Air Buddy - My thoughts

[GrumpyOldGuy]

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

Actually, I only pointed out we cannot make any conclusions based on accident reports (or lack of) as you claimed.

My concern is simple it is very different and has no real benefit. Being different is fine for lots of stuff, but for an alternate air supply to be used in an emergency and possibly by an inexperienced diver / buddy it is not such a good idea. In this case, a certain amount of uniformity is good, boring but good.

 

[Rick Murchison]

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

HHhhaarrr!
Send pictures!

-- I agree that the Air Buddy looks like it's getting slammed by folks who haven't tried it, and lauded by the one poster who has tried it.
Anyone want to send me one for evaluation? I promise I'll be fair and impartial.
Rick

 

[ONESPEED]

The best of all worlds, the Air Buddy Spare Air....

I guess what I have to ask is why? Why would anyone want to go through this....

When they could just as easily have a perfectly good octo.

 

[Epinephelus]

Being different is fine for lots of stuff, but for an alternate air supply to be used in an emergency and possibly by an inexperienced diver / buddy it is not such a good idea. In this case, a certain amount of uniformity is good, boring but good.

Seems to me the learning curve is pretty flat for this one... If my buddy needs air I hand him the reg in my mouth and use the alternate.
And... from appearances (the same appearances used to condemn the device) it looks to me like the Air Buddy is far less likely to get fouled with mud or sand than a conventional second stage.
Hmmmm... maybe it is better!
But I'll defer to those who use it for opinions with weight.
E

 

[redacted]

When it comes to selecting an alternate, I opt for one that I would be comfortable using as a primary for any dive I do. An Air Buddy just does not look like it would meet that criterion. Might be another nice pool toy though.

 

[GrumpyOldGuy]

Seems to me the learning curve is pretty flat for this one... If my buddy needs air I hand him the reg in my mouth and use the alternate.
And... from appearances (the same appearances used to condemn the device) it looks to me like the Air Buddy is far less likely to get fouled with mud or sand than a conventional second stage.
Hmmmm... maybe it is better!
But I'll defer to those who use it for opinions with weight.
E

OK, so what is the learning curve for a conventional AAS?
Trick question - there is NONE, it is an autonomic response.

I hope you never deal with a panicked buddy who grabs your AB. Also hope you would practice with it every dive so when you share air in a real emergency everything works out.

You do have a point on getting fouled though, it could be a benefit for some divers. Personally it has never been an issue for me as I use a necklace octo and don't roll in the muck.

 

[captain]

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/regulators/296666-air-buddy.html

 

[The Chairman]

Wow... Thal likes it. He's pretty tough on crap.

I was part of the test group back in '95 or so. I liked it then, I still like it. It has held up well, I still have the one they sent me to test, and I'd estimate that I've used it on a bit more dives per year since I got it than the average diver makes.

It works well, but you do have to train for it - you need to get used to biting it to start the flow of air and exhaling through your nose or around the Air Buddy.

But, it can't free-flow, it is not a regulator so it'll work fine down to the dregs of the tank, it doen't need yearly servicing, and they make some (likely legitimate) claims that it delivers air in a way that tends to provide oxygen better and eliminate CO2 better.

 

[Rick Murchison]

OK, so what is the learning curve for a conventional AAS?
Trick question - there is NONE, it is an autonomic response.

Wish I had a nickel for every student that's put a regulator in upside down during AAS training and ended up in a "stressful" situation.
I agree that the learning curve for this device would likely be even flatter than learning AAS with a conventional reg.
All I need is a donation & I'll give it a test run with real people.
Rick

 

[The Chairman]

ll I need is a donation & I'll give it a test run with real people.
Rick

Well, I contacted them about this thread. I have to say that I would like to try one as well. You don't have to worry about purging them either.