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Bryan
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First Name: Bryan
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Re: Healthways is next on the agenda

Tue Oct 04, 2016 12:35 pm

This will be a long explanation so I apologize in advance.....
Herman wrote:If I understand correctly, the big expense is the initial production of the molds, after that the cost per unit drops. I may be all wrong on it, so correct me if I'm wrong. With that in mind, having a committed number sold wound lessen the finical impact on you (Bryan). How about something like the initial mouthpiece offer, up front sales for delivery at a later date? I'm in for a couple. If nothing else, you can get a good gauge of the serious buyers.
f
Crowdfunding either though GoFund me or internal like I did with the DSV's is NERVE WRACKING for me......I always worry that something will go wrong that I can't fix and or it will take too long and my reputation will suffer and cause me to lose customers. From the minimal feedback and replies to this post about developing the HW stuff again I'm questioning going forward and it's definitely not worth me loosing sleep over.... Not only do you have to re-develop the parts but more importantly you have to re-develop the demand and interest in that gear which is by far more difficult. ....HW was always an inexpensive line and maybe it's just doomed to stay in the shadows.

When we were at White Star a few weeks ago, Rich the owner of the diving concession pulled me aside and said...I'm paraphrasing here.....Bryan, I heard one of the guys in your group telling one of the new divers that the reason he buys old stuff is because it's cheap and you don't have to fix most of it up to go diving with it...If this is the case then I'm not sure that's safe and promoting a vintage diving event might not be a good idea for me
I assured him that the person who said that was in the minority of vintage equipment owners and that most of us take pride in our gear and go to great lengths to get it as perfect as possible....... Then again I read posts around the net by folks who prop themselves up as experts advising people to visit their local hardware store for parts and supplies ...cause they are cheaper and just as good......VDH is ripping people off charging $9.00 for a set of O-rings and a seat when you can get most of it from the small engine repair or plumbing section of your local hardware store......When I read this stuff it is somewhat discouraging as the "expert" is obviously one of those folks who will spend $2.00 in gas and 1/2 hour of their time to save .50 on an item of questionable source and quality.... They also take business away from folks like me......Yea it's only a service kit....But service kit sales add up to expanding offering of other reproduction parts.....

When I reproduce stuff for Scubapro,US Divers or Voit I have no doubt the market will be there as most divers using these brands love to maintain their gear to the highest standards possible.....So far Healthways is more along the line of Dollar Store shoppers.
I'd like to change that.....I think the line would be a lot of fun to explore and there are plenty of inexpensive regulators out there to work with.

I'm still waiting to see if a cheaper mold is available.....It could still be a GO if the seasonal sales are good.....Right now I want to make it most of all due to what Herman is working on 8)
Doing it right should include some common sense, not just blindly following specs and instructions. .Gary D, AWAP on SB

TomcatPC
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First Name: Mark
Location: Toledo Ohio

Re: Healthways is next on the agenda

Tue Oct 04, 2016 6:40 pm

I wonder if it was me that said I liked to dive vintage because I can afford it? If so...I never said dive it without checking it out, rebuilding it, etc. first though... If it was me and it this got taken out of context...I'm totally sorry!!!
I like Healthways, I like saving money, I was talking to a newer diver (not that I'm am experienced diver by any stretch...), I was at White Star, I like older gear and stay away from new gear... I wonder if this was something I said and got misheard?
Mark

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Vancetp
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First Name: Phillip
Location: Belmont CA

Re: Healthways is next on the agenda

Tue Oct 04, 2016 11:33 pm

Bryan wrote:First quotes on reproducing the Healthways diaphragms came back higher than I thought.....What I read here and on VSS is that most Healthways owners prefer to service their regulators with jury rigged parts as cheaply as possible. Not sure if the market would support diaphragms that would retail for $22.00 or that I would ever be able to sell enough of them to recoup my investment.
I've asked the manufacturer to re-figure the mold as one for single use which may bring the cost of the mold down but I don't think it will change the retail that much.
I, for one, am not averse to paying for a good repro part to make my vintage regulator work again. "Jury rigging" parts is a necessary evil, if you can't get what you need. (OK, it can be a fun challenge, too.) But, I'd be willing to pay that much for a new diaphragm for my Scubastar, and would also love to be able to pick up a rebuild kit if there was one. I'm sure there'd be many takers.
Phil

