longer primary hose after getting an air2 - what length and type?

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I just switched to a 120cm / 48inch primary hose - routes under my right arm - with a 110° swivel (lines up better than a 90° - my mouth isn’t in line with my hip where the hose goes).

I also removed my Air2 and replaced it with the stock inflator and a 24inch secondary on a bungee.

I’m liking the arrangement a lot.

Primary routing means no big hose loop over my right shoulder (secondary is short and routes pretty neatly). Angle of the primary hose and definitely reduced jaw and neck fatigue when when I rotate my head.

(Not making this an Air2 thread ... but ... so much happier with less bulk on my left side)

(Not making this a MiFlex thread ... but ... they all MiFlex hoses)


Why go with all the hassle? Use an air2 , get rid of octo, and use a normal primary. If you are recreational it doesnt matter at all and this makes everything more streamlined.

if you are UTD DIR cave diver etc then ignore this post but otherwise eliminating the octo is the way to go. put air two in mouth hand off primary and go to surface. who cares if you are close or far as you are just going up
 
I personally don't like Miflex hoses and I removed them from all my equipment rather quickly after trying them out couple of times.
just a personal preference, I don't like hoses which are
-too slippery
-have abrasive surface
-are floaty at times
-don't keep their shape very well (even too flexible for a long hose I think)

I have the "normal long hose setup" with the 7' / 2.1m normal rubber long hose and secondary on a necklace with the "standard lenght" rubber primary hose.
it was very easy to get used to the long hose but it needs a little bit of attention to not get it jammed under drysuit hose etc. when putting the gear on.

I am not sure how the air2 and long hose would work together, you would need to have the long hose unwrapped and off your neck before you could breathe from the air2 so it would take marginally longer to get to your own backup air source. in most situations should be no problem (when you have practiced the single move primary donation with the long hose the difference would only be couple of seconds) but it would still be a little easier and faster to have the separate octo on a necklace.

wouldn't it be difficult btw to adjust your own buoyancy when breathing from the air2?
never tried one but that seems a potential problem to me

I use an Air 2 with a normal hose primary and an Octo, IIjust got used to the Air 2 and added the Octo when I went pro. If I do use the air 2 in an ascent I vent with my BC dump. Having said that I've never used it in an emergency situation
 
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I run a Scuba Pro Hydros with an air/2 and a mi flex long hose, with a swivel on the second stage. I run he long hose under my arm, and this setup works fine. Its long enough to share comfortably, but not to long to get tangled in tons of crap. I prefer the Air/2 as my backup and eliminating that second octo all together.

This setup works great for me, and I run air share drills with it all the time ( almost weekly ) with no issues.

I never understood why there is so much hate on the air/2 setup. I have divers tell me all the time to ditch it, and some have even gone so far as to try and claim to me that its dangerous to dive with. I wish people could just dive and let dive instead of always trying to inject their 2 cents about my setup.
 
Why go with all the hassle? Use an air2
You might not have read the OP properly. Let me point out one thing there:

Not making this an Air2 thread
(bolding mine)

This is the same tiresome shtick as when someone asks a specific question about a specific jacket BCD, there's always some know-it-all who has to barge in and say something along the lines of "Why a jacket? Get a BP/W". Dude, that wasn't what the OP was asking about.
 
Just a note of caution on use of any inflator/octo combo. I have never seen one from any brand that is rated for coldwater (under 50° F) - I suspect that is an inherent trait in that general design, and not just an oversight on the part of manufacturers. Doesn't mean it is guaranteed to freeze and/or freeflow at 48°, but expected water temp should be a consideration in choosing that type of equipment configuration.
 
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Hi OP,

During my tech 40 course, my instructor and I switched-out my rec style octo and short hose primary for a 2.2 meter primary hose and necklaced redundant second stage. I love it. I use a jacket style BC and don't have problems with it.

I hog-loop the primary hose around my neck after passing it under my right arm. Now, both regs are within inches of my face at all times.

With an Air2 (or equal) I would use a hog-looped primary for sure.

