Another great video. I noticed that the transmitter has an o-ring on it (could be seeing that wrong online). I spoke to Shearwater recently and they said to remove the o-ring on their transmitters before connecting them to the hose with the swivel.
Yeah, I'm just grabbing things from the drawer, if you're attaching a transmitter to a hose then you don't need that O-Ring on your transmitter, just the swivel pin. That O-ring is just for when you attach the transmitter directly to your 1st stage.
Very interesting terminology difference. Here in Florida everyone calls them air spools or high pressure spools. I've also heard them called spindles, albeit rarely.
Thanks for the detailed response Mark, I’ve been watching your videos since before getting the open water certification last year and have used your knowledge and reviews to help me decide on most of my gear I’ve purchased thus far. Very informative and great content!
Hi Mark, thx for the description 👍🏼🤗 i have seen the little O-ring in the male-end of the Miflex-hose. After screwing the hose to the 2. stage they rotate so easily, that i am not sure if it is correct sealed. Ok, i will test it in may in Egypt 🇪🇬🐠🐟🦈🐡🐙
#askmark , hi there, first of all I absolutely love your videos. So much information. I am very new to scuba and definitely got the bug. Do you have a very detailed video of a complete scuba build, from building a plate and wing to building your octo? I have heard some terminology that is new like swivel pin for example. Thank again . I'm off to watch your next video.
I imagine I have over the years. Backplates are quite easy and if you're buying a complete set, many of them come assembled and just need adjusting to your size. Regulators are simple also. As long as you know how to use a spanner and don't overtighten the hoses you should be good to go
I had never heard of swivel pins so I really appreciate this advice! This made me think of another question to #askmark : when I replace or maintain gaskets in my hydro pumps or whatnot we tend to use a thin layer of white lithium grease to keep it safe from snagging and tearing and also to prevent them from drying and cracking. Would that be discouraged in a regulator setup?
Yes lubricants/sealants are avoided in scuba because of the risk of combustion when dealing with higher oxygen blends. Maintained equipment doesn’t need it, so avoid hiding an underlying problem and keep it dry.
Do Miflex hoses need to be replaced regularly? One service tech I spoke to said they need to be replaced every 5 yrs. can’t find anything on their website or brochure about it so I wonder if it’s obsolete news related to the rubber failure issue they used to have?
Great Question! 5 years is the industry standard for how often you should replace your hoses. It's the same for rubber and braided hoses. Most hoses will probably last longer but, they do degrade over time and I'd rather spend money on new hoses then for one to fail mid-dive.
#askmark Hi Mark, thanks for all the great content I find it very informative and great to watch. I have a question about buying my first scuba cylendar please, Its quite confusing looking at all the options. I will be diving here in the UK in a dry suit so I was thinking I would go for a 12ltr Steel but there appear to be a couple of common sizes - Faber and Euro which on should I opt for and whats the differences? I am quite a heavy user on gas sometimes so is it worth a 15ltr instead. I would be a bit concerned about how easy the cyclendar is to manhandle out of the water due to weight etc. Many thanks in advance. Keep up the great videos :)
#AskMark Hi Mark. I've been thinking about getting into twinset diving in Scotland, as I'm converting more towards a DIR mindset. I really like the idea of redundancy but unsure if the change is required as all of the other members of my dive club dive single cylinder setups (like I do currently). Is it worth converting to twins if A) my buddies are all in single cylinders and B) we only do 1 dive per day and C) I wouldnt be able to take advantage of things such as longer bottom times. I'm taking GUE fundamentals in June but will be taking that in singles as that's what I'm comfortable with. Love the channel, thanks, Greg
I tend to only dive twins now, regardless of what my buddy is diving. Your setup doesn't affect your buddy that much and the extra gas just gives you a sense of ease to cover whatever happens in the water. If you're only diving once per day then you have the choice of diving the 2nd dive with whatever you didn't breathe on dive #1 or topping it up. Fundies will be a great opportunity for you to chat with your Instructor about twins and learn to dive twins properly
You should try GUE fundies with twinsets! Just to learn. You'll find that other than how heavy they are on land, that they're not that hard to learn. If you find them too uncomfortable on your first day, then there's no issue with moving to single tank on your other days of the course.
The two reasons I’ve heard regarding using a short high pressure hose to connect a transmitter to a first stage are: (1) doing so can improve connectivity between the transmitter and a dive computer (because the transmitter has a better “line of sight” wrt the computer since it’s out from behind your head), and (2) it avoids someone breaking your transmitter if they grab it thinking it’s the cylinder valve handle. You might figure no one should be touching your valve handle but you, but plenty of dive boat crew often lend a hand with gear before and after a dive (I’ve seen dive boat crew grab the valve handle to help pull a diver out of the water in choppy seas when the diver is struggling ascending the ladder).
