Miflex Hoses (thumbs up)

[Turtle Dude]

Just found Miflex flexible hoses and am impressed (apologies to all those who go: "yeah, been using 'em for years").

Stuck one on my Scubapro S600 2nd sage (off the LHS twin) and it was so much more flexible and hence comfortable than a standard rubber type hose.

Also would have thought they would make any long hose easier and more comfortable to to bungie or wrap around.

Nice one guys.

http://www.miflexhoses.co.uk/

(note: I do not work for them or any shop)

http://www.diveriteexpress.com/regs/img/Miflex_knot-200.jpg

[Stephen Hodgkins]

I Completely agree. I have a long hoze on my octopus and it is great for training students as it easily bends.

Another positive is that they are supposed to self seal in the event of a failure.

Whilst more expensive initially I believe they will eventually become the norm.

I also dont work for them but cannot recommend them highly enough.

[si_b_lanzarote]

they are good hoses but be aware if you flex it tight enough and hold it in place say with a bungee, they wil cut the gas off, tread carefully.


regards simon

[TerryH]

I Completely agree. I have a long hoze on my octopus and it is great for training students as it easily bends.


At the risk of starting a ruck.

And of course all your students also have long hoses and Milflex :rolleyes:

[Richard Whitcombe]

A few people using them for proper long hose/primary donation have said they're a little floaty/slippery and tend to not stay put.
If you're just doing it half way and having an octopus with a long hose i cant see that being an issue though.

As for the student thing i have to check first whether this is a training dive or an experience dive. If its an experience dive i brief them long hose and use that. If its a training dive i have to remind them to take the other hose for this particular dive.

[TerryH]

As for the student thing i have to check first whether this is a training dive or an experience dive. If its an experience dive i brief them long hose and use that. If its a training dive i have to remind them to take the other hose for this particular dive.

Well as long as all your students have long hose, no probs. If they havnt
though, then what you doing with a long-hose?

Reminding them sounds ok, but these guys cant remember what day it is,
let alone reg. When you consider that swapping back to the original hose
takes seconds, its a no brainer in my book that if you are teaching, you use
as close as possible to the student.

[Richard Whitcombe]

Well as long as all your students have long hose, no probs. If they havnt
though, then what you doing with a long-hose?

Because its not a training dive and im using my own gear. Despite what you're saying ive never been blessed with anyone brain dead enough to fail to know what reg to take in the same way diving with my wing and 1 piece harness has never confused them to the point of danger.

If im teaching i breathe from my necklaced backup and (messily) stuff the long hose to act as a long octopus to abide by standards. If im not teaching i dive the kit how its designed to be and in a way i feel most comfortable using.

If i ever come across someone that is confused by the arrangement i'll go out and buy a shorter hose but until that point i really dont see any reason.

[TerryH]

Because its not a training dive and im using my own gear. Despite what you're saying ive never been blessed with anyone brain dead enough to fail to know what reg to take in the same way diving with my wing and 1 piece harness has never confused them to the point of danger.

If im teaching i breathe from my necklaced backup and (messily) stuff the long hose to act as a long octopus to abide by standards. If im not teaching i dive the kit how its designed to be and in a way i feel most comfortable using.

If i ever come across someone that is confused by the arrangement i'll go out and buy a shorter hose but until that point i really dont see any reason.

To me its a very simple choice of pre-empting the confusion, by doing what
is prescribed BEFORE its an issue.

To fully comply with the standards and match the students kit takes
less than 60 seconds.

Thats about as long as it takes to "stuff" the hose and explain why it's
different.

Your kit and your choice, I just like giving my students as much help as
they can get.

[peterpan]

Reminding them sounds ok, but these guys cant remember what day it is,
let alone reg.

well its nice to know the contempt you hold towards your students! you must be a really inspiring instructor!

pp

p.s. it's Sunday

[Richard Whitcombe]

Im basing on experience of myself and others and dont know of anyone that has ever come across a problem. BSAC unlike other agencies wont let me teach primary donate so i change my kit while teaching so where is the problem?

Every student is wearing different kit to every other student (different BCs, regs, drysuits), their instructor even if on a normal reg setup will have a different BC again, different regs and so on. The nirvana of everyone having identical kit doesnt even work at that level and again it doesnt seem to be causing confusion.

To fully comply with the standards and match the students kit takes
less than 60 seconds.

To fully comply with standards when teaching i breathe from my necklace and use my long hose as an octopus. It takes less than 60 seconds. However standards dont dictate absolutely identical kit which is just as well as every club i can think of would instantly be out of business.

[TerryH]

well its nice to know the contempt you hold towards your students! you must be a really inspiring instructor!

pp

p.s. it's Sunday


I did a PADI OW course years ago where the Instructor flew through
what we had to do. It was a blur and I was constantly looking over my
shouder looking at his and others kit.

