More Hookah

In Response to my post, I got questions and no answers. Harumph! Anyhow, the water I dive in has 2-3' visibility and usually a none mud bottom so I don't have to worry about searching in zero visibility conditions... much. I did recover a 18kt wedding band that had been used for 3 generations in mud and returned it to the young couple. Good feeling. Someone asked about the four companies I've found. OK!! Brownies third lung and Airline are similiar in appearance and probably in construction. They are direct drive machines that are light weight and are efficient. One costs about $100 more than the other. Keene and an outfit I don't remember, manufacture the belt driven machines, that are supposedly less efficient and weigh twice as much as the direct drive. So far, my research shows that Airline uses a compressor manufactured by a major compressor manufacturer that will be around for a long time. Airline also uses the second stage from International Divers Inc., a manufacturer that has won many awards from folks in the SCUBA world. Some major university is using the Airline in their diving applications and get about 300 hours on the compressor before it needs the $50 rebuild, which you can do in 15', with a phillips head screwdiver. Brownie's is real similiar and costs a little less. However, I am in Washington State, and I am going to have to purchase one sight unseen and by what I can read here. If anyone has used any of these, please respond and let us all know what they are like. Performance claims for both direct drive machines are really the same so I do know I'll get one or the other and will not consider the belt drive for my application. Again! HUH! (Happy Underwater Hunting)