I use the halcyon one too and cannot fault it … except for the hole in the wallet
DSMB with valve
- Thread starter Mark Dorgan
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I have one of those DGX DSMBs. I'm a rec diver (assuming you are too based on your username) and after doing some research (a lot of good info/experience here on SB) and shopping the internet, the DGX DSMB best matched what I needed for my diving...basically the features listed on the website...all the other many DSMBs I checked out were missing a feature or two that I wanted. And as you noted, the price is great. My suggestion would be that you mull over what you'll need for the diving you'll do and find a DSMB that checks those boxes...maybe this DMSB, maybe another.
I wanted two colors to get visibility in various lighting conditions (I don't use DSMB colors to communicate messages to people topside). I went with five feet...long enough for the conditions I plan to dive in and small enough that I can reliably fully inflate it and stow it easily in a pocket.
I've deployed it five times...three by oral inflation and two by octo inflation. Each method worked fine to get it fully inflated.
I made two tweaks to it...I added a loop of bungee I ran thru the loop of webbing that holds the metal D-ring. I feed the bungee up thru the spool opening and back around the DSMB to secure the two together (an idea I got from an SB post...wish I could find it to give credit to the poster).
[Edit: Reshot/reposted top pic removing unintentionally misleading bolt snap placement...apologies].
Also, I cut an inch off the loop end of the velcro strap and mated it to the hook end of the velcro strap to create a tab that I could easily grab to unmate the velcro straps when wearing gloves.
Attachments
I looked at the Sub Gravity DSMBs. They look like very quality kit! I would have bought one but they didn't have a model that had all the features important to me. Halcyon still has a broader set of options although definitely pricier.
I wanted 6', slim, stainless steel inflator, and closed. Sub Gravity does not have one with all of those features. Their only closed DSMB is their 1 meter model. But other than that, they look like an outstanding alternative to the ever-pricey Halcyon. If they ever add a version of their 2 meter model that is closed (I do not like open, duckbill DSMBs), I'll give it a try!
I have a few different DSMBs, my favourite so far are the DGXs.
-one way/semi-open bottom
-small d-ring on the top and bottom
-SOLAs tape
-bungee and velcro already built in
-LPI/oral inflate valve, plastic but haven't broken one yet
-one way/semi-open bottom
-small d-ring on the top and bottom
-SOLAs tape
-bungee and velcro already built in
-LPI/oral inflate valve, plastic but haven't broken one yet
Thanks for your thought and modifications! Very useful.
John Miller
Registered
You have gotten a lot of responses. Here is mine for what it is worth. A DSMB includes a spool on line in order to release the SMB from depth. Your choice in SMB is size, as the larger it is the further it can be seen at the surface - color is irrelevant. If you ever intend to use it as a lifting device to recover weight belts or heavy cameras, then you want the purge valve to be at the top. Most of their inflate valves work with the LPI on the BCD but not BCD's with Air2 devices. There are many good YouTube videos on how to best assemble the DSMB and methods of deploying them. I normally carry a large one and my dive buddy carries a smaller one. We use the smaller one most of the time as conditions permit. The large one for when it is called for. Your spool cost will depend on length of line. I prefer orange line over the standard white. Also get a spool that flares out, which makes reeling in the line easier. In the smaller category of spools my favorite is the Highland Aluminum Spool w/ Dyneema Leader #HL460GN. I tell my new dive students that there are two vital piences of accessory dive equipment to take on every dive - a DSM and a dive computer.
Hojo in SC
Contributor
Do you stow the bungee when the DSMB is deployed, I’m wondering why not attach the bungee to the ring first (not looped or tied to the ring, but tie the knot after the bungee is passed through the ring).
Why two colored lines and tied off in the middle of your clip?
A small thing, but it's best if you wrap the line around the boltsnap lest it unclips and you loose everything, or worse still the spool unwinds and snags below.
Example how to tie it here:
DIR- GUE - Spool to SMB attachment
Surprising to some, but GUE's "principles" do leave some things open to flexibility. Some divers prefer to keep the spool and SMB pre-attached. Other divers prefer to leave them separated for various reasons. One reason I think I recall an instructor mentioning was flexibility; maybe when...
No, neither the black bungee that comes with the DSMB and my add-on white bungee get stowed pre-deployment...they are among the things I check to make sure are not entangled before inflation/release (but admittedly could).
Sorry but I'm not getting a picture of what you're describing in the question...and not sure if you mean when I made the mod at my workbench or in the water after I unroll the DSMB.
If the former (and assuming you mean the add-on bungee), the add-on bungee, inserted in the loop of webbing that holds the D-ring, lays parallel...and quite stationary (sharing the webbing loop with the D-ring is a tight fit)...to the bottom edge of the DSMB vice dangling if attached to the D-ring.
Also, using the webbing loop to anchor the add-on bungee:
1) keeps the D-ring clear for attaching the line (I normally pre-attach the line to the DSMB but my instructor had me keep them separate and attach the line to the DSMB as part of the deployment) and
2) keeps the spool a little more firmly in place against the rolled up DSMB (because the D-ring can pivot in the webbing loop, attaching the add-on bungee to the D-ring introduces a little play).
I do that to my bolt snaps so I can easily ID them when some mistakenly picks it up thinking it's his/hers. And if I loan one to a friend/fellow diver, it's easier to sort out at the end of the day/week. I use two colors in order to be (hopefully) virtually unique. And I'm a retired engineer always on the lookout for a solution in search of a problem!
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