Spot on @philipdstudio. In choppy waters, it's easy for somebody to grab your transmitter accidentally and then all of the weight of your gear is put on that expensive handle. It can also help with connection issues, bringing the transmitter closer to your computer or around something that may block the signal can help if you have connection problems. But typically, divers put their transmitters on short hoses so that they're less likely to be damaged
Hi #askmark, just asking about where to attach an additional Al80 cylinder. I dive backmount single but due to going a bit deeper for a bit longer I wanted to have the security of another cylinder and first + second stage. I'm using a hogarthian harness setup so I can put D-rings anywhere. On what D-rings, and where, should I sling this Al80 cylinder? Thanks in advanced, loving the vids.
Hi Mark. Have you got any information about Apeks Rk4? I am looking for new fins for this moment. I need something for heavier configuration (drysuit, twinset + stage) and just wonder if it is worth waiting for? Many thanks #askmark
I haven't used them in the water yet but, I have played with them and heard a lot about them. I have heard unconfirmed rumors that the larger size might be delayed until 2025 unfortunately. Stiffness and weight-wise they seem to be somewhere between the regular and HD versions of the RK3. I won't be trading in my RK3 fins just yet but, if you're in the market for a new pair of fins the look a good choice
Hello Mark. Recently I purchased my First set of New Equipment. Had my Tank filled. Tested my BCD LPI. The SPG. Tried my Genesis Prana Regs. Octo was fine. My Question is about the Venturi Control on the Prana main Reg. When I first tried to breath(Surface) I noticed the Knob keeps turning in both directions. Is that Normal??
The switch shouldn't move by itself. All switches should stay where you set them during the dive. You'll be able to move them by hand during the dive but, if it's moving by itself it needs to be looked at.
@@ScubaDiverMagazine I called one of the Dive Shops I purchase from(Online) and the Repair Tech Confirmed what you posted. I'm Recently Certified and purchasing my own gear. Better Safe than Sorry right?
Another great video. I noticed that the transmitter has an o-ring on it (could be seeing that wrong online). I spoke to Shearwater recently and they said to remove the o-ring on their transmitters before connecting them to the hose with the swivel.
Yeah, I'm just grabbing things from the drawer, if you're attaching a transmitter to a hose then you don't need that O-Ring on your transmitter, just the swivel pin. That O-ring is just for when you attach the transmitter directly to your 1st stage.
@@ScubaDiverMagazine Thank you for the quick reply and the GREAT videos as usual!
Very interesting terminology difference. Here in Florida everyone calls them air spools or high pressure spools. I've also heard them called spindles, albeit rarely.
Yeah, we don't have a single term for them it seems. I've seen swivel pins, spools and spindles, I just tend to stick to swivel pins myself
Thanks for the detailed response Mark, I’ve been watching your videos since before getting the open water certification last year and have used your knowledge and reviews to help me decide on most of my gear I’ve purchased thus far. Very informative and great content!
Thanks Patrick, I do my best to inform
Cheers for that!
Hi Mark, thx for the description 👍🏼🤗 i have seen the little O-ring in the male-end of the Miflex-hose. After screwing the hose to the 2. stage they rotate so easily, that i am not sure if it is correct sealed. Ok, i will test it in may in Egypt 🇪🇬🐠🐟🦈🐡🐙
They do tend to rotate quite easily when they're depressurised. You'll soon find out if it's not sealing properly...
Personally I’d recommend testing that BEFORE you go to Egypt!!! 😂
@@MikeDodds hi Mike - hmmm eventually I take the old hoses with me (they are not defect only OLD) - not so many extra weight 😂
#askmark , hi there, first of all I absolutely love your videos. So much information. I am very new to scuba and definitely got the bug. Do you have a very detailed video of a complete scuba build, from building a plate and wing to building your octo? I have heard some terminology that is new like swivel pin for example. Thank again . I'm off to watch your next video.
I imagine I have over the years. Backplates are quite easy and if you're buying a complete set, many of them come assembled and just need adjusting to your size. Regulators are simple also. As long as you know how to use a spanner and don't overtighten the hoses you should be good to go
I had never heard of swivel pins so I really appreciate this advice! This made me think of another question to #askmark : when I replace or maintain gaskets in my hydro pumps or whatnot we tend to use a thin layer of white lithium grease to keep it safe from snagging and tearing and also to prevent them from drying and cracking. Would that be discouraged in a regulator setup?
Yes lubricants/sealants are avoided in scuba because of the risk of combustion when dealing with higher oxygen blends. Maintained equipment doesn’t need it, so avoid hiding an underlying problem and keep it dry.
We tend to use silicone grease on certain O-rings up to 40% O2. Anything over 40% and we'll use something like Krytox or Christo-Lube lubricants.
Do Miflex hoses need to be replaced regularly? One service tech I spoke to said they need to be replaced every 5 yrs. can’t find anything on their website or brochure about it so I wonder if it’s obsolete news related to the rubber failure issue they used to have?
Great Question!
5 years is the industry standard for how often you should replace your hoses. It's the same for rubber and braided hoses. Most hoses will probably last longer but, they do degrade over time and I'd rather spend money on new hoses then for one to fail mid-dive.
