New to Vintage

[BigRed96]

Hi All, I would like to purchase a double hose regulator set that I can find rebuild parts for so I can use the regs from time to time. I have been looking but do know much about them. Are the Aqua Masters any good? Could someone please send me in the right direction?

 

[Scuba Lawyer]

You can't go wrong with an AquaMaster. Parts are readily available and the regs are easy to come by. Check out www.vintagedoublehose.com and www.thescubamuseum.com

Good luck

 

[herman]

Welcome to the club. Either an Aquamaster (aka DAAM) or a Royal Aquamaster (RAM) are perfect choices. Their Voit counterparts are just as good but harder to find and more expensive when you do. Like Mark said, all the parts you need to rebuild one are readily available as well as upgrades to make them perform better. I highly suggest you not go cheap on the rebuilds. Some try to reuse the hoses, mouthpieces and main diaphragms, these were just OK when new but are barely servicable today, fine for display but not to dive with. They really need to be changed to get the best out of a reg.
Take your time, read all you can on diving DH regs and by all means, ask questions. There is a fairly large community of DH divers both here and on VDH that are more than happy to help you along.

 

[scrane]

A lot of what you're asking about was discussed in this recent thread:
1962 Voit ad - but that positioning...

 

[BigRed96]

Here’s the one I’m looking at. What do you all think?

 

[James79]

In my (limited) experience, it doesn't look bad. No way of knowing the true condition of soft goods (hoses, mouthpiece, diaphragm) without having it in hand, but the outside condition looks promising. I haven't seen new 2 stage diaphragms available, so I would budget for an HPR second stage and new diaphragm from VDH, and new hoses/mouthpiece from your choice of supplier. So anticipate around $150 to $200 ish, and then count anything else as a bonus. I have one DAAM that I put a cyclone 1st, HPR second, and band clamp into ($150 in parts, excluding the hose loop), and another that I resurfaced the factory 1st stage seat, and it had a good diaphragm in it... so it cost me about $10 (exclusive of hose loop). Just the roll of the dice with what you will find inside.
So in short, to me it looks like either an OK or good deal, depending on condition of soft goods.
Respectfully,
James

 

[Scuba Lawyer]

Don't know what the inside looks like but the outside looks fine. I looked at the posting and it appears it has a long-yoke that permits a SPG to be attached via a banjo fitting so that is a plus.
As for the hoses and mouthpiece, I don't care how good they look or feel, they are 40 years old and, IMHO, all rubber parts need replacing, including the main diaphragm, body-to-can gasket, duckbill (replace with Duckbill Eliminator from VDH), mouthpiece valves, etc.... You will also want to replace the c-clips with a band-clamp to hold the cans together and make it easier to take apart to clean/dry. Just saw @James79 post as I type so all that is good info too. My 2psi.

 

[herman]

Don't be concerned with old rubber parts, they are very rarely good enough to dive...and frankly some of them just taste bad. As for the price of that one, it's on the upper end of what they sell for on ebay. With some luck and patience you can usually get one in the $100 range. Most don't have hoses but then again, they are rarely useful anyway. There is one on ebay now at $50 but the bidding usually goes up at the last minute......and several more that are way over priced....one WAYYYYY over priced...something fairly common on ebay for some reason.
I have several I need to sell, I am sure I have a servicable DAAM I would sell for $100 +shipping and I will make sure the first stage is working. The biggest chance you have of getting a non-servicable one is a bad first stage nozzle. They can be replaced with a Cyclone or Phoenix mod so all is not lost if it does have a bad first stage but they are an extra expense. Send me a PM with your email address if you want to discuss it.

 

[BigRed96]

Don't be concerned with old rubber parts, they are very rarely good enough to dive...and frankly some of them just taste bad. As for the price of that one, it's on the upper end of what they sell for on ebay. With some luck and patience you can usually get one in the $100 range. Most don't have hoses but then again, they are rarely useful anyway. There is one on ebay now at $50 but the bidding usually goes up at the last minute......and several more that are way over priced....one WAYYYYY over priced...something fairly common on ebay for some reason.
I have several I need to sell, I am sure I have a servicable DAAM I would sell for $100 +shipping and I will make sure the first stage is working. The biggest chance you have of getting a non-servicable one is a bad first stage nozzle. They can be replaced with a Cyclone or Phoenix mod so all is not lost if it does have a bad first stage but they are an extra expense. Send me a PM with your email address if you want to discuss it.

Wish I would have saw your post first Herman. I had already bought and paid for the one I posted. I paid $125 plus shipping. Wish I would have saw your post as I have bought tools from you and know you’re a good, reputable guy.

 

[lexvil]

Buy

Wish I would have saw your post first Herman. I had already bought and paid for the one I posted. I paid $125 plus shipping. Wish I would have saw your post as I have bought tools from you and know you’re a good, reputable guy.

Herman’s and then learn on the other one, once you have one...