So, I decided to take the Argonaut for a spin. I first attempted on my Nordic Track but that was somewhat scary so I decided to mount the Argonaut and tank to my Centurion Prestige which winters on my trainer.
Now, I can, on a good day, still do a good 20 miles in an hour (maybe). Before the fractured leg I could make 25 in an hour (yeah, sure you could ). Not spectacular but okay for an almost 60 year old. So, I began with a full 63 cf tank and worked myself into my heart rate target zone before going to the Argonaut. I hammered hard and found it capable of providing more than enough air volume. However, exhaust is a limitation. I cannot get enough air through the system without having to exhale through my nose. But, I also ran a Scubapro 109, a RAM Phoenix, AL Titan XL, Conshelf XIV and NONE of them except for the Titan XL could hang any better than the Argonaut.
My speed was probably equal to, per my Cateye, to be 22 MPH, sustained for 5 minutes on the various regulators. This is very physically demanding and took me several days to do them all as each workout consumed about an hour from start to finish. I did each regulator the same. Only the Argonaut and the Titan XL had sufficient THROUGH PUT volume to sustain about 20 MPH, going to 22 MPH resulted in my having to exhaust through my nose and regulator.
The Argonaut has one of the lowest exhaust back pressures I have measured on my limited equipment (three Magnahelics with positive and negative scales). I am confident that the Argonaut will perform on par with any current regulator of any type for sport diving activities and depths and beyond.
Over the years, I have engaged in numerous, uh, discussions concerning the WOB. People often confuse cracking effort as being the most significant factor. I beg to disagree and I think physical studies have shown, exhaust back pressure to be the larger factor. In any case, I find it interesting that at my FULL OUT effort, none of the regulators I have at my disposal could flow enough air on the exhaust cycle to clear my lungs for the next inhalation.
http://s23.photobucket.com/user/JRWJR/m ... 3.mp4.html
Not conclusive, not the end all test, but best I can do without taking the fluid trainer to 100 feet. And yes, I was a little off balance on the bike because normally my knees come up into the area occupied by the butt of the tank. This caused me to choose a higher gear and a lower cadence than I would normally have. But, trust me, it felt real to me.
Nem