Spare Air: some thoughts

[DCBC]

I will not lie, I tried to enter to win a Spare Air just for the purpose of having it to use in the pool, and for the hell of it, or to sell it to get money... But hey Spare Air may be good for Helo pilots, rafters, other (above) water sports where the risk of being pinned under something u/w, or whatever exsists, mabey in a car incase it accidently gets into the water from a bridge, or rolls in at a boat ramp, or mabey for the Freediver to have for an emergancy use only, for these situations a Spare Air could be a lifesaver, but in the scuba realm its just another marketing gimmick, and a waste of money, as i said earlier you can get an AL 40 cuft tank and a (for ex) a single OMS, or Dive Rite 1st Stage for less than $199.99, and hook up your octo to the 1st stage, and wa la... A regulator for the pony, if your buddy goes OOA give him the regulator to the pony, and make your accent...

If you're comparing apples to apples, you have to pay about the same for a new 40, as you do a Spare Air. That doesn't include the regulator. The cheapest new regulator is around $250 and a Zeagle 20 cu ft pony bottle system is around $500.00 new.

 

[redacted]

...you can get an AL 40 cuft tank and a (for ex) a single OMS, or Dive Rite 1st Stage for less than $199.99, and hook up your octo to the 1st stage, and wa la... A regulator for the pony, if your buddy goes OOA give him the regulator to the pony, and make your accent...

That would commit you to carrying that 40 cf tank on all dives or reconfiguring your regs. Not impossible but not really desirable.

And how does that work when you have to fly to your diving destination?

 

[Thalassamania]

The "reconfiguration" (that's a mighty big word for removing a plug and screwing in a hose) would take about ten seconds.

 

[Bogie]

I have both and use them differently.

Spare Air can get me to my buddy diver or can give me the sense that I have 20 breaths to surface. (shallow dives)

Pony bottle is much larger and is more of a true backup system.

 

[idocsteve]

The "reconfiguration" (that's a mighty big word for removing a plug and screwing in a hose) would take about ten seconds.

Yeah but you can charge more if you reconfigure a regulator as compared to removing a plug and screwing in a hose.

Which is why I examine patients with "instruments" and not "machines", and we fit contact lens patients with "diagnostic fitting lenses" and not "trial lenses".

There's a slew of these specific to my profession...I only wish my staff would use them more frequently.

 

[RJP]

Spare Air can get me to my buddy diver or can give me the sense that I have 20 breaths to surface. (shallow dives)

Pony bottle is much larger and is more of a true backup system.

There was a great thread on this topic recently:

Spare Air Discussion

A useful way to take the discussion to it's logical conclusion.

 

[Reg Braithwaite]

There was a great thread on this topic recently:

Spare Air Discussion

Thanks, that was really informative. I especially liked the Trimix SpareAir. But for those whose browsers have trouble with hyperlinks, can you copy the messages and paste them here? It's nice to have the same old arguments all over again instead of having to use the search feature on the board.

 

[idocsteve]

But for those whose browsers have trouble with hyperlinks

How can a browser have trouble with a hyperlink? Isn't that what browsers are for?

 

[Reg Braithwaite]

How can a browser have trouble with a hyperlink? Isn't that what browsers are for?

Whoosh!

 

[redacted]

The "reconfiguration" (that's a mighty big word for removing a plug and screwing in a hose) would take about ten seconds.

I thought it was a suitable word. What word would you recommend that would be more fitting. I seriously doubt if you can do it in 10 seconds, but I'd give it a minute once the tools are laid out.

I agree. It is not exactly an onerous task. But it does take a couple tools (readily available in some diver's save-a-dive kit) and can result in a leaking connection or, in the hands of a sufficiently inept diver, a destroyed regulator. What do you mean inch pounds, not foot pounds?:shocked2: