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Post by vance on May 27, 2020 7:05:44 GMT -8
How does it compare to your Scuba?
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Post by tomcatpc on May 27, 2020 17:23:31 GMT -8
At this point...my vote goes to the Healthways SCUBA. Having said that...I have dove the DA Navy Approved two or three times so far and I think I have some adjusting to do?
The last time I dove the DA Navy Approved, I really had to breath hard, and I felt I was not getting enough air? Definitely needs to adjust the demand lever. Also, the diaphragm is not new, it is not in bad shape, but not a new silicone version so that might factor in?
Let me re-answer this later in the Summer. I will always love my SCUBA no matter which reg turn out to be there better.
Mark
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Post by nikeajax on May 27, 2020 17:50:45 GMT -8
Mark, I totally agree with you: my Deluxe was the first reg I ever bought and the first DH I dove with. There may be better regs out there but my HW's are very special  JB |
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Post by vance on May 27, 2020 18:47:52 GMT -8
Nothing wrong with a Scuba! I am also partial to 'em. There are better breathers out there, but the Scuba can be modded to compete with many of them!
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Post by tomcatpc on May 27, 2020 19:11:10 GMT -8
Nothing wrong with a SCUBA!!!, and very little to go wrong with a SCUBA*!!!
Dead simple to rebuild, which is sort of ironic as this started as a topic on the DA Navy Approve, which was not the easiest regulator for me to rebuild (totally my opinion there)!
*There is that pesky little exhaust diaprhagm on the original SCUBA, but even that can be dealt with.
I feel a bit guilty as this topic has be derailed by me from the original post.
Mark
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Post by vance on May 28, 2020 7:30:06 GMT -8
Nothing wrong with a little thread hijacking. A lot of us on here seem to be partial to it! And it's a comparison type situation.... It turns outs ok when someone does this:
I have never rebuilt a Navy Approved or a Voit Navy, so I can't speak from personal experience. I have heard they are touchy and hard to adjust properly. I am kind of curious about the problems, but there's no way I'm paying the kind of $$ people want for the things, esp. when they are lackluster performers.
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Post by tomcatpc on May 28, 2020 9:29:18 GMT -8
I have never worked on a Aquamaster yet, but I think they have one screw on the demand lever for adjustment? Where the DA Navy Approved has two and they need to be "in sync", then there is the "bent paperclip type" retention device that needs to go back in, which is not that difficult really. Working on this one was a confidence builder, I will say that.
I think I saw a DA Navy Approved go for over $700 online, or at least that is what it was being sold for? That's a bit much for me right now, and had I not "lucked into" mine for $25 I'd probably not be interested in this reg?
I'd love to hear of any progress of the reg from the original post.
I might be wrong on this, but from what little I have seen on Facebook and the vintage Scuba pages there, there MIGHT be a ams growing interest in Healthways regs? At least I have seen a few posts and seen a few positive comments. The secret is out!!! Ha ha!
No, but really I hope to hear an update on the original poster of this topic. I hope to give a positive report on my DA Navy Approved later.
Mark
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Post by nikeajax on May 28, 2020 10:12:03 GMT -8
...I hope to hear an update on the original poster of this topic... Mark But, but, but... that would upset the delicate natural balance of participation we have here! JB |
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Post by Terry on May 28, 2020 12:55:24 GMT -8
PATIENCE is the key word when adjusting the DA Navy Approved. I have one that was given to me by my cousin who used it back in the 50's and early 60's; Serial #52471, blue label, W. Pico address and I've always been well satisfied with how mine performs. That wasn't always the case however when I made my first attempts at tearing mine down for servicing and then re-adjusting. As I recall there were some incantations that were made which cannot be printed here.   I then decided to seek some help on the message boards and that helped a lot. I just serviced all of my double hosers this winter and when I completed this one I now have the IP set at 135 on a tank with 500 psi. The key thing is those 2 adjusting screws, and that's where the patience comes in. They have to be done in half turn increments to find the best setting for each one, and when you do that makes a world of difference. In fact the screws on mine are at different settings. On my reg as you look down into the case with the inhalation horn facing away from you I have the left screw set at 6 turns and the right screw set at 5 turns. Once you make these half turn adjustments and achieve your best setting you can then install the hinge pin. Also in regards to that hinge pin; you might want to put that on your copier and make a copy for use as a template so you have it when the pin you have breaks, and it will. A trip to the hardware store to pick up some small stainless steel rod and your template, and before you know it VOILA - A new hinge pin. Good luck with your reg, and hope this is some help! Terry |
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Post by SeaRat on May 28, 2020 14:02:59 GMT -8
I have a DA Aqualung, a green label Broxton, which I dive occasionally. There is no Venturi, and I had to get Broxton Chuck to adjust it so I felt comfortable taking it into.open water. Like Terry above states, the number of turns out for those two adjusting screws is critical to its breathing adequately. I'll post more this evening when I get to my computer upstairs, as it is nearly impossible to transfer photos from Flickr to here using my iPad.
