Thermo or XSscuba Manifold???

[mikeguerrero]

Hi all,

Is there any difference other than the dip valve; XS has the hex design for removal where as Thermo requires pliars?

I want to get doubles and own Thermo valves on my single 100 Hp Worthingtons... The valves are great, but the XS scuba manifolds are new and I would like some feedback before I make my choice...

Anyone?

Thanks,

Mike G

 

[Tortuga68]

I bought an XS rotating crossbar manifold on ebay recently, haven't used it yet but build and finish quality seems good

The things I liked (compared to the Thermo manifold it's copied from) were (in no particular order):

1. The hex key dip tubes as you mentioned

2. Crush washers replaced with o rings

3. Stainless valve stems instead of brass

4. 1 1/2 turn valves (this is a topic of debate for some people)

All of the above said to me that someone had put some thought into the reverse engineering process rather than just making a cheap(er) copy

The price was also good (it was new) but not a major factor for me

I've spoken to a couple of people here that have used them and they're happy, but always interested to hear anyone else's thoughts

 

[mikeguerrero]

Tortuga,

Thanks for your reply, all was noted... Any other satisfied divers, diving the XS scuba manifold?

 

[Xaryo]

What about the color thingy (green-red)?

It is robust?

 

[Tortuga68]

The one I bought didn't have the red/green indicator on it... since my previous post, I used it on a number of dives, did a few valve sutdown drills and really liked the quick valves (I wasn't doing overhead so no worries about rolling the valve off accidentally)

Unfortunately I loaned my doubles to someone who shall remains nameless /cough Corey /cough, and they dropped them, damaging the manifold

I ordered a replacement one, and it came with the red/green indicators (which caused a lot of debate in the shop about how visible the red would be underwater). I've only used the new manifold on a couple of dives, so can't comment on the longevity but the design is simple enough - the green is fixed in place and the red drops down over it as you close the valve

TBH I was quite happy with the first set without the indicators, but I can see some value if you're teaching someone to do valve shutdown drills (although personally I would still manually check the valves myself after the drill was completed - and before jumping in the water for that matter)

I also have a Halcyon manifold now, which I use for overhead - but I do miss the quick valves of the XS manifold during shutdowns