- Messages
- 104
- Reaction score
- 0
- # of dives
- 200 - 499
Serviced my regulator (Zeagle 1st and 2nd stage, Aqualung octo) over the weekend with an Aqualung technician. He was great. I learned a ton, and am very happy I finally did my own servicing.
First, it was much easier than I expected. If you have some proper tools and have the mental capacity to take 20 pieces out of a completed jigsaw puzzle and put them back in properly, you can service your own regs.
Second, ScubaTools.com rocks. All the special tools I needed.
Third, small wooden dowels that you can whittle to the correct size worked much better than most of the specialty tools required by Aqualung.
Fourth, if you do any salt water diving, having an ultrasonic cleaner is critical. I can't imagine getting some of that crud out without it.
Fifth, Aqualung pisses me off, the way they so tightly control their parts--especially considering the next point.
Finally--surprise, surprise--I discovered what an incompetent job my previous servicers had been doing. My previous servicing was always done at one of the largest dive shops in the Seattle area. They return all of the replaced parts to you in a little baggie after servicing. None of my previous baggies contained the poppet bearing from my Aqualung octo, which probably explains why it looked 5 times more crusted over than any other part in that reg.
Aqualung says they have such tight controls over parts and gear to ensure the quality of their life support equipment. Then how about some quality control over their service technicians? As an instructor, I use my octo a lot and the last thing I need is for it to fail during a class with a panicked student because a "qualified" service technician was too frickin lazy to replace all the parts that Aqualung says need to be replaced every year!
Anyway, I am a total convert to the DIY gear repair philosophy. Just wish companies like Aqualung would pull their heads out and realize what a disservice it is to their customers to restrict access to parts.
And a big thanks to Zeagle and Scuba Toys for making access to Zeagle parts easy. You can bet my future regs will all be ones I can easily service myself.
First, it was much easier than I expected. If you have some proper tools and have the mental capacity to take 20 pieces out of a completed jigsaw puzzle and put them back in properly, you can service your own regs.
Second, ScubaTools.com rocks. All the special tools I needed.
Third, small wooden dowels that you can whittle to the correct size worked much better than most of the specialty tools required by Aqualung.
Fourth, if you do any salt water diving, having an ultrasonic cleaner is critical. I can't imagine getting some of that crud out without it.
Fifth, Aqualung pisses me off, the way they so tightly control their parts--especially considering the next point.
Finally--surprise, surprise--I discovered what an incompetent job my previous servicers had been doing. My previous servicing was always done at one of the largest dive shops in the Seattle area. They return all of the replaced parts to you in a little baggie after servicing. None of my previous baggies contained the poppet bearing from my Aqualung octo, which probably explains why it looked 5 times more crusted over than any other part in that reg.
Aqualung says they have such tight controls over parts and gear to ensure the quality of their life support equipment. Then how about some quality control over their service technicians? As an instructor, I use my octo a lot and the last thing I need is for it to fail during a class with a panicked student because a "qualified" service technician was too frickin lazy to replace all the parts that Aqualung says need to be replaced every year!
Anyway, I am a total convert to the DIY gear repair philosophy. Just wish companies like Aqualung would pull their heads out and realize what a disservice it is to their customers to restrict access to parts.
And a big thanks to Zeagle and Scuba Toys for making access to Zeagle parts easy. You can bet my future regs will all be ones I can easily service myself.