pony tank 1st stage choice??

[chironomidkraut]

I just bought a 19 pony tank, i have a oceanic alpha 8 octo to hook up to it, i am looking for a low profile, moderatly priced 1st stage for the pony.....i also need some sort of gage setup, i am torn between a little button style, or one that has a hose attached to it!! pony tank is ataching to my main tank not gunna sling it..... any imput would be great...... i am trying to keep the pony system a low profile as possible but enviromentaly sealed

 

[muddysquirrel]

For the gauges... do you want/need to check the pressure of your pony throughout the dive? Personally, using the pony as bail-out, if I switch to my pony the dive is over. Since I'll be making an immediate ascent, and in the dive plan I've made sure my pony will provide enough gas to get me through any stops and to the surface, I don't see much of a need to continuously monitor the pressure; a pre-dive check is enough. I'm not checking the pressure during the dive, therefore a small button gauge works very well for me and keeps clutter down.
If you feel the need to continuously monitor your pony's pressure (using it like a stage [bad idea with a 19] or paranoid), a SPG on a hose would be the way to go. You'll have to be careful to not mix it up with your primary gauge and it will add another hose to your rig.

1st stages.... any plans to move to doubles in the future? If so, buy another first stage like the one you already have. If not (and if you do go the tech route, having an extra stage reg around won't hurt), I'd still stay in the same brand of regulator, if not the same model, for ease of servicing. As far as performance, as long as they can take the cold (and most environmentally sealed regs should... good consideration for Canada), almost all properly tuned first stages will give far more air than you can breathe. Get a matched set, whatever you can find inexpensively at your LDS, or, if you're comfortable with it, a decent reg off eBay... properly maintained all work well.

FWIW, I dive either a pair of Beauchat VX-10s or a pair of Conshelfs (depending if I'm diving as a PSD or sidemount), use a button gauge on my pony, and have had no problems from the ocean to under ice.

 

[charlesml3]

I love the Zeagle Razor for this. It's a first-stage and a tank valve all in one. Small, light. Fills off a whip or another tank.

Envoy RaZor - Regulator Models - Regulators - Zeagle Dive Systems

 

[Buoyant1]

Go to local LDS (or online LDS) and buy a first stage that is on sale! (closeout, etc) I purchased a brand new top of the line Aeris (Atmos AT, I think) a few years back for less than $200, since my LDS was discontinuing them for a new version.

And what Muddysquirrel said about the gauges..if you don't plan on checking pressure during the dive, the button is fine.

 

[muddiver]

I perfer the 1/2" dia type button gague because I did actually have to monitor my consuption on a safety stop once with a class. I was ascending on a richer mix than my back gas and the class stopped to demonstrate the use of a hang bottle. Being the DM I got stuck waiting for about eight divers to 1. leave the anchor line at 20' & swim over to the hang bottle, 2. Turn the bottle on and breath off it, 3. Trun it off and return to the anchor line, etc. Left me wonder how long a 19cu would last at 20'

An SPG on a whip seems like a point of failure to me because of the extra o-rings and the soft hose.

I use oxygen compatable regulators on my smaller cylinders so they can double as Notrox and deco cylinders when I am not using them as a bail-out. The Poseidon Duration Oxygene work really well because it only has the ports needed for a deco/pony cylinder (i.e. one HP, and two LP ports).

 

[FritzCat66]

+1 for the Zeagle Razor. Makes for the slimmest, most compact pony around. And a button gauge is fine, you're only using it for bailout, right? A 19cf will get you up from recreational depths even with a safety stop. You just need the gauge to confirm that it's full to begin with.

 

[Hatul]

I love the Zeagle Razor for this. It's a first-stage and a tank valve all in one. Small, light. Fills off a whip or another tank.

Envoy RaZor - Regulator Models - Regulators - Zeagle Dive Systems

It's like everything, there are pros and cons. Having a standard 1st stage gives you some flexibility in mixing and matching if there is a problem with your 1st stage. Also you can use the pony bottle to pressurize your main reg to soak in a rinse tank.

Adam

 

[vjanelle]

Use the same thing you're using on your scuba tank. It's a pony bottle, and either you're doing deco on it and might need to swap it at other depths, might need it as a spare reg, or just to save money on parts kits and regulator servicing intervals. If this is for solo diving, you'll probably want a high performance regulator in the unfortunate event you actually need to deploy it as well.

Of course, the lowest profile "pony" bottle would be your team's backgas... If you're leaving this tank turned on, you may discover that the gas has left you during your dive, unless you're *really* flexible and can turn it on that way... To each their own I guess.

 

[FritzCat66]

Yes, the Razor's limitiation is it means your pony is pretty much dedicated to being just a bailout, something to get you to your REAL backup gas supply: the atmosphere. If you intend to use it as a stage or anything else, don't get the Razor.

Not a problem for me because my pony is, well, dedicated to just being a bailout. And for that purpose, the Razor hard to beat, although H2Odyssey has some similar regs.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

I would not buy the razor. A standard first stage is better because of the flexibility. Also you can buy a trnafer whip and if the pony is low on the boat, you can whip it to fill it from the main tank. Can't do that with the Zeagle integrated valve/regulator.