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Vintage Equipment DivingPre-1980 "Vintage" SCUBA Gear, including Double Hose Regulators, Conshelfs, Voit, Aquamaster, Horsecollar BC's and other classic pieces of gear. Sea Hunt, Jacques Cousteau and the early history of this great sport.
The idea of a double hose regulator intrigues me, the bubbles behind me would be nice.
Are there any double hose regulators either vintage or contemporary that will allow the following standard devices to be safely used?
A place to connect a standard low pressure inflator hose to fill a back inflate wing or other standard BC.
A place to attach a modern second stage in the event of my own equipment failure or the need of a second stage by a buddy.
A place to attach a submersible pressure guage.
The ability to use this on a modern 3000 psi tank with either DIN or Yoke valve.
I guess some of these things might be accomplished with an H or Y valve and a second modern first stage regulator set, but I am not the least bit familiar with vintage regulators so this might not even be possible due to obstructions. I guess that is why I am asking here. I hope these questions are not out of line, but if I never ask I will never know.
I am also curious about just how much bouyancy the air in the double hoses adds when compared with the modern regulator I am diving now.
Mark Vlahos
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At 50 dives I thought I had this diving thing figured out. At 100 dives I realized how wrong I was at 50!
If you can find them, the AMF Voit Trieste II and the Sportsways Hydro-Twin probably meet your criterion (although I'm not as sure about the Hydro-Twin and a 3000 psi yolk--I have one and it seems okay, but may not be rated for 3000 psi). Both of these regulators have both HP and LP outlets. With a multi-hose adapter, it will accomodate both an octopus second stage and an inflator hose.
The new Aqualung Mentor regulator also meets your criterion. It is a new regulator, but is very, very expensive. Apparently it can be bought from Aqualung if you talk directly to the manufacturer. It is being made for the US Navy, and is not advertised at all.
SeaRat
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I've been called an "old Coot." Well, that would be the American Coot (Fulica americana ) or mud-hen, and I've done my share of mucking around in low visibility, so it applies. But, you're never too old to learn something new.
Aqualung just inroduced the Mistral twin hose regulator in Germany.
It passed all required CE testing and is offered there for 760 Euros.
Don't know what Aqualung plans for it in the US are.
The new Mistral appears to use what is basically a conventional first stage with normal ports, so adding an octo, low pressure inflator and an SPG would be done in the normal manner with no adapters required.
Can anyone explain why everyhting good is sold in Europe. We actually have money over here too. I suppose it is all the lawyers. I cannot imagine there being more interest in Europe vs USA in double hose regs. Oh well, not sure that is an improvement upon a Royal Aquamaster. Nemrod
I know this is an old thread, sorry for bringing it back up but I am not sure Mark's question was ever answered. I have learned over time that the USD DA Aquamaster and the USD Roya Aquamaster can be rigged with a single hose second stage off of the hookah port with an adpter. A SPG can be run from the tank valve or a rare but desirable device called a banjo fitting. Alternately, if diving with a double rig with double outlets or a single with a Y Valve it is possible to run a double hose reg and then use a single hose reg as a back up with two second stages, LP inflator and SPG. Anyways, there are actually several ways to accomplish what Mark asked and lot's of folks who know much more than me about how to accomplish this. N
Can anyone explain why everyhting good is sold in Europe. We actually have money over here too. I suppose it is all the lawyers. I cannot imagine there being more interest in Europe vs USA in double hose regs.
Even if the new Mistral uses check valves in the mouthpiece it will still require some slightly different non industry standard techniques in operation and will remove the option in most cases of donating the primary regulator to an OOA diver. The fact that it is "different", "not an industry standard" and based on "old" or even "antiquated" technology that has long since been replaced by "better" single hose technology is problematic from a liability standpoint. It pretty much ensures that some moron will do something stupid with one or use it without adequate training and kill themselves as then of course some laywer will takwe the case and sue the company for selling a sub standard product that allowed the moron to kill himself.
I recently finished "Fatal Depth" and while it is not the best read I have seen on diving, it provides a good example of this phenomenon. A tech diver who lied to his instructor and several other people, wrote an inflated number of dives on the paperwork to qualify for trimix training, and signed a hold harmless waiver to dive on the Andrea Doria, got himself killed on the wreck.
An attorney then represented the deceased family and sued the boat owner, the instructor and the training agency for $36 million dollars because he felt someone should be held accountable. The defendents ultimately won the case but they still incurred substantial legal expenses in a case where the deceased was the person ultimately responsible for the events and decisions leading to his death and had willingly signed several waivers along the way indicating he knew and accepted the risks.
As long as we continue to devalue the concept of personal responsibility and allow trial attorneys to bring nuisance lawsuits we are not going to have an environment that is conducive to allowing companies to do something different. The sad part is that the ultimate cost is borne by the consumer who indirectly pays for the outrageous cost of liability insurance premiums and/or settlements on outrageous lawsuits.
Aqualung just inroduced the Mistral twin hose regulator in Germany.
It passed all required CE testing and is offered there for 760 Euros.
Don't know what Aqualung plans for it in the US are.
Aloha Caveseeker
Do you have any more photos of the new regulator? I would be very interested in getting one.
Thanks
Turtleguy
OK...so I was eager...and wrong. It looks as if the Mistral is not the civilian version of the Mentor that I was hoping for. See here for the real Mentor.
Actually, I like the looks of this new version better. If I can run down a supplier, I'll let everyone know.
Blending of new and old
Linear Mode
