Air2 thoughts please

[ChrisEdwards]

I'm new to Scuba and am in the process of selecting equipment. Most of my diving will be warm water, mild recreational, around the Caribean and Florida area.

I've narrowed my choice of regulator down to the Atomic B2 from reading as many reviews and other folks input.

I visited a local dive store today and became quite interested in the Scubapro Knighthawk. The LDS carries this but only gets them with the Air2 already installed. The price of the BC also reflects this addition.

I don't know the pro's and cons of having the second/backup regulator the on the end of the inflate/deflate hose, short of using one less LP port and having one less tube.

The LDS also carries the uwtec Aladin Prime computers, but after reading the manual online, it seems either not very well written or overly complicated compared to Oceanic and Aeris computers.

The guy gave me quite a lot of his time and I would definately like to buy products from him as he seemed very genuine even though I informed him I was still checking out all the LDS's in my area. His prices are a bit high but anyone who takes apart three regulators, without asking, just to show the the pros' and cons of each, I feel he earned at least some if not most of my business. He also offered to rent all the gear I was considering purchasing to try it out.

Thanks

 

[spectrum]

I don't think any of my thoughts have changed since I wrote this:
http://www.scubaboard.com/showpost.php?p=1169848&postcount=3

All of the attention and kindness in the world should not infulence WHAT you buy. It may have an impact on who and what you will pay but your configuration is your personal reponsibility and decision.

Pete

 

[archman]

My dive profile matches yours, and I've used an AIR2 for years. It'll work just fine for the sort of diving you wish to do.

I'm surprised that your LDS won't *let* you purchase a stock Knighthawk with the standard inflator hose, though. I doubt it's a marketing ploy, since the LDS would be out the cost of an octo.

 

[Packhorse]

There are pros and cons of using an air2 or SS1 and these have been covered in many threads.
In my opinion there are some people that shouldnt use them. they include
Deco divers
Wreck divers
Tech Divers
Cold water divers
Divers with no or bad gas management skills
Divers (instructors and DM's included) who buddy with divers with no or bad gas management skills
Divers with crapy regs
Divers who buddy with divers with crapy regs
For just about anyone else then a air2/SS1 is fine.

I dont fall into any of the above and I have a SS1 and I like it. It means 1 less peice of equipment to worry about. Its easy to find and use and breaths well infact better than my 1st set of regs.
I think it is well suited to solo divers and also for divers who carry a pony bottle. (air2 still goes on main tank) I mean whats the point of having 3 normal 2nd stages?
If you do choose to use one practice with it. Ascending while breathing of it and dumping air is a little harder but doable. I practice with mine every 5 dives or so.
Air2 isnt as good in a OOA as a regular 2nd stage. But it will get you to the surface. While a normal 2nd stage octi will be a (slight) inconvienience on every dive, the air2 will be a inconvienience on a very small percent of dives or hopefully none. I have done 250 dives and never HAD to use my SS1 or an octi and I plan on keeping it that way.

 

[Quaack]

I have a SS1 on my Knighthawk,
no problems so far.

Dave

 

[divingjd]

I wouldn't agree with everything Pete says about the AIR 2 (I use one, like it, have used in an out-of-air situation, and do air-sharing exercises with it all the time teaching), but I would absolutely agree with what he says about choosing your gear. Don't go with an AIR 2 because the guy selling it was nice and he doesn't stock the BC with the standard power inflator. If you want to use a standard octopus, he ought to order a power inflator for you, particularly if he's really a nice guy. I think it is great that you are recognizing the value of service. That may influence the brand you buy, who you buy it from, and what you pay, but don't let it decide what gear configuration to use.

I am tempted to tell you to search for the discussions on the AIR 2 and other integrated air sources, but there are a lot of long threads with a lot of misinformation. Pete gives a good description of the case against the AIR 2, without getting into some of the hyperbole and misinformation that a lot of people spread.

I will try to state the case for the AIR 2 succinctly and fairly. The AIR 2 reduces the clutter in your gear and makes it much easier to secure and locate your safe second at all times. As someone else has mentioned, it is not appropriate in some diving situations, particularly technical diving of various sorts, but in those situations a standard octopus probably is not appropriate either. A lot of people believe that donating your primary is the best procedure for air-sharing anyway, so donating your primary is not a problem. Yes, using it properly requires training and discussion with your buddy, but all gear configurations require proper training and discussion with your buddy. You should discuss your equipment and emergency procedures with your buddy every time - it's part of the standard pre-dive checklist.

Nothing in your post indicates you will be doing any of the kinds of diving that make an AIR 2 inappropriate, so whether you use it or not is a matter of preference. Feel free to PM me if you want to discuss the AIR 2 further.

 

[Matteo]

as you can see, there are many opinions about the pros and cons of an Air2....I have one and enjoy it....as for the other stuff, you can't go wrong with the Knighthawk, awesome BC!!!....same goes for the Aladin Prime....yes the manual takes some getting used to, but you can't beat the performance and capabilities....IMO, the best computer on the market at that pricepoint that will allow you to expand your diving opportunities as your experience increases....good luck with your purchases!

 

[OE2X]

Make sure you and your buddy are well versed in air shares with it. Honesty doing an OOA with one is a PITA. Your primary is too short to easily pull one off without being on top of one another.

Then too this is exactly why I like using a 7' hose on my primary...

 

[TxHockeyGuy]

I currently dive an Air2 and I am looking at switching to a standard octo. I've done the drills with Air2 and with the standard octo and yes it is slightly easier with a standard octo but not that much, IMHO. My number one reason for switching is that I would like to be able to just take a reg with me on vacation when I am not planning on doing that much diving. I'm also thinking of eventually moving towards a long hose and bungied backup and all I would have to do to change to that configuration is buy a longer hose.

Another thing you'll find if you do a search here is that a number of people have converted from Air2's to standard octo's, not many have done the opposite. That should have told me something when I bought my gear but what can I say, I'm thick headed. Either configuration will suit you just fine if you are planning on just diving recreationally.

 

[Tom Winters]

I didn't use one even when I could get them free.