Last pulls with balanced regulators

[Akimbo]

But if I arrive at your shop without regs because of baggage limits or a short notice decision to dive, and that's what you offer me...I'd have to reply, "That's the best you can do for me?"

Since most boats in remote locations limit dives to 130' or less and it makes sense to use 32% Nitrox to allow more no-decompression repeds (REPEtaive Dives), I would have no problem using an unbalanced regulator. I would bring my own if I was diving to 200'/60M plus. Until recently, all deep saturation diving was done on unbalanced second stage regulators.

There is very little difference between this regulator that is certified to 1600'/500M on HeO2 and the 1970s vintage US Divers (now Aqua Lung) regulator it was literally copied from.

 

[boulderjohn]

I used to do a fair amount of diving in which I would breathe through a stage bottle completely before switching to my back gas. I would usually watch the gauge fairly carefully and switch before things got too close, but there were a couple of occasions when for various reasons I let it go a little more than usual. I had a balanced regulator, and I definitely felt the pull in plenty of time to do something about it. Of course, the something I was talking about was casually putting a different regulator in my mouth, not frantically looking for someone with which to share air or heading for the surface.

 

[rsingler]

@Akimbo, absolutely no argument on the second stage side. As I'm sure you know, it can be more resistant to problems with it's simpler design, and tuned properly for the 1st stage IP, breathes as easily as a balanced second. No surprise that it's used on saturation dives, because it's a pretty fail-safe valve.

But the first stage? That's where I'd be picky. As we discussed above, I get the argument for dual unbalanced regs to protect the careless diver. Me, I'd want a balanced first.

 

[kelemvor]

I've got a working scubapro MK7 honker that solves this "problem" nicely. It makes a sound when you inhale and the tank pressure is around 500psi or less. Unfortunately, mine has a yoke that is only suitable for 2200psi.

I still prefer using a gauge (wireless) and a more modern regulator.

 

[Akimbo]

But the first stage? That's where I'd be picky.

Why... if you are on a dive boat in the tropics? You will still have more than half your gas when the first vacation diver is breathing off the DM's regulator at a safety stop. They will be pulling the anchor before you could get to 800 PSI!

 

[rsingler]

Why... if you are on a dive boat in the tropics? You will still have more than half your gas when the first vacation diver is breathing off the DM's regulator at a safety stop. They will be pulling the anchor before you could get to 800 PSI!

Lol! Right you are. I'll take whatever you give me, @Akimbo, even if it has training wheels. As long as it's shiny.