Pony bottle vs. Spare Air?

[Lowrider Steve]

Super! It's nice to hear of positive uses for them - aside from the Nitrox ready and even smaller models.

How deep would you take one on a rescue...??

How deep do you think a newbie should trust one for bail-out?

Do I detect some cynicism? I DO appreciate some positive posts on SA. It seems you are putting yourself way out on a limb here to support anything positive about the product.

I do have to agree that a Nitrox version would seem to be an attempt to fleece the ignorant. I can't imagine anyone using high O2 or mixing gas in the SA tank.

 

[Bob Vincent]

You guys stop making fun of Spare Airs! You know how much money they made, you wouldn't laugh. It's just a Pet Rock sought of thing .....

 

[DandyDon]

You guys stop making fun of Spare Airs! You know how much money they made, you wouldn't laugh. It's just a Pet Rock sought of thing .....

Maybe a bit, but while I go have to applaud anyone who has saved lives with one - and I would enjoy reading those stories, I still wonder how deep even he may use one or suggest using one to a newbie? I am open to new info and different views, but for regular dive planning - I'd rather plan on a CESA from an emergency at 50 ft or shallower, but a larger bottle than 3 cf from one below that - and it's generally :newbie:s who buy the SAs, isn't it.

The 1.7 cf model strikes me as just silly, and the Nitrox model simply an insult - blended Nx up to 40% can safely go into any tank. The Nx model may be O2 clean on purchase but so what?

 

[offthewall1]

As an AOWI and owner of both a commercial dive company and retail scuba training facility, I can tell you there are many excellent uses for spare air. Those that bad mouth it are simply ignorant.

The spare air is more than useful during a CESA from 100ft. Would you rather attempt the CESA with or without it? Of course many of you will say you wouldn't have to do a CESA if you had a redundant air supply such as a 19, 30 or 40CF pony bottle... and of course you'd be right. The reality is however that dive resorts around the globe don't generally provide divers with pony bottles and pony bottles are not too convenient to travel with. Spare air is compact, easy to travel with, easy to fill and provides the traveling diver with far more support than no redundancy at all.

Most of you who speak badly of it have never used one, never even tested one and for the most part are more hardcore divers than the traveling vacationer. If you're a Northeast Wreck Diver -diving the Doria, leave your spare air at home. If you're that same diver getting on a plane to the Bahamas for a three day weekend - pack your spare air.

One of the Big three training Agencies (SDI) who teaches SOLO diving within the recreational realm endorses Spare Air as a completely acceptable source of redundancy for SOLO training. No, it is not the best and no one will make an argument that it is... but it does have it's place and it is a quality product that does save lives.

The military uses it, Police and Fire teams use them etc... etc... I know because we sell them to them and service them for them.

A 3.0 Nitrox Spare Air makes me laugh a little... but I suppose if I were doing a CESA with no safety stop every bit less Nitrogen I take in on my way to the surface can only be a benefit. I'll let DAN figure out how much if any benefit that may be.

Happy Diving

 

[offthewall1]

I appreciate your comeback. Yes I am new and hadn't been on the intro page yet. I see that this is a heated topic, but my concern for these devices is more for safety at the surface, vs. actually diving below. It seems like there is a lot of experience on this site, so thought I would just get a few opinions. I don't want to keep my large tank, reg, bc, etc. on the boat since it takes up so much room.

See our Boat Owners Dive Package

 

[DandyDon]

Thanks, Ken...

A 3.0 Nitrox Spare Air makes me laugh a little... but I suppose if I were doing a CESA with no safety stop every bit less Nitrogen I take in on my way to the surface can only be a benefit. I'll let DAN figure out how much if any benefit that may be.

If you're using the SA fill whip to bleed blended Nx from a filled Nx tank, fine - you could do that with any SA model, could you not?

 

[=C=]

Zeagle has an combo pony regulator. I have one... I have installed a larger cylinder and it zips to my ranger BC. I generally only dive it when I'm my own buddy or in "insta-buddy" situations.

Its good build quality, I have breathed it to 0 at a saftey stop, performance was what you would expect from Zeagle stuff.

I post some pics when I have a moment.

 

[Divernate5150]

For me and the people I dive with, the pony is the way to go. The spare airs are a joke. All they do is get you closer to the surface to drown. I know at my LDS, I can get a pony and a reg for less than a spare air goes for.

Just my thoughts!

 

[offthewall1]

For me and the people I dive with, the pony is the way to go. The spare airs are a joke. All they do is get you closer to the surface to drown. I know at my LDS, I can get a pony and a reg for less than a spare air goes for.

Just my thoughts!

A Pony and a Reg for less then a Spare Air? I sure as heck wouldn't want to be diving that clunker of a set up.

 

[DandyDon]

A Pony and a Reg for less then a Spare Air? I sure as heck wouldn't want to be diving that clunker of a set up.

Depends on how you buy them. Used ponies and regs do show up on ebay. Service them and good for less than the price of a new Spare Air.

Used SAs are probly more common and cheaper, tho...

Here is a complete, new 6 cf Odyssey system: $285 H2Odyssey Extra Air Source Yoke Kit scuba dive tank New - eBay (item 320247025324 end time May-04-08 09:17:49 PDT)

3 cf SA: Currently $102 and bidding Spare-Air Pony Bottle Tank Scuba Dive Regulator Kit New - eBay (item 220230190666 end time May-05-08 13:32:18 PDT)

6 cf tank only: $90 NEW Emergency Air Tank Pony Bottle Scuba Diving Dive NR - eBay (item 200220432827 end time May-07-08 02:34:02 PDT)