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On2/22/99 2:09 AM, DERYK LANGLAIS wrote: > However, my question is about >equipment. I bought my regulator about 10 years ago, a Posieon Odin. I >have since learned that the Odin's design is potentially dangerous due >to its upstream valve. This would, I should think, make it a poor >choice for technical diving. (ANY diving for that matter.) However, >Posiedon claims that "90% of technical divers use a Poseidon regulator". >Is this true? And if so, why? Although I have had few problems with my >regulator after hundreds of open water dives, I'd like to hear what you >guys think. Deryk - The reason the Odin and other upstream valve regulators are inappropriate for technical diving is that they can fail closed -- i.e. no gas. All other regulators fail open -- meaning they freeflow -- which still gives you access to your gas and 1) you can potentially fix underwater; 2) you can manage by opening and closing your tank valve. Odin second stages also have a tendency to freeflow in strong current or when scootering and cannot be easily disassembled and cleaned of debris during a dive. They're widely used because they deliver a tremendous amount of gas at all depths; have good breathing characteristics deep; and are highly rated by most reviewers. You'll find that the one consistent message on this list is that "doing it right" means eliminating those risks from technical diving that are controllable by the diver -- getting rid of risky equipment, simplifying gear configuration, training properly, and maintaining proper fitness. Realistically, the failure rate of the Odin is very, very small -- but it only takes one failure to ruin your whole day, and, frankly, it's not something I want to deal with inside a wreck at 200'. The most widely used regulators, by consensus, are Scubapro Mk20/G-250s and Zeagle/Apeks Tech 50-Ds or DS-4s. Oceanic Delta II balanced pistons are also increasingly popular. Your most cost-effective solution is to replace your Odin second stage with an adjustable downstream second like the G-250/T-50/Delta II on a 5-7' long hose -- all of which will work with the Odin first. (Make sure you first stage is adjusted correctly and overhauled first; I find that the intermediate pressure on my Poseidon first tends to drift.) For more information on gear selection/configuration, check the archives and look at the links on www.wkpp.org, particularly Jeff Bentley's gear pages and Todd Leonard's pages on how to put together a hogarthian doubles rig. Then check out the information at the the GUE web page -- www.gue.com -- and Jim Cobb's trimix webpage - http://www.cisatlantic.com/trimix/trimix.html. Best regards -- Bill -- Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@aquanaut.com'. Send subscribe/unsubscribe requests to `techdiver-request@aquanaut.com'.
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