Air Buddy - My thoughts

[GrumpyOldGuy]

Any of y'all ever used one? Or anything like it?
Or is your expert evaluation based on your perception of the website, and "it's very different so it must be bad?"
I haven't used one either, but just looking at it I can't see anything "most dangerous."
Different, yes; dangerous? I'd have to actually use it to see if its gas metering is so sloppy as to produce an overexpansion hazard.
I do know that I've never seen one implicated in *any* accident.
Have you?
However...
There are many factual errors on the website.
For example, "Tthis (sic) air is poor in oxygen because you have just exhaled it."
On SCUBA under water, this just isn't so. Because PO₂ rises with depth, and on a normal breath the blood is able to take on about .04 ATA, exhaled air has as much oxygen as unbreathed surface air any time you're below about 6½ fsw (2m).
That kind of apparent ignorance of diving physics doesn't enhance confidence.
But, again, I'm not willing to pass judgment on the product without at least giving it a try.
E

I have have never juggled with lighted road flares either, yet I know it is a stupid idea!

The whole point of growing old is gaining the wisdom to avoid learning things the hard way. Been there, done that, not about to repeat.

 

[james croft]

I've used an Airbuddy and don't see what all the alarm is about. I found it very simple to use. It is not like sipping air from a freeflowing reg. Apply pressure, get air, release pressure and exhale. Not a big deal. Intead of using suction to depress a diaphram in a second stage to depress a lever you just use pressure from biting it.

But then again most of the gear I dive I have been told will get me killed, you know, like J-valves, oval masks, and double hose regs.

Thanks for the warning.

 

[Epinephelus]

When I saw this thing at DEMA back in the 90's I thought "Whoa! Now there's a 'Rube Goldberg' solution looking for a problem..." and wrote it off as one of those doodads that'd be a flash in the pan. But it seems it's still around, and as far as I can tell, doing no harm.

I've used an Airbuddy and don't see what all the alarm is about. I found it very simple to use. It is not like sipping air from a freeflowing reg. Apply pressure, get air, release pressure and exhale. Not a big deal. Intead of using suction to depress a diaphram in a second stage to depress a lever you just use pressure from biting it.

So the only first hand experience in this thread finds it simple and effective.

I have have never juggled with lighted road flares either, yet I know it is a stupid idea!

I remember when Nitrox was "juggling with lighted road flares" too.
I suggest all you naysayers go get a little real experience before further criticism of a product about which you have ZERO first hand knowledge.
Again, if it's dangerous, and been around for nearly 15 years, you ought to be able to find at least *one* documented incident where it contributed in some way to a bad outcome. When I saw this thread I looked around a bit and couldn't find anything negative beyond other scoffers with *no* experience with the product.
FWIW, I don't intend to go buy one of these things.
My point is simply this: Don't knock it if you haven't tried it.
Starting a thread knocking a product you haven't tried (unless there's some real simple math to make your point - e.g. spare air) is nothing more than a troll.
E

 

[The Chairman]

Any of y'all ever used one? Or anything like it?
Or is your expert evaluation based on your perception of the website, and "it's very different so it must be bad?"
I haven't used one either, but just looking at it I can't see anything "most dangerous."

I have to agree with you here. Where's the danger? This kind of valve was used for a time by Weeki Wachee mermaids, though now they use a 1/4 turn valve.

Perhaps we have settled for the mind set that "if we don't dive it, it must be junk". We berate shops that do this. I don't see much of a difference here.

 

[toddthecat]

Spare Air saved my ass 7 years ago at 35 feet while spearfishing. Why exactly is the OP knocking Spare Air?

 

[Rick Murchison]

Spare Air saved my ass 7 years ago at 35 feet while spearfishing. Why exactly is the OP knocking Spare Air?

Rather than taking this thread off on the "Spare Air" tangent, do a search on "Spare Air" and you'll find about a dozen very long threads on the subject that thoroughly exhaust all viewpoints and opinions. No need to rehash them here
Rick

 

[GrumpyOldGuy]

...

I remember when Nitrox was "juggling with lighted road flares" too.
I suggest all you naysayers go get a little real experience before further criticism of a product about which you have ZERO first hand knowledge.
Again, if it's dangerous, and been around for nearly 15 years, you ought to be able to find at least *one* documented incident where it contributed in some way to a bad outcome.

With Nitrox, there is an benefit to be gained and weighed with the added cost and complexity. What exactly is the real benefit of the Air Buddy (marketing hype aside)?

With emergency equipment in general, the use is infrequent so the data showing effectiveness (or lack of) is minimal. In this case, you have a novelty that has failed to win a significant market share in 15 years. So pleading that because we don't have documented cases of problems it must be safe is illogical.

I would rather put forth the argument that since it as been on the market for 15 years without being adopted by a significant number of divers that most people are smart enough to stay away from it.

 

[Epinephelus]

With Nitrox, there is an benefit to be gained and weighed with the added cost and complexity. What exactly is the real benefit of the Air Buddy (marketing hype aside)?

With emergency equipment in general, the use is infrequent so the data showing effectiveness (or lack of) is minimal. In this case, you have a novelty that has failed to win a significant market share in 15 years. So pleading that because we don't have documented cases of problems it must be safe is illogical.

I would rather put forth the argument that since it as been on the market for 15 years without being adopted by a significant number of divers that most people are smart enough to stay away from it.

Well, *I'm* not staying away from it because I think it's dangerous. I'm not buying one because I have no need of one.
And if you want to claim an argument is illogical, (good grief!) to claim the product is "dangerous" because it's emergency equipment and not enough people have adopted it and so the lack of any documented problems doesn't disprove the hypothesis that it's dangerous... and so it must be, actually, dangerous... because you say so...
now that, my dear sir, is illogical!
E

 

[ScubaSteve]

I just ordered 2.....This is gonna look AWESOME on my long hose

 

[ScubaSteve]

You bite on the tiny plastic nozel...and it squirts air into your mouth

I was pointed to a thread on TDS today that kinda went down like that