What is your favorite vintage single hose reg?

[Greg Barlow]

My favorite is the AMF Swimaster MR12 II. I think that the second stage is quite pleasing to the eye, and offers great breathing characteristics.

The first stage is also relatively easy to rebuild other than switching out the balance chamber O-ring.

That said, the original MR12 has a special place in my heart....

Greg Barlow

[Creed]

Mine would have to be any of the Conshelf series. My favorites are the XIVs, but they don't exactly qualify as vintage, that I know of.

[luis]

When it comes to ease of maintenance, reliability, and performance; my favorite would have to be the Scubapro Mk5 (with the adjustable 2nd stage of course). Parts are still readily available and the second stage can be converted to a balanced adjustable by just changing the poppet seat and related parts. IMO when it comes to performance is hard to match. When it comes to looks, nothing like a shiny hubcap in your mouth.

Now my real favorite would have to be the Poseidon Cyklon 300. When it works well it is great. Having the bubbles of to one side is the next best thing to having the bubbles out back. Doing maintenance and adjusting it, well that is a different story. The second stage is not bad. That second stage has been around since 1957 and it is still being built (with few changes).

So now I have combined some of my Poseidon Cyklon second stages with some Conshelf first stages (the Poseidon needs a very high IP). That could be my new favorite single hose regulator if I ever feel like diving a single hose.

[pearldiver]

My very first brand new regulator was the USD Aquarius model purchased in February of 1971. What a great unit. That regualtor could breath the same at any depth up to about 125 feet, then got a little harder to breath. It is in the museum right now getting ready to hang on the wall and I may go scarf it back. The regulator could take a beating and still work. I made the mistake of buying another Aquarius about 15 years later and at 30 feet, the regulator would not breath easily at all. It was junk. I had the new regulator looked at about 10 times, and finally gave it away. I came to the conclusion the other day about USD and why regulators breath differently. Regulators at USD were put together individually by people at the factory. The parts for each regulator remind me of car parts. You only get what is per spec from the manufacture of the parts and the specs are given to the manufacturer by USD on what they want or need. They can be + or - a certain thousandth. Each part is not blueprinted so to speak. I think that's why some breath better than others, it's the parts specs, and how the parts fit together with that model of regulator that lets one breath great, and another breath like crap. Just my conclusion.

[ebj]

I prefer my Scubapro MK5 because I learned to dive on a scubapro reg in 1970 when I was 13...turned 14 before my checout dives so I could get my NAUI card. The only difference is that my reg today has a pressure guage. We had a choice between SP and Aqualung single hoses or double hoses for class. The SP seemed so more modern to my teenage way of thinking, especially with that fancy adjustment nut on the second stage.
The conshelf is my second choice, especially since the rebuild parts are so easy to obtain.

[Nemrod]

I am not sure I consider the AMF MR12II vintage since I think it is post 75 BUT, nonetheless, it is a favorite of mine vintage or not. It is metal, it is compact, easy to work on, breaths great. I pretty much stick to the 1975 cuttoff. I cannot remember if my Tekna 2100 is 1976 or 1978. This is the metal version that first came out in the late 70s. So, if it were vintage, it would be my favorite.
For an actual vintage single hose I like those early Voit and Calypso models, very art deco looking and drom the early 60s they are solid vintage equipment.
Nemrod

[JES]

Mine would have to be any of the Conshelf series. My favorites are the XIVs, but they don't exactly qualify as vintage, that I know of.

I'm with Creed on this one. Not exactly vintage but I really like my Conshelf XIV Supreme!

Like Bryan likes to say these are "bullet-proof".

[Bryan]

I'd like to know what other single hose can stand up to the Conshelf XIV Supreme in any circumstance? Especially for the price ! They are 10 foot tall and bullet proof...JMO and personal experience..

[JES]

... They are 10 foot tall and bullet proof...

That's the quote I was looking for!

They are without question, great single-hose regulators.

[captain]

I have a Healthways Scubair sonic, a Voit MR ll, a Voit Little Gem, a Conshelf from about 1970, not sure what number it is and my favorite a Scuba Pro MK V with ajustable second.

[scubadiver_bob]

My first openwater cert. class many years ago (gee I'm vintage ? ) was with a NASDS store. Back then if a store offered this cert. all they could sell was scubapro. I liked the MK 5; but my instructor told me to go to the store down the road, and not tell anyone he told me to, to buy a regulator there (he could have been fired for telling me anything existed but scubapro). 2/3 of the NASDS course was how to buy scubapro. Well I ended up owning a conshelf and eventually a DA. Later I bought a Dacor Pacer 500 when they came out (don't know if pacer 500 is vintage yet). Well, the MK5 was easy breathing; but, the USD Conshelf was built better from what I could tell at the time. So, both had their good points ... The only single hose I ever regretted buying was a tekna (non-vintage 1984 model) ... Gee... someones going to figure out how young I am ... ok my son said last year he thought I was 27 so now I'm 28 (don't anyone tell him any different !!!)

[Frans Carlson]

My best single hose is the Sportsways Master Diver that I bought in 1961, still have it, still works. Frans Carlson, NAVED diver #118, DTA SCUBA Instructor, DTA Commercial Diver First Class, Brevet DE Plongeur Autonome 1st Echelon 1959, member Club Des Chasseurs Et Explorateurs Sous-Marins De France 1959, member Inland Divers Minneapolis 1962, member #1 Inland Divers Vintage Dive Club 2001

[SeaHuntJerry]

Hi,
Am the Happy owner of two red label sportsways Master divers also.

Both Frans Carlson and Mark Howell have dove thenm to well over 150feet.

August we get to mee the maker SAM Lecoque

JL Kemp's Cow

[Nemrod]

Greg, just curiosity but I was wondering your opinion of the black MR12 vs the red white and blue purge button MR12 II. I find the MR12 II to be a more responsive regulator but other that a bit of extra case dept and the vortex tube I don't see any real difference.

I know it would be blasphemy so I will not do it but I would love to swap the front sections out so the MR12 II would have the older style front which is very vintage looking.

Also, I had occasion to use the MR12 IIs on a Mares MR12 first stage from about 1989. They make an excellent combination. The Mares version of the MR12 first stage performs better than the older Voit and there is a noticeable breathing improvment it seems.

[Greg Barlow]

Greg, just curiosity but I was wondering your opinion of the black MR12 vs the red white and blue purge button MR12 II. I find the MR12 II to be a more responsive regulator but other that a bit of extra case dept and the vortex tube I don't see any real difference.

You are correct as there are a few minor design changes, but nothing major. The VAD tube does work as advertised, as the Rodale's testing of vintage regs demonstrated five years back. The VAD really comes into play when the gas flow increases. Shallow dives probably don't make much difference.

I know it would be blasphemy so I will not do it but I would love to swap the front sections out so the MR12 II would have the older style front which is very vintage looking.

I don't see anything wrong with it, as many of us have done projects of the sort. It would look real neat....

Also, I had occasion to use the MR12 IIs on a Mares MR12 first stage from about 1989. They make an excellent combination. The Mares version of the MR12 first stage performs better than the older Voit and there is a noticeable breathing improvment it seems.

Yes, the flow rate on the new MR12 first stage is at least 50% greater than that of the original design. Plus, the preferred port offering dynamic flow control helps to stabilize the intermediate pressure.

Let us all know how your MR12 project turns out...Better yet, let's see some pictures!

Greg