for some training.

Thank you.

[spurtill]

Sorry guys, I can see that manifolding is safer. However I disagree that independents are a "Death wish". ?Its just a different dive style, you ensure each bottle holds enough in reserve to do your stops and make your ascent. If either bottle goes you still have the other. Whether you are manifolding or not if one bottle goes you're going to abandon the dive and head up. IF both bottles fail you are in trouble whether you are manifolded or not. So on the major difference in that you are required to have a larger reserve in each tank, so its less efficient.

I'm not a hard core tekkie, so i want the ease of diving to 20m on one bottle, so manifolding is out as i am not VIP'ing and O2 cleaning any more bottles than i have (WAY too dear)

I'm not going to start a flame war here so can we get back to the issue of a regulator that can be rigged to operate on the left????

[Manos]

>> If either bottle goes you still have the other <<

Bottles do not fail !!!! First & Second stages do. The beuty
of manifold tanks is that you can take advantage of the gas
in both tanks.


Can i ask you a question ? Why do you dive doubles ?

Anyone can tell you 101 reasons why the indepen. will kill you.

Let me start by a 1st stage regulator failure on the unused tank in a wreck or cave penetration !! Sh$#t you are with a nearly
empty tank and a full that you cannot use.

Calculations and briething some gas from each is the last think you want to do underwater.

But again why should it be me to save your a$$e.

Regulator is the last think you neet to change.

Get some proper training my dear friend. No Agency will allow
Ind. tanks in the course.

[spurtill]

Do you know anything about diving independents or are we just jumping in here with both feet???

The empty bottle???? There is no empty bottle for a number of reasons. You switch you regs every 10, bar, 20, 50 bar whatever, so you drain both bottles at the same rate. You leave enoughg in each bottle to do you deco stops and away you go. The main reason for this is so yo don't end up in the exact situation you mentioned.

I'm using idependents to do dives i could do on a single cylinder, i.e. minimum deco. I use the second cylinder for redundancy not increase the available air.

You seem to have this obsession with training. I'm not a cave dive, i don't penertrate deep wrecks and i tend to dive a single cylinder. However i would like a bit of redundancy on cetain dives without the cost of fixed twins. A pony would be nice but essentially works out at the same cost as a second bottle so i went with a second bottle. Not the ideal set up but better than a single cylinder.

[sheck33]

Manos once bubbled...
[B
Bottles do not fail !!!! First & Second stages do. The beuty
of manifold tanks is that you can take advantage of the gas
in both tanks.

Can i ask you a question ? Why do you dive doubles ?

Anyone can tell you 101 reasons why the indepen. will kill you.

Let me start by a 1st stage regulator failure on the unused tank in a wreck or cave penetration !! Sh$#t you are with a nearly
empty tank and a full that you cannot use.

Calculations and briething some gas from each is the last think you want to do underwater.

But again why should it be me to save your a$$e.

Regulator is the last think you neet to change.

[/B]

A 'bottle' CAN fail, that is when the tank neck O-ring fails, unlikely but it can happen.

the statements that ' independent doubles' will 'kill' you and they are a 'deathwish' are just stupid. While independent doubles, or rather singles, very much add complexity and are certainly not optimal under most circumstances, it can be done. Personally i would not dive that way. Most divers do not have the airmanagement skills to do that safely.

Your example is flawed.
If you have a 1st stage failure on your 'full' tank and your other tank is 'near empty' you have been doing something wrong from the beginning and in an emergency you can always take the working 1st stage and put it on the 'full' tank. Of course if you dive SOLO you have a problem.

there is nothing wrong with using your brain under water but it is always best to do most of the planning beforeheand.

as for the original question, i think there are regulators that can be modified to come from either side. The Oceanic omega is a reg that can be used from the left or right as are poseidons.

[Doppler]

Manos once bubbled...
>> If either bottle goes you still have the other <<

Bottles do not fail !!!! First & Second stages do. The beuty
of manifold tanks is that you can take advantage of the gas
in both tanks.


Can i ask you a question ? Why do you dive doubles ?

Anyone can tell you 101 reasons why the indepen. will kill you.

Let me start by a 1st stage regulator failure on the unused tank in a wreck or cave penetration !! Sh$#t you are with a nearly
empty tank and a full that you cannot use.

Calculations and briething some gas from each is the last think you want to do underwater.

But again why should it be me to save your a$$e.

Regulator is the last think you neet to change.

Get some proper training my dear friend. No Agency will allow
Ind. tanks in the course.


I think we all understand your concerns. I don't think anyone here -- except the original poster who it strikes me is more than willing to listen to reasoned arguements -- endorses diving ISingles... there just too damn complicated... but I have to take exception to your remark that no agency teaches their use. Several do. Here in NA it's called side-mount diving. I've seen it taught in Australia and the UK. Not sure how much travel you get to do but if you start, you'd better prepare yourself for some strange sights. :D

Doppler

[HarleyDiver]

The man asked a simple question about regs..
If you don't know the answer, then don't post...

He was not asking to be preached to by religious zealots on a mission to "save" every one who doesn't dive the way they do.

