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Post by Ron Hearn on Jul 5, 2005 11:53:53 GMT -8
Hi Every one
I was wondering Of all the double hose regulators ever made from around the world, can some one tell me what individual regulator draws the highest demand and value and is sought after by top collectors.
Thank you
Ron
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Post by RMannix on Jul 5, 2005 14:19:46 GMT -8
Pricewise I would say the gold plated anniversary edition (20 or 25th, don't remember now) Royals AM's.
My local USD shop owner has one.
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Post by Broxton Carol on Jul 7, 2005 7:34:04 GMT -8
Some guy bid and won one last year for some inflated price. Its just a gold doublehose. It was given to dealers and came with a little certificate signed by Cousteau. If I remember I emailed the guy selling it, and he kept the certificate. Thats like getting a mint 57 chevrolet convertible, with the hood removed, by the former opwner before it was sold. That stuff is only worth what a person is hyped up to pay. The guy who taught me scuba told me he gave his gold royal away years ago. He also gave away his mini DOXA which us divers gave him. You cant take it with you. Broxton Chuck
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Post by RMannix on Jul 7, 2005 8:04:39 GMT -8
righto they will command a high price, doesn't mean they're worth the $$$.
I suppose the same can be said for a Northhill going for $500+
Collectible, not something you really want to dive with.
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Post by nemrod on Jul 7, 2005 9:52:14 GMT -8
I think the most highly prized for actually diving with are USD Royal Aquamasters and Voit Trieste.
At least one member here that I have spoken with has the Gold Royal complete. I imagine that would draw a high price for collector purposes.
Collecting is different from using, I use them and not collect them.
James
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Post by Ron Hearn on Jul 7, 2005 18:27:50 GMT -8
Thanks guys for the input, my understanding was that the very early air liquid stamped regulators were the highly desirable regulators, wasn't there one on Ebay that sold for $3000+ not to long ago.
Ron
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Post by SeaRat on Jul 12, 2005 14:36:36 GMT -8
Ron,
One of the under-rated reguators from the 1960s is the Sportsways Hydro-Twin. It is a balanced diaphragm first stage and downstream second stage. It has LP and HP ports (one each) as well, and can be used on a 3000 psi system. The only thing for a diver that it lacked was a good hose/mouthpiece system that complimented the regulator's design. I really enjoy using mine, on my dives over the July 4th weekend, both with and without an SPG (see the "First Dives of the Year" thread). I have seen them on e-bay, and they went for over $300 (one for over $400, I think), so there is also some collector's value to this reg.
It had a sister, and earlier, version called the Sportsways Duel-Air. This regulator also had LP and HP outlet, but was an unbalanced, diaphragm design for the first stage, and an upstream, tilt valve for the second stage. The LP outlet was taken up by an overpressure relief valve. I have seen the New England Divers version (label change) of this one go for over $250 on e-bay.
Both of these regulators are collectable, as they were made in small numbers, and very few still exist in divable condition.
John
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Jul 12, 2005 18:38:44 GMT -8
SeaRat I've been reading your comments regarding your experiments, er.......refinements with your regs and have several questions to thow at you if you don't mind. 1: Broxton made a comment about someone drilling the vents in the 2nd stage seat holder out........to, I suppose to increase air flow. I believe you made a comment on one thread about adjusting the seat holder to a point there was free flow and then back it up a bit. Question is.......what have you done with your seat holders that have made a difference? I don't see where making the adjustment with the holder is any different than adjusting the nut on the horseshoe. And do you think drilling the seat holder vents out a bit will not help or would it assist. If it would assist flow, why didn't UDS do it during manufacture? 2: Do you make any kind of adjustment to the horseshoe? Other than what is spec'd out? 3: My wife's RAM breaths just great, better than my son's 600 dollar Scuba Pro...freeflows on the surface if the mouthpiece is not pointed down in the water, but was effortless.....it's a late model, probably wasn't use much do to the exhaust noreturn valve leaking (found a ssmall piece of plastic flash holding the edge of the valve open in the cage, original owner probably never checked for that).....haven't looked inside to see what it looks like.....probably couldn't tell. But Bryan rebuilt "my" Ram and, although I haven't dove with it yet, it seems to just breath on it's own after a slight vacumn is pulled..........So......what are you doing that is different? I'm finding myself greatly interested in the mechanic's of these things and would like to know about your mod's. Thanks for the comments on my son's first experiences with my wifes double hose.  Michael |
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Post by SeaRat on Jul 12, 2005 21:19:10 GMT -8
Michael,
I'll answer your questions here, but I will also start a new thread about "re-engineering" older scuba regulators or units (such as the UDS-1). There are interesting designs in all SCUBA, and there are some design problems that crop up. I have not seen too many design problems with the USD two-stage regulators after the DA Aqualung. I have modified other regulators, but not the DA Aquamaster and Royal Aquamaster (which I have never owned, but my brother has one). So here goes with your questions:
I have done nothing on the DA Aquamaster or Royal Aquamaster to change the LP seat holder. These are very well designed, and tested over a period of a half century. The discussion about unscrewing the seat holder until it free flowed resulted from a desire on the questioner's part to have two regulators with the same interstage pressure breathing the same, and keeping the interstage pressure the same so that an octopus would still function normally. Due to some differences in spring tension, spring length, slight differences in the seat holder itself, etc., it is possible to have different forces exerted on the seat by the spring. Setting the interstage pressure to the desired point for an octopus, then unscrewing the seat holder until it leaks, and screwing it in another one-third or two-thirds turn will set the regulators (plural) breathing resistence at the same level. Please note that this is for "breaking resistance," and not flow. Flow is dependent upon the size of the openings internally, and the pressure behind them. Also, the venturi effect is the same, as nothing was done to change this (which is why I said to change the seat holder in 1/3 turn increments).
