New Kirby Morgan reg?

[Akimbo]

Perhaps more to the point is there are lots of regulators in this day of EU certifications that are more than good enough for any recreational diver.

KMC doesn't stop at the 165' depth on air when optimizing performance. Their depth gauge barely moves of the peg at that depth. Lots of strange things happen when the mix switches to nearly 100% Helium with the densities found at 1600' enter the equation. There comes a point where significantly reducing the WOB makes the regulator unstable every time the diver moves their head... most well-tuned regulators on the recreational market are there today.

As most know, I am a huge fan of the Oceanic servos. Their advantages go beyond what shows up on a breathing machine. Their simplicity and reliability for example. Maintaining their performance long term, the ambidextrous nature of a side exhaust, and exceptional light weight are also factors.

If all you care about is breathing machine results, then there are several regulators with recreational air numbers as good as the KMC and a little better than the servos in recreational depths. Truth be told, the new KMC second stage is probably seriously inhibited by first stage and the baby-size IP hose. These regulators are normally fed by super-high flow regulators with 1/2 to 3/4" NPT ports and 3/8 to 1/2" ID hoses.

 

[ams511]

Superflow regulators are an unbalanced downstream regulator with an adjuster like an Oceanic Delta not a barrel poppet design like a Scubapro 109 or G200, correct?

 

[Fishpie]

.....yes, like the Delta.

 

[Akimbo]

Superflow regulators are an unbalanced downstream regulator with an adjuster like an Oceanic Delta not a barrel poppet design like a Scubapro 109 or G200, correct?

Just for clarity, the new second stage regulator in question (not the Superflow), model 200-120, is a balanced second stage.

Balanced Scuba Regulator | Kirby Morgan

Here is the exploded view drawing:
http://www.kirbymorgan.com/sites/default/files/pdf/blowaparts/balanced_scuba_blowapart_hi.pdf

Edit: Just to close the loop, here is the data for the Kirby Morgan Metal SuperFlow Scuba Regulator

Here is the exploded-view drawing
http://www.kirbymorgan.com/sites/default/files/pdf/blowaparts/metal_adjustable_blowapart_hi_0.pdf

 

[Nemrod]

You guys realize the metal and plastic Superflows are just a Conshelf, as we discussed. A good Conshelf, adjusted correctly will breath just as good and so will a SP109, BA or standard. It is nice to adjust a 109 (or KM) such that the regulator barely hisses with the adjustment knob turned full out, they will breath like a dream. But, I usually set my adjustable regs just shy of actually cracking with the knob full out.

This new ugly duckling KM with the rubber cover, meh.

I will just say it, as a high performance regulator either a Titan LX or Legend will have a lower WOB though a good Conshelf was and remains an excellent and rugged breathing machine.

N

 

[Akimbo]

You guys realize the metal and plastic Superflows are just a Conshelf, as we discussed...

That was true for a long time but they started to diverge years ago. The small refinements mostly show up in heavy workloads beyond recreational depths, plus of course the Dial-A-Breath that loads the seat for inlet pressures between about 80 and 175 PSI. As I recall, the full adjustment range is about 13 revolutions of the knob.

For those unfamiliar with the Dial-A-Breath, it is the same feature found on a lot of Scuba regulators except it has a much broader adjustment range. The reason is because the vast majority of umbilical-supplied divers don't carry a first stage. The supply is either off a LP air compressor with a relatively fixed output pressure or through an HP regulator on deck or in the bell. The broad adjustment allows the diver to adjust for minimum inhalation resistance as their depth or ambient pressure changes and their supply pressure doesn't.

This is not to suggest that the Superflow and the Conshelf 14 will make a perceptible difference to recreational divers or even most tech divers, but they are no longer the same regulator. You can install a few the Conshelf 14 parts on a Superflow (there aren't many parts in them in the first place), but my understanding is it will compromise peak performance when deep.

 

[Nemrod]

N <------ Highly Skeptical.

N

 

[Rich Keller]

You guys realize the metal and plastic Superflows are just a Conshelf, as we discussed. A good Conshelf, adjusted correctly will breath just as good and so will a SP109, BA or standard. It is nice to adjust a 109 (or KM) such that the regulator barely hisses with the adjustment knob turned full out, they will breath like a dream. But, I usually set my adjustable regs just shy of actually cracking with the knob full out.

This new ugly duckling KM with the rubber cover, meh.

I will just say it, as a high performance regulator either a Titan LX or Legend will have a lower WOB though a good Conshelf was and remains an excellent and rugged breathing machine.

N

They will preform the same at 120' but not at 1200'. You will need the KM reg for that. I am sure it is a better reg but sport divers will never go deep enough to know the difference. There is a reason that Kirby Morgan helmets are the top performing helmets in commercial diving world wide and that reason is their regs.