There is a sure fire technique for handing-off your hog-looped primary. Learn it and teach it to your dive buddy so you are both on the same page in an OOG or equipment failure scenario.

markm
 
You might not have read the OP properly. Let me point out one thing there:

(bolding mine)

This is the same tiresome shtick as when someone asks a specific question about a specific jacket BCD, there's always some know-it-all who has to barge in and say something along the lines of "Why a jacket? Get a BP/W". Dude, that wasn't what the OP was asking about.


You are definitely wrong. You tell me to read the O.P. but actually you should have read the O.P. He said he already got an air2. So when I said why go to all the hassle use an air 2 you cut off my point completely.Please in the future copy at least the whole sentence. I started with "use an air 2 as he already is using it so i'm not telling him he should use an air 2 because he is using it. what I am saying is WHY use a long primary hose? If you pass off your primary because you have an air 2 whether you are two feet away or four feet away doesnt normally matter much. I was taught to hold on to each others bcd by my OW instructor and that puts us about 18 inches apart. That may be wrong or right but my point was if going up its not a life or death difference.

Btw I found your statement below to be antagonistic
"there's always some know-it-all who has to barge in and say something along the lines of "Why a jacket? Get a BP/W". Dude,"

For the record I would never tell anyone to GET a backplate and wing or an air2 or dive with or without a snorkel or never use split fins etc. I was talking to someone with an air2 and the question was about primary hose length which is what I was talking about and what he was asking about. My statement had nothing to do with air2. You are looking so hard for know it alls that you just became one :wink:
 
Just a note of caution on use of any inflator/octo combo. I have never seen one from any brand that is rated for coldwater (under 50° F) - I suspect that is an inherent trait in that general design, and not just an oversight on the part of manufacturers. Doesn't mean it is guaranteed to freeze and/or freeflow at 48°, but expected water temp should be a consideration in choosing that type of equipment configuration.


Would you be able to show any proof of this? Because as an air2 user "atomic brand" and living in northern california the water gets close to those temps at 80ft or deeper. I find that alarming if true. Not saying you are wrong just that I want to know lol
 
@ScubadriverDale I did not make an absolute statement that can be proved, I said “I have never seen...” and “I suspect...”
However, I will strongly suggest that in the absence of a manufacturer’s assertion or documentation of cold water suitability of an item, it is foolish to assume the positive, and one should rather assume the negative. I find nothing on the Atomic website that makes any cold water claims for the SS1, so I still “haven’t seen” it. If you can find something different, please point it out. I do find reference to freeze protection standard/optional on their 1st stages, and on the M1 2nd stage.

I don’t know if Atomic submits their items for EU CE testing; and if they do, I also don’t know if they stamp the ratings on US distribution or not.
Here is a quick view of the CE current markings, which may or may not apply to your SS1, depending on when it was made and if it is stamped.
What is EN250?
In brief, on current stamps you would want to see EN250A marked, but would NOT want to see it followed by “>10°C”. I know of no such standardized rating and testing that exists in the US.

There are a lot of variables that contribute to a regulator freeze up, so “designed for cold water” should not be interpreted as “freeze proof.” Aside from water temp, the added density of air at depth is another contributing factor, so be careful what you are assuming to be true without documentation.
 
Would you be able to show any proof of this? Because as an air2 user "atomic brand" and living in northern california the water gets close to those temps at 80ft or deeper. I find that alarming if true. Not saying you are wrong just that I want to know lol
Do you mean SS1 ? I think Air 2 is the name of the Scubapro one.

And if you are using the Scubapro I suggest you google first to get a definitive answer from the manufacturer then ask on a forum only as a second choice.

If you have the Scubapro air 2 the temperature spec is literally in the PDF in the very first link if you google ‘Scubapro air 2 cold water’

https://www.scubapro.com/sites/scubapro_site/files/scubapro_regulators-eng_rev-h.pdf

I couldn’t find information on the SS1 in regards to cold water rating whether it is due to my googling skills or lack of official info
 

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