Aren’t swivel pins also known as spirrules?
Swivel pin, Spool, Spindle, I've heard a bunch of names for them but never spirrule...
#askmark Hi Mark, thanks for all the great content I find it very informative and great to watch. I have a question about buying my first scuba cylendar please, Its quite confusing looking at all the options. I will be diving here in the UK in a dry suit so I was thinking I would go for a 12ltr Steel but there appear to be a couple of common sizes - Faber and Euro which on should I opt for and whats the differences? I am quite a heavy user on gas sometimes so is it worth a 15ltr instead. I would be a bit concerned about how easy the cyclendar is to manhandle out of the water due to weight etc. Many thanks in advance. Keep up the great videos :)
#AskMark
Hi Mark. I've been thinking about getting into twinset diving in Scotland, as I'm converting more towards a DIR mindset. I really like the idea of redundancy but unsure if the change is required as all of the other members of my dive club dive single cylinder setups (like I do currently). Is it worth converting to twins if A) my buddies are all in single cylinders and B) we only do 1 dive per day and C) I wouldnt be able to take advantage of things such as longer bottom times. I'm taking GUE fundamentals in June but will be taking that in singles as that's what I'm comfortable with. Love the channel, thanks, Greg
I tend to only dive twins now, regardless of what my buddy is diving. Your setup doesn't affect your buddy that much and the extra gas just gives you a sense of ease to cover whatever happens in the water.
If you're only diving once per day then you have the choice of diving the 2nd dive with whatever you didn't breathe on dive #1 or topping it up.
Fundies will be a great opportunity for you to chat with your Instructor about twins and learn to dive twins properly
You should try GUE fundies with twinsets! Just to learn. You'll find that other than how heavy they are on land, that they're not that hard to learn. If you find them too uncomfortable on your first day, then there's no issue with moving to single tank on your other days of the course.
I have a Teric w/ transmitter that screws directly into the first stage. Is there a benefit to having the transmitter attached to a hose first?
The two reasons I’ve heard regarding using a short high pressure hose to connect a transmitter to a first stage are: (1) doing so can improve connectivity between the transmitter and a dive computer (because the transmitter has a better “line of sight” wrt the computer since it’s out from behind your head), and (2) it avoids someone breaking your transmitter if they grab it thinking it’s the cylinder valve handle. You might figure no one should be touching your valve handle but you, but plenty of dive boat crew often lend a hand with gear before and after a dive (I’ve seen dive boat crew grab the valve handle to help pull a diver out of the water in choppy seas when the diver is struggling ascending the ladder).
Spot on @philipdstudio.
In choppy waters, it's easy for somebody to grab your transmitter accidentally and then all of the weight of your gear is put on that expensive handle.
It can also help with connection issues, bringing the transmitter closer to your computer or around something that may block the signal can help if you have connection problems. But typically, divers put their transmitters on short hoses so that they're less likely to be damaged
Thanks, that makes sense.@@philipdstudio
Hi #askmark, just asking about where to attach an additional Al80 cylinder. I dive backmount single but due to going a bit deeper for a bit longer I wanted to have the security of another cylinder and first + second stage. I'm using a hogarthian harness setup so I can put D-rings anywhere. On what D-rings, and where, should I sling this Al80 cylinder? Thanks in advanced, loving the vids.
Typically you clip the valve to your left shoulder D-ring, and the bottom to your left hip D-ring and it hangs on your left side.
Hi Mark. Have you got any information about Apeks Rk4? I am looking for new fins for this moment. I need something for heavier configuration (drysuit, twinset + stage) and just wonder if it is worth waiting for? Many thanks #askmark
I haven't used them in the water yet but, I have played with them and heard a lot about them. I have heard unconfirmed rumors that the larger size might be delayed until 2025 unfortunately. Stiffness and weight-wise they seem to be somewhere between the regular and HD versions of the RK3.
I won't be trading in my RK3 fins just yet but, if you're in the market for a new pair of fins the look a good choice
@@ScubaDiverMagazine thanks Mark.
Hello Mark. Recently I purchased my First set of New Equipment. Had my Tank filled. Tested my BCD LPI. The SPG. Tried my Genesis Prana Regs. Octo was fine. My Question is about the Venturi Control on the Prana main Reg. When I first tried to breath(Surface) I noticed the Knob keeps turning in both directions. Is that Normal??
The switch shouldn't move by itself. All switches should stay where you set them during the dive. You'll be able to move them by hand during the dive but, if it's moving by itself it needs to be looked at.
@@ScubaDiverMagazine Not the Switch. The Rotary Knob on the side. I turn in one direction, Hear a faint click. Then it continues turning
That's probably fine. Some adjustment knobs have a clutch that will allow the knob to continue to rotate with a tell-tale click once a rotation.
@@ScubaDiverMagazine I called one of the Dive Shops I purchase from(Online) and the Repair Tech Confirmed what you posted. I'm Recently Certified and purchasing my own gear. Better Safe than Sorry right?