What regulator do you use as your backup reg?

[Jardine]

I'm getting all the parts together to begin diving a set of doubles with a back plate and wing. I'm kind of stuck on which backup reg I should use. I have a pair of SP Mk17's for my first stages and I have a couple of SP s600's, an R395, and an R295. Which of these regs should I use as the back up? My primary reg I will put on the long hose will be one of my S600's. I just read a portion of a DIR Article by George Irvine and he states in respect to the back up reg "That reg must be a non-air balance, low performance reg." Can anyone explain to me why you would want a non-balance, low performance reg as your back up? I'm thinking to my self if I'm sitting at 165+ feet and I have issues with my primary reg, why would I want to turn to a reg that wouldn't breathe as easy as my primary reg and may cause me to think I'm not going to get enough air and start to give myself more stressors? Hope someone can share some insight.

Thanks,

Jardine

 

[lemke]

I use the same one as my primary... I'm not sure of the reasoning Irvine gives. Although, if I'm potentially in trouble, ANY reg will do.

 

[ScoobaChef]

A lot of those GI3 articles, while a good read and have some useful info, are quite out of date in regards to equipment. The current thinking is 2 identical high performance regs with the backup kept detuned.

IIRC, it used to be that unbalanced regs were more reliable and less prone to freeflow, hence the reasoning for using one as a backup. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[Pullmyfinger]

I use the same one as my primary.

 

[tbone1004]

Chef, current thinking is still a nonadjustable unbalanced secondary. Less parts to potentially fail, this is proven by the fact that Halcyon is selling the Auro as their second stage. Method for the madness is literally just added failure points in the second stage, but frankly you see most divers using matching second stages. If you already have them, you may as well use them to boot.

 

[LiteHedded]

I use an r395
if you're at 165' it will have a bunch of helium in it and breathe just fine. i just want that reg to WORK

 

[Matan]

if u have 2 S-600 - I see no problem with using one a primary and one as backup.

if u needed to buy regs and were on a budget - would recommend getting a "cheaper" low performance second stage to minimize intial costs for diving in a "gue/dir" configuration. if u already have the damm regs - use the best pieces you own makes a lot of sence to me.

personally I tuned down my MK25's to work with apeks XTX50/40/20 second stages - as they a significantly cheaper and I can service them easily myself.

S-600 is "da bomb" if u ask me

Matan.

 

[tbone1004]

what are the mk25's tuned to that won't work the Apeks? Manuals for both say 9.5bar/138psi

 

[PfcAJ]

r190 (or similar).

No bull**** simple reg that wont freeflow when you're on the trigger or in flow and you don't have to crank it down (more seat pressure) like you would with a balanced adjustable type reg.

High helium gases negate any concerns of it not breathing decently at depth.

 

[Matan]

what are the mk25's tuned to that won't work the Apeks? Manuals for both say 9.5bar/138psi

when attached my MK25's to an intermediate pressure guage - showed me 10BARS (metric system here ^^). that's 147 PSI?

caused the apeks XTX50 to free flow - so tuned them down.

apeks first stages are 9.5BAR as standard from what I know.

Matan.