My own answer is the only one I have personal experience with would be the SP R190.

Good luck finding what you are looking for.

[sheck33]

HarleyDiver once bubbled...
The man asked a simple question about regs..
If you don't know the answer, then don't post...

He was not asking to be preached to by religious zealots on a mission to "save" every one who doesn't dive the way they do.

My own answer is the only one I have personal experience with would be the SP R190.

Good luck finding what you are looking for.

i was not trying to 'preach' and i certainly do not consider myself a religious zealot however i do care about the safety of other divers and i will voice my concerns, it then is their choice if they want to listen to well meant advice or not.

its about safety not about whether they do what i do.

[cornfed]

HarleyDiver once bubbled...
The man asked a simple question about regs..
If you don't know the answer, then don't post...

He was not asking to be preached to by religious zealots on a mission to "save" every one who doesn't dive the way they do.

My own answer is the only one I have personal experience with would be the SP R190.

Good luck finding what you are looking for.

If you ask a question on a public forum you have to expect people will disagree with you and challenge your way of doing things. This happens in person so why would online be any different? If you have a problem with this, then you should permanently unplug your modem.

Despite what you think there is very little (if any) proselytizing going on. I asked
spurtill why he didn't just route the house around the right side. Sure that's not the question he asked but not only is a viable solution it would have giving him more regulators to choice from. He replied that he didn't want to be confused in low visibility while narced. This prompted people to question the safety of his practices.

So, I would appreciate it you won't take a couple post out of context and make generalizations about everyone involved in the thread.

Cornfed

[HarleyDiver]

Cornfed/sheck33, that wasn't directed at you.
I have no problem with people who point out options respectfully.
I have a BIG problem with the zealots who start every post with "your going to DIE".

[SteveKL]

...but independent doubles can work perfectly well. Has anyone ever dived a single with a pony? What is that config if not independent doubles? Sure, they're "lopsided" twins, but many divers (including the OP) look at their twin 80s (or whatever) as a big-ass pony and manage their gas accordingly.

Background: I dive manifolded twins. I *used* to dive independent doubles. I prefer my present setup. My original config didn't kill me (never came close). I experimented with different reg setups. This is what I learned:

Started out with matching Dacor Viper Tecs, with 2nd stages that swivel to breathe up or down. Ran one over each shoulder. Left reg = left tank = left SPG, etc. Easy to keep track of. Gas management has already been discussed.

Several free-flows later (including one at 170 fsw on a wreck) the Dacors were retired. Blame the regs; not the fault of the config. Switched to Scubapro G-250s, both running over right shoulder. Bungee necklaced one, clipped the other. Got used to which was which, practiced switching in zero vis and/or narced, never had a problem. Borrowed a friend's Posieden to see if I wanted to make that my left-hand reg, didn't like it so stayed with the Scubapros.

To the OP: You only have two choices--run both on the right and learn to deal with it, or use a reg that can run from the left and accept that your reg choices will be limited. Good luck!

[Aquamaniac]

HarleyDiver once bubbled...
Cornfed/sheck33, that wasn't directed at you.
I have no problem with people who point out options respectfully.
I have a BIG problem with the zealots who start every post with "your going to DIE".

were all going to die.................one day

[Teknadv3x]

Odins have 10 times the ease of breathing than the vipers. The downside is the cost of special op hose they need. Does anyone still sidemount anymore?



Later gators

[Bob3]

If you're intimidated by the volume of air the Jetstream/Odin delivers, go with a Cyklon, it won't flap your tonsils as bad.
The new Xstreams have been toned down a hair too.

[DiveTub]

Oceanic Omega (http://www.oceanicaus.com.au/Products/Regulators/Omega2/Images/r_omega.jpg) on my Stage bottles they are very light, very small, you can use them on either side and they cost about half what a Jetstream/Odin does.

[spurtill]

someone once told me that the X-streams are desinged to free flow when not in the mouth. This makes breathing effort negligible. However it means they start free flowing agin once out of the mouth and as such are not suitable for non-manifoled twins. Sounds VERY strange if true, but i have seen them for sale on e-bay with note to the effect they are only suitable for manifolded twins.

Someone mentioned above the air management required in diving independents??? If you can't manage to change reg every X bar you definitely should not be using independents. However, any competent diver is aware of his air usage and the current air content of his tanks, so its fairly simple.

I did think of routing the regs over the right shoulder and even tried iti but it feels "nicer" with one over each shoulder.

The post went off in a direction i had not planned on, but all info is good.

I'll lool into the X-stream a bit more, if not it sounds like it will be the Jetstrea/Odin for reliability.

Cheers for all the info and opinions

[Teknadv3x]

..

[Teknadv3x]

One really good feature that a Odin has is a dive and predive slide button, which is great if you are switching regs. You do not have to give up performance do to a possible freeflow issue when it is out of your mouth. The omega and the vyper do not have anything to control the freeflow issue except by de-tuning them to begin with. The deeper you go the sweeter odins breathe.Well folks it sounds like odin is pulling away from the pack is going to make a stong finish.