Mistral brilliance

[Michel]

I just recently picked up a nice Pico blvd Mistral for 25
bucks at a garage sale recently and am awed once again at it's simplicity,ruggedness and working condition. Testing it on a tank it worked fine eventhough
when i took it apart the top box was a mess, crud and
rust dust etc., hours to clean only to shine like new!
Of course it will need new hp spring maybe new seat ,
hoses etc. but so simple, ingenious and does the job.
I'm starting to realise why Mistrals are so much in demand rather than Aquas and Royals. I may have to
trade an Aqua for another Mistral, am I crazy? Michel.

[Linda]

$25.00! Good for you! The super deals are still out there once in awhile, eh?

I think it's Frans/vintagediverMN (among others) that loves the Mistrals - I bet he would not call you crazy. I guess the Mistrals breathe really well, plus the Aquas are so common, I don't think it would be crazy to trade.

Congratulations on the great find!

[Deleted]

Is there a way to configure a Mistral
to operate from surface-supplied air?

There are no stupid questions,
just stupid people.

[VintageDiverMN]

I don't think so, It's a single stage regulator so your surface supplied air would have to be hi pressure. Just injoy it like it is.

[SeaRat]

The Mistral is a great regulator, with only six moving parts, it is extremely easy to maintain. It's also low-tech; you don't need much to maintain it. However, it is not the best breathing regulator in the world, except at low tank pressure. At less than 250 psi, it breaths wonderfully, which is why many like it; they forget how it breathed at the start of the dive ;D

Argonaut asked:

Is there a way to configure a Mistral to operate from surface-supplied air?

Actually, yes there is. All you need to do is to take an older "K" style valve, and machine it to accept either a LP hose or a fitting such as the Aquamaster has for surface-suppied operation. Then run it either from surface-supplied air or from a first stage of any model. If you do so, you need to put an overpressure relief valve into the line somewhere, which is what the Snark III has. The Snark III is essentially a Mistral with a first stage. I have always thought that the ideal double hose regulator would be a Mistral hooked up to a first stage set at between 125-250 psi. It has a better venturi than does the Snark III, and would be an interesting setup with the ability to use the first stage for an octopus, LP hose for an inflation system or dry suit, and SPG. It would even be possible to invert the valve system (like the UDS-1) for valve accessibility, and the placement of the double hose would be either on the front (Jacques Cousteau style) or back, independent of the tank valve placement. 'Just a thought...

John

[Deleted]

Take a look at this Russian ShAP-62

www.nobubblediving.com/little.diver.htm

Is that pretty much what you had in mind, SeaRat?

I was envisioning a double-hose hookah rig,
maybe with a chest-mounted DA or Royal as
you mentioned, but I only recently considered
the Mistral for this.

I appreciate VintageDiverMN's appreciation for
the Mistral's original simplicity, but I also seek
edification through modification.

[Captain]

Neat rig, what does it weight.

Tom

[SeaRat]

Argonaut,

Wow!!! I have never seen something like than Russian rig, and that is much like what I was envisioning. I'd like 80-100 cubic feet of air though. One other modification I was thinking about was hooking the exhaust hose to a two-way valve, and metering my exhalations into a BC bag under the rig when I wanted to do it. I've always thought the need to use either power inflation or oral inflation was not as good as using that used air, and with a double hose regulator and the right setup, it would be fairly easy to accomplish.

John