Mailing List Archive Mailing List Archive
------- Pat, I have two Sherwoods, one Brut and one Magnum that are O2 cleaned and used only for deco O2. I previously used them for my Nitrox stages, however, after a trek to Ginnie earlier this year I decided that the Sherwoods do not deliver what I want in a high flow requirement or working dive. They seem fine for moderate recreational diving and deco where you are at rest and your consumption rate is lower. If you intend to use the Sherwood for technical or cave diving where you will be heavily loaded with stage bottles in a high flow system or currents I'd recommend you consider a better performing unit. After my last experience carrying three stage bottles and a video camera into the ear at Ginnie I went to a Scubapro MK15/G250 for the Nitrox stage. I still use a Sherwood for the O2 deco bottle. On the issue of the dry bleed as pointed out by Trey Nolen, I'm not sure its a big problem. The bleed is very slow and I think it would take a real long time to lose any significant amount of gas, or worse yet, IMHO it would be a bad choice to pressurize your system and leave the tank turned on for that long time if you did not intend to enter the water soon. The bigger issue to consider is if the first stage could be contaminated by salt water entering backwards thru the neoprene plug that is the outlet for the bleed. I believe this bleed comes thru a pretty small orifice in the piston and there might be some value of pressure differential that is needed to move any gas or water thru it. I do know from a repair seminar I attended at DEMA that this piston should not be immersed in cleaning solutions or ultrasonic cleaners. I think that the bleed only works until the pressure in the first stage reaches the external ambient pressure plus some minor amount needed to overcome the internal orifice and the plug. I recommend you call a Sherwood tech and ask about this issue if it concerns you --- Does anyone on the net know??? For myself, I have not seen any evidence of a problem from this bleed issue in my Sherwood regulators and they get used a lot and serviced regularly. To avoid putting me in a controversy with others on the Scubapro choice, let me clarify that my decision was made to limit the equipment diversity and spare parts I carry. I now have a Sherwood for the O2 and a spare if needed; I use 2 Scubapro MK15/G250's on my main tanks; I use a Scubapro MK15/G250 on my Nitrox stage; and I have a spare Scubapro MK15/G250 that can be used on a stage or for backup if needed. Its easy to tell the difference between the Sherwood and Scubapro second stages by touch (to identify which is nitrox and which is O2) in addition to color coding and spiral wrapping the hoses. Regards and good diving, Tim Urbanski urbanski@ma*.no*.mi* 610-494-0283 (H) 215-897-5890 (W 0745-1615) *******************************SEPARATOR********************************* The only problem I would have in using it for a deco bottle is the fact that Sherwood regs have a dry bleed. If you leave the bottle turned off, the air in the system bleeds out. Also, if you are setting up for a dive and want to leave the bottle in for an extended time, you run the risk of loosing your gas (by leaving the tank on). I use an MK2-R190 by ScubaPro for my O2 deco. It is a reliable, reasonably priced reg and the 2nd stage can be switched, if I want, to a left handed configuration. Trey Nolen tnolen@bu*.en*.ua*.ed* *******************************SEPARATOR********************************* Hi folks, Does any one have any comments on the merits or drawbacks of the use of a Sherwood Brut (properly cleaned of course) as a regulator for high O2 content deco mixes. Given the intended use, the max depth is unlikely to exceed 70fsw. Because of this, I am willing to sacrifice high end breathing characteristics (to some extent) for reliability, toughness, and a resonable price. Is this reg a good choice?? Any comments on the reg, or any alternative suggestions would be greatly appreciated. What do you use, and why?.............. -------
Navigate by Author:
[Previous]
[Next]
[Author Search Index]
Navigate by Subject:
[Previous]
[Next]
[Subject Search Index]
[Send Reply] [Send Message with New Topic]
[Search Selection] [Mailing List Home] [Home]