εξοπλισμος.. ακουω γνωμες...

[darisg]

Ως αναφορά στους ρυθμιστές ένας καλός οδηγός είναι ο παρακάτω:

Your choice in regulator is one of the most important decisions you will make in buying diving equipment. You should first of all look for something that is tried and tested. New products may look good and the advertising may highlight many unique features, but this gives no indication of how it holds up to time and use.

Next, you need to avoid regulators with special fittings or non-standard parts. In the event of a problem, non-standard hoses or parts can be difficult to get hold of – especially if diving abroad.

The final considerations are the ease with which it can be stripped down (even underwater) and the design of the first stage for efficient hose routing. A regulator may fail underwater for many reasons, but a majority of cases are the result of debris or other foreign objects getting into the second stage, partially opening the diaphragm or blocking it. In these circumstances, the second stage can be opened up, the offending object removed, re-assembled and returned to normal use. If the second stage does not allow you to do this, you should look at other options.

First Stages

First stages broadly break down into 2 groupings – piston and diaphragm. The piston design is slightly superior and far simpler in terms of operation with fewer moving parts. This allows easier work of breathing (WOB) and will also take more abuse than a diaphragm. However, this is not to denigrate the diaphragm, as there are some wonderful diaphragm first stages on the market. The best piston design available is the Mk 20 by Scubapro. The best diaphragms are the TX50 and US4 by Apeks.

The placement of ports on the first stage is also an important consideration. Poorly routed hoses will result in loops that will catch on wrecks / rocks etc. and sometimes result in compromises elsewhere in your kit. Ideally, all hoses should point down thus minimising the risk of loops that will cause entanglements. You also need a minimum of 4 low pressure and 1 high pressure port. If we look at the Mk20, it has 5 LP ports and 2 HP ports. The big advantage that the Mk20 has here is that there is a port at the end of the regulator thus facilitating hose routing. The TX50 first stage has 4 LP ports, but one of them is a non-standard size, so an adaptor is recommended if you need all 4 ports.

For diving in colder waters – such as we experience over the winter, it is important that the first stage is not overly prone to problems such as freeflowing. A free-flow can be initiated at either the first or second stage of a regulator, so some thermal protection is preferred. It is less easy to insulate piston first stages, but the Scubapro Mk 20 is insulated with their TIS (Thermal Insulation System). Diaphragm regulators are easier to insulate and this is done by putting alcohol (or similar) into the open area facing the diaphragm and sealing that. Various manufacturers have introduced ultra-light first stages that should be avoided at all costs. These are made from Aluminium and are prone to breaking and corroding over time.

Second Stages

Second stages are driven by a diaphragm that opens a valve when you inhale. Most regulators can be classed into 2 groups – side breathing such as the Poseidon Jetstream and Oceanic Omega and front breathing such as the Scubapro G250 and Apeks TX50. There are also 2 other groupings – upstream and downstream regulators. The difference is primarily their behaviour in the event of failure – an upstream fails closed (no gas) and a downstream fails open. In the UK, Poseidon are the only upstream regulators. You need to consider how important you regard the method of failure.

Most regulators have the hose feed in from the right but some newer models can feed from either side. This is a simple procedure that most shops can do for you. As I said above, you should be able to strip down a regulator easily (and even underwater). Many regulators on the market do not allow this and should therefore be avoided.

When choosing a backup regulator, you should opt for an unbalanced design. This design is far less prone to free-flow - a very important consideration for cold water and diving in currents (they're also cheaper ;-)

General

Some regulators show reduced performance with time after servicing. It is important to choose a regulator that maintains good performance over time without the constant need for re-tuning - such as Poseidons (quickly loose their performance after servicing). The more complicated the design the more to go wrong and the higher the price of the "service kits".

Μάλλον οι poseidons και οι jestsream μένουν έξω απ'το παιχνίδι......
Κάπου μεταξύ Scubapro και Apeks σε βλέπω....

Ως αναφορά στα split fins, άκουσε τον ai_sixDIR (δεν νομίζω να έχει καμία όρεξη να τρέχει γυμνός στο Σύνταγμα...)
Κάπου κοντά στα JetFins σε βλέπω......

Σε σχέση με το BESEA W50, άκουσε πάλι τον ai_sixDIR..... δεν υπάρχει τίποτα πιο βολικό-εργονομικό-αποτελεσματικό από ένα απλό bp/wing για όποια χρήση και αν το θέλεις (αρκεί να διαλέξεις τον σωστό ασκό)
Κάπου μεταξύ Halcyon - frog- Agir Brokk -Dir Zone - DTD σε βλέπω......

Ακόμα και για την μάσκα, δεν είναι τυχαίο οτι όσοι δοκίμασαν την Beaver Atomic (παρ'οτι πολύ φθηνή) πήραν και μια δεύτερη για backup ........