To Octo or not to Octo, that is the question. Need advice!

[Scared Silly]

Should I go with the cheaper $80-$100 octo the sales guy was presenting to me (unbalanced) or pick one off Lesiurepro/Scubatoys. What did you do? I'm on a budget so although I agree with the "full size spare" concept, I'm not in position to fork out the cash for another Atomic's Z2 for my spare. Thanks again guys. Your knowledge is valuable!

Unfortunately the Atomic octos are expensive. My suggestion is to watch the classified sections and ebay for a used one made by Atomic. A used one at a reasonable price will work just fine. I know of folks who have bought the older Z1 serviced and updated them into Z2 for their octos.

Edit: When I taught I advised students to breath on their octo on the way down. IF they did not like the way it breathed they should abort the dive and get it fixed cause if they did not like it on the way down they sure as hell are not going to like the way it breaths when Davy Jones comes a calling.

[jd950]

It looks like you already decided to get an octo, so this post is probably redundant, but here goes:

At least as much a s second reg for you, the octo is a backup for your dive buddy and all current dive instructing agencies teach divers to look to their buddy's octo in the event they need an emergency source of air. Many people would be hesitant to dive with you if you do not have an octo and if you dive from boats or otherwise with a dive op they may have an issue with you not having an octo.

I have no comment on the integrated inflator/octo things, as they are of no real interest to me, except to say that personally, I would avoid them.

If you can afford to do so, get a second Z2 to use as an octo. It will make future servicing easier and give you a greater range of options if you decide to mess with different regs. They are not terribly expensive.

If you want something less expensive, I have had good success with the mares MV octo. They are cheap but seem to breathe okay, have been reliable and don't have the upside-down problem.

Last, for the love of Pete, attach the octo to yourself properly and don't drag it around when you dive. Try to keep it clean and check it periodically. It is no big deal to swap to your octo every now and then during a dive and be sure it is functioning fine.

[diveprof]

Two points:
1. Always have an alternate air source whether it be of the Air II or standard octo design.
2. Service is easier if they are of the same brand or at least a brand that your LDS services (personally I prefer same brand for all stages for simplicity in case the LDS closes, changes brands, etc.) If not, this could turn into a penny wise, pound foolish thing.

[Kunundrum]

My rule of thumb as to a backup regulator is : you should be comfortable enough with it to be able to do an entire dive with it. regarless of the Air2 vs. standard Octo debate.

That being said I not a huge fan of the downstream regs for Octo's, they have a tendency to leak fairly easily with sand and debris (especially the Aqualung ABS), and when it happens on the boat it can be difficult to remedy, without a full bench of tools. Air barrels regulators (IE: XTX20 Octo) are much more reliable and resistant to the torture of "Octo" duty, however typically will cost twice as much to purchase.

I understand the appeal of the Cheap octo... mainly it's inexpensive, though that appeal can quickly fade once you have to sit out a few charters because it got full of sand and won't stop leaking.

[yodelhawk]

Hi. From one new diver to another, would you want to get into the water with a buddy that did not have the equipent to save your butt when the chips are down? In my class we practiced buddy breathing and i was not crazy about sharing a reg. Not to mention, the timing was hard as hell to get down and that was in a 12 foot pool without anybody having a real problem. Spring for the Octo.

[eelnoraa]

Consider HOG 2nd stage for Octo is budget is tight. Low cost 2nd stage, but by no mean low quality, in fact very high quality, both for breathability and construction. I have both HOG and atomic, honestly, I can't tell the difference.

[coralcruiser]

the mares mv is a great choice...

[Paladin]

Hmm. I notice no one has even mentioned the old standby skill of buddy breathing.

[buddhasummer]

All replies have been extremely helpful, thank you. I do enjoy the analogy above and it helps put things into perspective.

Octo it is. Should I go with the cheaper $80-$100 octo the sales guy was presenting to me (unbalanced) or pick one off Lesiurepro/Scubatoys. What did you do? I'm on a budget so although I agree with the "full size spare" concept, I'm not in position to fork out the cash for another Atomic's Z2 for my spare. Thanks again guys. Your knowledge is valuable!

Although Im sure all Octos, if not dragged through sand etc, will work fine I aways use the an Octo with the same performance as my primary i.e good. With the configuration I use I donate my primary so the "octo" will be the reg I breath off. One of my buddy has one of the cheap octos and it breaths like ****, better than nothing of course.

[k ellis]

One of the most overlooked things that people dont consider when getting an Octo or an Octo-Z (Air II) is that these are primarily intended for buddy emergencies. There are a few other things that can go wrong such as a mouth piece coming off a primary reg at depth though that can make having either of the mentioned devices worth their weight in Gold.

The analogy mentioned above is very opinionative as I consider my OCT-Z as running on a very reliable Spare tire. Again its just my opinion though.

I was once very in tune with having the streamlined version of the inflator/deflator and got a good Octo-Z which is a VERY nice addition to diving as its easy to use, very reliable and does stream line significantly. After I started divemastering though one thing I often ran into was playing the out of air scenario with a lone student so I had to get an Octopus for that purpose. Now I have a Octo-Z and an octo in addition to my primary. Something that may seem over kill but I really see no need to spend money getting rid of a set up that works perfectly fine.

In the end just remember this. Octos are alot like primaries in that they are each uniquely designed. Some may free flow if turned upside down upon entry, Some may not, Some may prove extremely reliable while others may not. Dont just go cheap because they are cheap. Choose one after research and find which ones are reported to stand up against the environments you intend to dive in and the situations you anticipate you may find yourself.