The new MiFlex Braided hoses - Not so much...

[sea nmf]

I got a 5'. I have not had it out diving yet. I don't scooter unless I'm visiting kidspot on Maui, so the drag factor should be minimal.

I'll try to remember to let you know how the 5' works (if it needs adjustment, flops around, etc.). I did get the short hose for my bungee'd back-up as well.

 

[stimpy4242]

So basically what i'm seeing here is
Miflex = good for the short hoses, not good for the long hoses?

I wouldn't jump to that conclusion so quickly. So far only one person has said the longer hose didn't work for his application. He also said he was using a DPV. So, I am not sure that really is saying that no one can use a long miflex hose. Its just one person in a unique situation.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

So is the hose DIR?

 

[scubafanatic]

So is the hose DIR?

...as long as it's BLACK!

 

[Clanggedin]

I believe Compudude has a long hose and likes it.. I should have 7' hose tomorrow, but I can't test it until Thursday next week.

 

[reefduffer]

So here's a question ... I realize some might want to flame on this, I'm hoping not, I just want to float an idea I had, and get pros and cons. I'm genuinely not a troll. If someone can point out why it won't work or is a really bad idea, I can stop thinking about it, and possibly wasting my money or risking my or by buddy's safety to try it out.

And keep in mind I haven't seen one of these hoses, just the photos, and discussion here.

A perfect long hose (5' - 7') IMO would be that length when you wanted it to be, and maybe 4' when you wanted it to be that. Current hose technology says you have to pick one, so we use 5' or 7', and stow the rest as out of the way as we can. It certainly works OK, but I don't think you could say you want it wrapped around your neck, other than that's better than any other alternative so far. (OK, maybe you do want it wrapped around your neck, fine, but explain why.)

So, could these new 7' Miflex hoses be stowed tripled back on themselves, say 18" worth, to make them 4' long, breathable and reliable and durable with the two tight bends? Stowed in maybe a couple or three loops of bungie, or an elastic sleeve, so they are reasonably tight and streamlined in normal 4' use, but can be pulled out to 7' with, say, no more difficulty or likelihood of glitches during an OOA than uncoiling the current configuration over your head and then freeing it from your can light/ belt/ whatever?

And I'm not asking if it's DIR, it certainly isn't yet. As another poster asked, I'm not even sure the MiFlex is. I'm not DIR or a wannabee, just a long-hose rec diver. I welcome DIR's conservative vetting of gear configurations, and if they reject MiFlex, or the use of it I'm suggesting here, I'd be interested in why. But I don't need to be DIR compliant.

For now, focus less on exactly what the stowing rig looks like; I think something reasonable, including reasonable re-stow after an S-drill, can be designed. I'm more interested in whether the hose would allow this to work.

I just want some initial reactions to whether this would be workable from long-hose divers who've actually used the new MiFlex hoses. Sometimes new technologies make new and better configurations possible.

 

[Mo2vation]

I believe Compudude has a long hose and likes it.. I should have 7' hose tomorrow, but I can't test it until Thursday next week.

And he has how many dives on it?


BTW - unless something changed in the last 3 weeks, DIR protocol is about hose length. There isn't a protocol on hose composition.


---
Ken

 

[Wolfie2012]

So, could these new 7' Miflex hoses be stowed tripled back on themselves, say 18" worth, to make them 4' long, breathable and reliable and durable with the two tight bends? Stowed in maybe a couple or three loops of bungie, or an elastic sleeve, so they are reasonably tight and streamlined in normal 4' use, but can be pulled out to 7' with, say, no more difficulty or likelihood of glitches during an OOA than uncoiling the current configuration over your head and then freeing it from your can light/ belt/ whatever?

...

For now, focus less on exactly what the stowing rig looks like; I think something reasonable, including reasonable re-stow after an S-drill, can be designed. I'm more interested in whether the hose would allow this to work.

Well, if you're asking if the hose would still work with tight bends in it... the answer is yes. The manufacturer says you can tie it in knots and the air would still flow... so I tried it and it indeed does.

So, possible? Yes.
Feasible? I don't use a long hose so I wouldn't know.

 

[tridacna]

It goes without saying that you loose the swivel.

Thanks!

 

[Gombessa]

So, could these new 7' Miflex hoses be stowed tripled back on themselves, say 18" worth, to make them 4' long, breathable and reliable and durable with the two tight bends? Stowed in maybe a couple or three loops of bungie, or an elastic sleeve, so they are reasonably tight and streamlined in normal 4' use, but can be pulled out to 7' with, say, no more difficulty or likelihood of glitches during an OOA than uncoiling the current configuration over your head and then freeing it from your can light/ belt/ whatever?

I don't think that's much different from the current long-hose deployment routine. Sure, you don't have to stuff the hose or route it when you're gearing up, but what happens after the donation? You'd have to stow it, either back in its bungee loops/sleeve or some other, more traditional way.

This comes into play during drills. For many long-hose divers, it's not going just stay stowed until there is a bona fide OOA. Mod-S drills pre-dive, S-drills during the dive, there are plenty of opportunities to deploy the hose, and it's still going to require some work either before or after the process.