Now several years on and an Instructor Trainer, the one thing i'll never
forget is that confusion and the very real "what day is this" syndrome.

Which is why I do everything I can to help my students by assuming
out of an annual intake of 40, one or two wont know that it's Sunday :rolleyes:

Mind you I must be doing something right as I've "inspired" an awful lot
of divers :D

[TerryH]

If I suggested I could teach the whole range of long-hose techniques,
using a standard octpus hose, you'd rightly tell me that I would not be
helping my students, as the scenarios and drills would be inaccurate.

All i'm saying is to adapt a long-hose and botch it as an octopus, can have
exactly the same negative results.

If this was a major and maybe costly change, fair enough, but in most cases
we are talking a minute wapping one hose and taking off the necklace.

I doubt if our respective positions will change, but next time you are
halfway through OD try this. Dont say anything, just put your 1st stage
on upside down.

How many do you think will copy you :rolleyes:

[Ben Panter]

Does PADI allow primary donate to be taught to divers beginning their training? (I'm not trolling, it's an honest question - if so I didn't realise)

Ben

[Janos]

Im basing on experience of myself and others and dont know of anyone that has ever come across a problem. BSAC unlike other agencies wont let me teach primary donate so i change my kit while teaching so where is the problem?

Just to be clear, but BSAC won't let you teach any sort of donate (primary or secondary) to inexperienced divers, but for experienced divers then it's ok.

Janos

[Richard Whitcombe]

Does PADI allow primary donate to be taught to divers beginning their training? (I'm not trolling, it's an honest question - if so I didn't realise)

Ben

Yes.

[JonasLondon]

If I may bring the topic back to the Miflex hoses - anyone using them to replace their hoses on a Poseidon XStream set of regs?

The reason I am asking:

1. The Poseidon hoses have, as far as I know (never had a first stage fail me) a pressure relief next to the second stage - would the Miflex be OK here too?

And 2. - possibly someone more experienced in GUE/DIR training then I am... - someone mentioned the Miflex being a bit slippery - would the long hose version of the Miflex be counterproductive in any way to the GUE Fundamentals - training?

Please Note: Before anyone says Poseidon is rubbish for GUE/DIR, I am using the XStream as my reg of choice for cold water use in Alp lakes and (future) Ice diving in Sweden and as such I will stay with them (I'll take the "risk" of an upstream that still delivers breathable air pressure to the second stage should the 1st stage fail...)

Thanks! :)

[deveugle]

1. The Poseidon hoses have, as far as I know (never had a first stage fail me) a pressure relief next to the second stage - would the Miflex be OK here too?
No, Miflex hoses won't work - you will need a custom Poseidon hose with the pressure relief valve integrated (the circular bit at the end into which the actual 2nd stage is screwed into).

Of course you could cut the connector of a Miflex hose and crimp a Poseidon fitting onto it. I have however, never not seen that done to date and I would have some serious reservations about who is actually capable of doing that properly ...
And 2. - possibly someone more experienced in GUE/DIR training then I am... - someone mentioned the Miflex being a bit slippery - would the long hose version of the Miflex be counterproductive in any way to the GUE Fundamentals - training?
Using the Miflex hoses is a matter of personal taste. There is nothing inherent to them that would provide an obstacle for any GUE training. Personally, I have a 7-ft Miflex and have no problems with it. If anything the extra flexibility makes it easier to hold it in a loop during an S-drill or warp it around a can light or tuck into a waistband (IMHO). I did my fundamentals with a Miflex hose and it wasn't even mentioned as a (dis)advantage (unlike the rest of my setup :o ). I would surmise that people complaining about the "slippiness" are the more experienced ones who really just pick up on the difference with what their used to.

Poseidons however ... :)

Also, as this is a BSAC site - I feel I should point out that there is very valuable and useful BSAC training that you can undertake before (and after) any GUE training !!!!!!! :p

Peter
(who has a set of Poseidon XStreams he probably should force himself into finally selling)

[Roz]

.....and if anyone is lusting after a free set of Miflex Hoses, we have a wonderful goodie pack courtesy of Miflex which will be raffled off at the Gala Dinner at EuroTek.08 next Saturday.

If you want the chance to buy a ticket, come to EuroTek.08 on Saturday 15th November (ICC, Broad Street, Birmingham) and buy one from the Registration Girls. We have a pile of prizes thanks to the generosity of the Industry http://www.eurotek.uk.com/prizes.htm and all the money raised will be going to charity. (Orchid Cancer, Scuba Trust and possibly a couple of others).

Tickets for EuroTek.08 itself will be available on the door at £25 for a Day Pass and £45 for a Weekend Pass.

[Piotr]

I understand that Poseidon adaptors are available for the newer version of the XStream & Cyclone.

Just ask the guy's at Poseidon

Then you can fit Miflex hoses to them