John
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Post by Terry on May 28, 2020 14:16:09 GMT -8
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Post by nikeajax on May 28, 2020 14:21:39 GMT -8
Hey Terry, your image didn't post correctly! Sorry, I just had to give you some "shucks" about it  JB |
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Post by nikeajax on May 28, 2020 14:30:59 GMT -8
Is this similar to the infamous model that Rene was selling in the 1950's?
If it is case, then don't feel so bad Mark: as the story goes, Dick Anderson, pre-Healthways, would take them fresh from the factory and painstakingly retune them and readjust the levers; until then they were quite literally a health and safety hazard...
Just curious?
JB
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Post by Terry on May 28, 2020 14:42:43 GMT -8
Hey Terry, your image didn't post correctly! Sorry, I just had to give you some "shucks" about it JB You just can't help yourself, can you?? That's OK because that was too good of an opportunity to pass up. In fact I'm still amazed every time I post a pic and it shows up.  Thanks to a number of you for your help! |
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Post by SeaRat on May 28, 2020 16:53:18 GMT -8
Here, from the patent, is the DA Aqualung drawing:  Aqua Lung Patent Diagram2 by John Ratliff, on Flickr Note that the intake horn is opposite the outlet.  Aqualung Regulator-1 by John Ratliff, on Flickr Here is my DA Aqualung (Broxton, green label), with a Professional Mouthpiece on it. Note that the hoses are original DX Overpressure Breathing hoses (I have superflex hoses on my DX Overpressure Breathing regulator).  Aqualung Regulator-2 by John Ratliff, on Flickr Here's the label, which is still in its original shape. I have not repainted it.  DA Aqualung-1 by John Ratliff, on Flickr Here is the internals of my Aqualung regulator.  _MG_5130 by John Ratliff, on Flickr Here is an original DA Aqualung, with the original hoses, in the Cousteau. This is from the Flashback Scuba Museum, located in Tacoma, Washington owned by Ryan Spence (who occasionally comes here). Note also that these hose-mouthpiece system is a one-piece system. They are very rare, according to Alec Pierce, as the were often cut up and a Hope-Page mouthpiece inserted (I now have a Hope-Page mouthpiece on my DA Aqualung, and the Professional Mouthpiece is now an my Mossback Mk 3 regulator).  _MG_5120 by John Ratliff, on Flickr And here is one of the original units marketed by La Spirotechnique. This comes, I think, from about the early 1950s. This again is from Ryan Spence's collection at Flashback Scuba Museum. Now, about actually diving this DA Aqualung regulator. It works best on a set of doubles, with the regulator directly between the shoulder blades. Any difference will add to the breathing resustance of this regulator. The air comes out of the second stage, and hits the back of the case, then moves all the way 180 degrees around inside the case, and then into the intake hose. This means that you need to continue the inhalation effort throughout the breathing cycle. So you do have to breathe harder with this regulator. Saying that, it is not such a bad experience. Why? Well, for one thing, this is a very quiet regulator. Where the Mistral is very noisy, the DA Aqualung is quiet. This helps when watching very small to tiny fish and invertebrates very close to the diver's face. I've dived this regulator on occasion in Big Cliff Reservoir, to about 25 feet with Sid Macken, and had a nice dive. The Professional Mouthpiece has no non-return valves in it, and so any effort comes only from the regulator. The exhalation effort is very low, equivalent to a RAM or DA Aquamester (same exhalation system). The difference is that the duckbill valve is located on a special exhaust horn that can be unscrewed (on the older generation of the DA Aqualung). This allows the duckbill to be placed around the outside of the exhalation horn, but inside the case, which also means that the duckbill is much easier to rinse off, and keep in good shape. I actually moved this exhaust box off this regulator and onto my Mistral for a number of years (confused some people a lot). I've also used this regulator in the Clackamas River, and at one point did an exercise where I removed the unit underwater (doff and don), just to make sure I could still do it.  Broxton Dive 8-10-2015-3 by John Ratliff, on Flickr It was actually fun to take the unit off, and play around with it in about 10 feet of water. John |
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I then decided to seek some help on the message boards and that helped a lot. I just serviced all of my double hosers this winter and when I completed this one I now have the IP set at 135 on a tank with 500 psi. The key thing is those 2 adjusting screws, and that's where the patience comes in. They have to be done in half turn increments to find the best setting for each one, and when you do that makes a world of difference. In fact the screws on mine are at different settings. On my reg as you look down into the case with the inhalation horn facing away from you I have the left screw set at 6 turns and the right screw set at 5 turns. Once you make these half turn adjustments and achieve your best setting you can then install the hinge pin. Also in regards to that hinge pin; you might want to put that on your copier and make a copy for use as a template so you have it when the pin you have breaks, and it will. A trip to the hardware store to pick up some small stainless steel rod and your template, and before you know it VOILA - A new hinge pin. Good luck with your reg, and hope this is some help!
Thanks to a number of you for your help!
