Conshelf XIV

[Rasp5]

Acording to the 2009 Aqualung Dealer Guide the Conshelf XIV has been discontinued so if you work at a AL Dealer keep an eye out for it to go on clearance pricing for a great deal.

[DiverTim]

That is ashamed. A very good single hose regulator. Tim

[SDAquamaster]

Damn, that is truly the end of an era.

[Ron]

No kidding, USD had this one since the 1965 catalog. Not counting any of the garbage 80's ones with the plastic second stages that means the conshelf was the oldest continuously produced reg in USD history.

[DiverTim]

What are they thinking???? Tim

[SDAquamaster]

The timing is I think bad as, if anything, metal cased second stages are finally beginning to get recognized for their durability and reduced dry mouth after a couple decades of divers being told plastic second stages are lighter, better, etc.

No doubt the production costs are very high for the metal case, purge cover and clamp compared to the couple dollars it costs to produce a molded plastic second stage case and purge cover.

I suspect USD/Aqualung has been selling existing inventory or military contract over runs for years and they have just finally run out and do not feel it is economical to do another production run.

[Rasp5]

Looking at there order guide there is none left in invintory.

Hope this does not cause a issue with the yoke for the Phoenix.

[John Lundy]

I have a Conshelf XIV that is my primary regulator and I have had it for years. In my opinion, they are about the best single hose regulator made. I checked with a couple of outfits that are military and law enforcement contractors, and they say they are discontinued by USD. They are still used by the military and I don't know if USD has a replacement for it. I imagine the military has bought up all the parts and rebuild kits for their inventory. I wonder if USD is still offering the solid bar manifold which is also a military standard?

John

[Greg Barlow]

The timing is I think bad as, if anything, metal cased second stages are finally beginning to get recognized for their durability and reduced dry mouth after a couple decades of divers being told plastic second stages are lighter, better, etc.

No doubt the production costs are very high for the metal case, purge cover and clamp compared to the couple dollars it costs to produce a molded plastic second stage case and purge cover.

The exact reasons why the majority of my non-vintage dives are made with modern Mares metal second stages. If Mares and Scubapro can produce brass second stages at a competitive price there is no reason why other companies can't do so.

IMO, the only reason why manufacturer's don't use metal bodied second stages, or at the very least, metal air barrels, is the production costs.

Greg

[capn_tucker]

Looking at there order guide there is none left in invintory.

Hope this does not cause a issue with the yoke for the Phoenix.

Likewise, I wonder what this will mean for HP seats etc? More parts that will need to be reproduced?

[luis]

Looking at there order guide there is none left in invintory.

Hope this does not cause a issue with the yoke for the Phoenix.

Likewise, I wonder what this will mean for HP seats etc? More parts that will need to be reproduced?

The HP seats and all the other normally replaceable first stage parts (and most of the second stage parts) are also used in most of the newer Aqua Lung regulators. The HP seat is used on the Titan, the Legend, The Kronos, the Mikron, etc. Aqua Lung will probably make does seats as long as they are in business.

[capn_tucker]

That's good to know. Do any other AL regs use the heavy yoke? If not I imagine that will become a problem..

[luis]

That's good to know. Do any other AL regs use the heavy yoke? If not I imagine that will become a problem..

They all use a heavy yokes. At first I was planing on using the Titan yoke, but I encountered a small problem and the Conshelf yoke seem like a better fit at the time. At this point I am fairly confident that we can also use other yokes.

[WD8CDH]

Looking at there order guide there is none left in invintory.

Hope this does not cause a issue with the yoke for the Phoenix.

While a shinny chrome Conshelf yoke looks best with a shinny Phoenix, I don't see why a Titan yoke and yoke nut wouldn't work on the Phoenix. I have used a Titan yoke and yoke nut on a Conshelf.

[luis]

Looking at there order guide there is none left in invintory.

Hope this does not cause a issue with the yoke for the Phoenix.

While a shinny chrome Conshelf yoke looks best with a shinny Phoenix, I don't see why a Titan yoke and yoke nut wouldn't work on the Phoenix. I have used a Titan yoke and yoke nut on a Conshelf.

It will work if you use a thin washer/ spacer to move the yoke a bit away from the port. Otherwise, some of the large diameter hoses will interfere with the base of the yoke. The washer that Bryan is making for the long yoke Mistral will probably work great for this application.

The Conshelf yoke makes it easy to adjust how far you screw the yoke in, and lets you clear any large diameter hose, but there are many options.