No, I don't on this regulator. I did on the AMF Voit Trieste II, and on the Dacor R-4's levers, but not on the USD system. The USD system is very difficult to make better for the horseshoe/LP diaphragm linkage. If you look at the contact surfaces, it is incredibly small, with the horseshoe fitting onto the diaphragm's curved metal tabs.
Not much--these guys know what they are doing. About the only thing I can think of is perhaps setting the interstage pressure a bit higher, and relying upon the exhaust valve to go further into the exhaust chamber so that there is no pressure differential which would cause leaking. But I think Dan, Chuck and Byran do as good a job on the DA Aquamaster and Royal Aquamaster as anyone can. I tinker around with my own stuff, and am not afrain to do something that causes problems for me in the water, such as an air leak because I've set the interstage pressure too high. I would be more conservative if I was doing this for someone else. I would say that if you haven't had the Royal Aquamaster looked at, it probably needs some service even though it is breathing just fine. That exhaust valve is the design deficiency of the Aquamaster series; they rot pretty fast.
John
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Jul 13, 2005 9:21:03 GMT -8
Searat
My "wifes" double hose did have a couple of problems after I received it from ebay,,,,,,,,the exhaust valve at the mouth piece as I explained in an earlier reply and the flutter valve which was naturally welded to the main diaphragm. I replaced both with new stuff. I doubt the original owner never dove this reg. much due to the leakage at the mouthpiece exhaust due to the little tiny bit of plastic holding the edge of the valve up.
Our gain, their loss........
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JohnA
Pro Diver
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Post by JohnA on Jul 14, 2005 2:37:20 GMT -8
A late model RAM just sold on ebay for $415.00, that is the highest I have seen for one that is not Gold.
John
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Post by Sea Slug Sam on Jul 14, 2005 7:09:08 GMT -8
Last month some guy spent over $500.00 on one. There are loads of royals out there, and nobody has to pay prices like that. Theres a couple on ebay every week. Dont pay too much. as another will come along soon.  |
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Post by nemrod on Jul 14, 2005 9:27:10 GMT -8
I would have to say that while RAMs pop up on ebay often enough they are not nearly so common as the DA and most are pretty beat up and questionable. For a clean, rebuildable, useable, presentable specimen I would expect to pay well over 300 dollars unless your lucky. To this add the cost of new hoses, valves, rebuild kit, assorted bits and you will have at least another 100 dollars in it and more likely around 150. Vintage is not about cheap, it is about diving!
James
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Post by RMannix on Jul 20, 2005 17:34:47 GMT -8
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Post by nemrod on Jul 20, 2005 23:47:22 GMT -8
That is the highest ebay price I think I have seen for a RAM but it sure looked like a mint piece! Maybe it is worth it. Fortuantely mine is equaly mint but I just plain lucked out. You know, I think some have gone in private sells that high. I sold a DA, private, not the one Bryan rebuilt for me and not the one I rebuilt and sold on ebay but yet another. I rebuilt it and it was as nice as the one I kept. Hold on but it went for 375. Of course it had new everything and was exceptionally clean. Frankly, these things would cost probably 600 dollars if sold today new so I guess it should not really be a surprise that primo specimens command very high dollars. I hope it does not get out of hand and we see 1,000 dollar junkers--at that point---I am going to go into productionmyself. I wonder if these high dollar bids will ever catch the attention of a diving equipemnt company? James
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