Are scuba regulators life-support equipment?

[redacted]

Perhaps this will provide some definition: life-support system (environmental) -- Encyclopedia Britannica

 

[tphelps]

Hi Tyler,

The problem a lot of us have with the term "life support" and scuba gear in the same sentence is that the term has been used by manufacturers and shops to mislead new divers in order to sell them equipment and service they may not really have needed...

...The instructor / dive shop owner should try to explain the differences between the various regs, and what makes the more expensive regs breath ever-so-slightly better than the entry level regs, and help the new diver work out which reg to buy... but too often you'll hear "Do you really want to pinch pennies on your scuba gear?? .... It is Life Support, After All!"

Fear as a sales tactic is what makes a lot of us "irritated" with the "Life Support" topic.

Best wishes.

IMHO I stand by that a regulator is life support equipment. So much so as fighter pilot wears an oxygen mask as he passes Mach 1. Or that of an astronaut wears a $12,000,000 suit to survive 0 atmospheres. To me, "life support" means sustaining consciousness in an environment or setting that the human body is not adapted for. But I do see your point about it being used in the wrong way. For example, dive fins are not "life support." However a regulator delivering a breathable gas at ambient pressure, to me, is. Going back to the sales POV, in my experience you get what you pay for. Not all regulators are created equal. I have tried many different regs and I own six. To me, my regulator needs to have solid mechanics to give me gas when I'm at 300fsw. On the flip side of that, I need to trust that my regulator will give me 100% decompressing oxygen when I'm at my 20' stop.

Is there a "right" answer to the question Is a regulator life support equipment? I don't believe so, it's arbitrary. But to me, I'm never going to buy a "cheap" regulator, that's just not the kind of diver I am.

Cheers!

 

[dfx]

A garden watering can.

Good one! A garden plant would definitely consider its source of water as a life support system, especially if it's something automated, like a sprinkler.

 

[redacted]

IMHO I stand by that a regulator is life support equipment. So much so as fighter pilot wears an oxygen mask as he passes Mach 1. Or that of an astronaut wears a $12,000,000 suit to survive 0 atmospheres. To me, "life support" means sustaining consciousness in an environment or setting that the human body is not adapted for. But I do see your point about it being used in the wrong way. For example, dive fins are not "life support." However a regulator delivering a breathable gas at ambient pressure, to me, is. Going back to the sales POV, in my experience you get what you pay for. Not all regulators are created equal. I have tried many different regs and I own six. To me, my regulator needs to have solid mechanics to give me gas when I'm at 300fsw. On the flip side of that, I need to trust that my regulator will give me 100% decompressing oxygen when I'm at my 20' stop.

Is there a "right" answer to the question Is a regulator life support equipment? I don't believe so, it's arbitrary. But to me, I'm never going to buy a "cheap" regulator, that's just not the kind of diver I am.

Cheers!

So why would you not buy a "cheap" regulator? (By "cheap", I mean inexpensive. Do you mean something different?) Do you really think you get any more "life support" by spending $1000 rather than $500 or even $200?

BTW, I am in the process of assembling two sets of regulators for some friends for under $400.

 

[scubastingray]

Good one! A garden plant would definitely consider its source of water as a life support system, especially if it's something automated, like a sprinkler.

It's life support for you if said plant is a tomato plant and you later eat it.

So why would you not buy a "cheap" regulator? (By "cheap", I mean inexpensive. Do you mean something different?) Do you really think you get any more "life support" by spending $1000 rather than $500 or even $200?

BTW, I am in the process of assembling two sets of regulators for some friends for under $400.

Exactly. This is the scare tactic in practice. For 99% of divers the cheap set is plenty.

Hell, HOG gear is relatively cheap yet plenty of tech divers use them. Someone better tell them a reg is life support, and they should spend more.

 

[Tigerman]

So why would you not buy a "cheap" regulator? (By "cheap", I mean inexpensive. Do you mean something different?) Do you really think you get any more "life support" by spending $1000 rather than $500 or even $200?

BTW, I am in the process of assembling two sets of regulators for some friends for under $400.

some people is of the opinion that a $200 regulator wont provide life support like a $1000 regulator will - which is the cause for calling them life support in the first place. Afterall, you cant set a price tag on your life, can you?

 

[agilis]

IMHO I stand by that a regulator is life support equipment. So much so as fighter pilot wears an oxygen mask as he passes Mach 1. Or that of an astronaut wears a $12,000,000 suit to survive 0 atmospheres. To me, "life support" means sustaining consciousness in an environment or setting that the human body is not adapted for. But I do see your point about it being used in the wrong way. For example, dive fins are not "life support." However a regulator delivering a breathable gas at ambient pressure, to me, is. Going back to the sales POV, in my experience you get what you pay for. Not all regulators are created equal. I have tried many different regs and I own six. To me, my regulator needs to have solid mechanics to give me gas when I'm at 300fsw. On the flip side of that, I need to trust that my regulator will give me 100% decompressing oxygen when I'm at my 20' stop.

Is there a "right" answer to the question Is a regulator life support equipment? I don't believe so, it's arbitrary. But to me, I'm never going to buy a "cheap" regulator, that's just not the kind of diver I am.

Cheers!

100% oxygen at 20 feet can kill you. Are you Nitrox certified? What exactly is decompressing oxygen? The use of oxygen masks by pilots is a factor of altitude, not speed.

I have quite a few regulators, most of them several decades old. All of them are self-serviced, with loving care. My regs are like family; I know them and they know me. Each is an individual, with its own characteristics, and is treated as such. A couple of them have jealousy issues, so I take that into account when deciding which ones to use.

 

[beaverdivers]

some people is of the opinion that a $200 regulator wont provide life support like a $1000 regulator will - which is the cause for calling them life support in the first place. Afterall, you cant set a price tag on your life, can you?

Some divers may prefer to breathe from a $1099.00 reg, instead of sucking from a cheap reg.

 

[live&dive]

Only 18 pages??? We have a long way to go to reach MOF levels!

 

[Splitlip]

This not the first thread however.