Travel Rig (1st/2nd stage + octo)

[roofless]

Originally Posted by Sansho

You need an allen wrench to take the plug out of the first stage. Then screw in the octo or SPG until finger tight. I believe Oceanic says to tighten to 40 inch lbs (not typical foot lbs), which is not much more than finger tight plus a little snug-up with a wrench.

Thanks. When I ordered my stuff from ST, Rick mentioned the finger tightening also but I couldn't recall if it were just the Octo, or if that goes for the LP hose & gauges as well.

[Sansho]

When I ordered my stuff from ST, Rick mentioned the finger tightening also but I couldn't recall if it were just the Octo, or if that goes for the LP hose & gauges as well.

It goes for all. We have an Oceanic Alpha 8 in the family, and use their recommended tightening torque (and happen to have a torque wrench with the right scale). Sherwood, by comparison, says to use hand tight pressure and snug it up gently with a hand wrench.

[devildog]

I will be in Houston this week and I am wondering which store is beeter to visit?

Originally Posted by roofless

My dive buddy (girlfriend) found the Oceanic Alpha 8 & SP-5 yoke on sale for $80 and picked up one for each of us.

Now the question is:

Should I stick w/Oceanic for the Octo? How about the console? We've both got wrist computers, (Geo's) so all I really need is a double console unit for the pressure gauge & compass.

I don't mind mixing manufacturers, but as I've never purchased nor assembled my own gear, I thought it best to start with my 'travel unit'.

Suggestions? What else am I missing? Will I need to supply my own inflater hose if I'm using the resorts bc?
Can I even use my own 1st/2nd stages & octo and someone else's bc? I've never tried.

[roofless]

Originally Posted by devildog

I will be in Houston this week and I am wondering which store is beeter to visit?

I guess it depends on what you're going for. If it's strictly scuba, I think that the Spring location might have more. That's a little bit of a drive however.

I'd call these two locations and inquire about their scuba clearance sale and if there's much left. It's been a couple of weeks.

19820 Hempstead Rd
Houston, TX 77065
(832) 237-7900

19302 Interstate 45
Spring, TX 77373
(281) 288-2620

I stopped in Spring last week and didn't buy anything.

[bsmith3163]

I'm doing the same thing. I got two Oceanic Alpha 8/SP5 (primary/secondary) and two Oceanic Slimline 2s (Octo) for less than $360.00 from Leisure Pro. I had been given two complete setups after my father passed but they were older Dacor and the local scuba shop could not service them or find parts. I am planning on using the gage setup from my fathers to try to keep the cost down. I bought some Christo-Lube MCG111 lubricant from the shop and will put them together this week and try them out in my pool before I go to Little Cayman in three weeks (I have been dreaming about diving). The Christo-Lube is Oxy compatible meaning it will not self combust when mixed with pure O2 (not that it is what we breath anyway but it is what the Oceanic instructions said to do.)

[roofless]

Originally Posted by bsmith3163

I'm doing the same thing. I got two Oceanic Alpha 8/SP5 (primary/secondary) and two Oceanic Slimline 2s (Octo) for less than $360.00 from Leisure Pro. I had been given two complete setups after my father passed but they were older Dacor and the local scuba shop could not service them or find parts. I am planning on using the gage setup from my fathers to try to keep the cost down. I bought some Christo-Lube MCG111 lubricant from the shop and will put them together this week and try them out in my pool before I go to Little Cayman in three weeks (I have been dreaming about diving). The Christo-Lube is Oxy compatible meaning it will not self combust when mixed with pure O2 (not that it is what we breath anyway but it is what the Oceanic instructions said to do.)

I bought a couple TUSA Mini 3 Gauge Console (SCA-330T) to put on our rigs. I balked at the christo-lube suggestion & called ST to ask their opinion. Since neither of us are nitrox-cert, I was able to overlook that step.

I don't exactly understand what difference it makes, but at least for me, it was a non-issue. Let me know how those Alpha 8's hold up. I'm curious to hear how easy they breathe without the use of any kind of adjustment mechanism.

Little Cayman? Oh man, I'm so jealous. Grand Cayman was my first OW dive, and is still the best diving I've done in my over 10 years of diving in the Caribbean.

[georoc01]

These are the regs that my LDS uses for rental regs. They breathe fine. Its not my Delta IV, but then it retails for almost 10X what you paid for the Alpha.

It sounds like you have already solved the octo/inflater hose issue, but another option I used on my buddy's reg was a Gemini inline octo/inflater. Reduces you by one hose, and costs about the same as both the inflater hose & the octo.

[roofless]

Originally Posted by georoc01

another option I used on my buddy's reg was a Gemini inline octo/inflater. Reduces you by one hose, and costs about the same as both the inflater hose & the octo.

d0h! Ordered my stuff 2 weeks ago. Now we're trying to decide how we can differentiate between our matching gear. I'm thinking maybe some type of colored sleeve to slide over some of the hoses.

[Daddy Diver]

Replace the LP hose on one rig with a colored hose. Or get the old school octo wrapping tape.