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Bronze06
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First Name: Russell
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Re: Healthways is next on the agenda

Thu Oct 06, 2016 11:00 am

Herman wrote:If I understand correctly, the big expense is the initial production of the molds, after that the cost per unit drops. I may be all wrong on it, so correct me if I'm wrong. With that in mind, having a committed number sold wound lessen the finical impact on you (Bryan). How about something like the initial mouthpiece offer, up front sales for delivery at a later date? I'm in for a couple. If nothing else, you can get a good gauge of the serious buyers.
Ditto :D
"Where'd ya get that ol' thang, don't cha' know them thare things ill kill ya!"

Live From the Red Sea,

Russ

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Ron
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Re: Healthways is next on the agenda

Fri Oct 07, 2016 12:28 pm

Vintage diving is a funny animal man. We are consistently walking that knife edge between being a valid niche diving area and being viewed as wackos. I remember when people told me I was ruining vintage diving by offering a PADI specialty for it. I think I've certified 5 people total. I'm the only guy in the lower 48 who can do it, along with Tim (who shared his course with me, and is a true gentleman) who does it in Hawaii. Clearly, some people overreact. That is pretty normal I suppose. Apparently seat belts ruined America for a lot of people.

Seriously though, and Bryan is incredibly modest about this, buy stuff here. You are only screwing yourself if you don't. Before Bryan made a lot of this stuff, old rotten parts on Ebay were 5 times the cost of Bryan's newly manufactured parts. As an IT engineer in a manufacturing industry, I deal with this all the time. People are penny-wise and pound foolish man. They buy a 1,000 dollar custom fly rod and then use duct tape to fix it instead of paying 30 bucks for a repair. If Bryan decides to stop selling stuff, then we are all back to using a piece of 1,000 grit sandpaper on a piece of glass to resurface 45 year old seats instead of simply replacing it for 15 bucks with a new part.
The impossible missions are the only ones which succeed. -JYC

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Bronze06
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First Name: Russell
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Re: Healthways is next on the agenda

Sat Oct 08, 2016 5:45 am

slonda828 wrote:Vintage diving is a funny animal man. We are consistently walking that knife edge between being a valid niche diving area and being viewed as wackos. I remember when people told me I was ruining vintage diving by offering a PADI specialty for it. I think I've certified 5 people total. I'm the only guy in the lower 48 who can do it, along with Tim (who shared his course with me, and is a true gentleman) who does it in Hawaii. Clearly, some people overreact. That is pretty normal I suppose. Apparently seat belts ruined America for a lot of people.

Seriously though, and Bryan is incredibly modest about this, buy stuff here. You are only screwing yourself if you don't. Before Bryan made a lot of this stuff, old rotten parts on Ebay were 5 times the cost of Bryan's newly manufactured parts. As an IT engineer in a manufacturing industry, I deal with this all the time. People are penny-wise and pound foolish man. They buy a 1,000 dollar custom fly rod and then use duct tape to fix it instead of paying 30 bucks for a repair. If Bryan decides to stop selling stuff, then we are all back to using a piece of 1,000 grit sandpaper on a piece of glass to resurface 45 year old seats instead of simply replacing it for 15 bucks with a new part.
Hey Slonda,

I buy 90% of what I need from Bryan and the other 10% from either Rob at The Scuba Museum, A & D Adventures, Herman or in some cases from VSS.

You are absolutely correct that we buy from Bryan for the majority of items needed.The prices are more than reasonable (Look at what a retail shop would charge!) and the products are of high quality with excellent service! Ask Bryan himself, I am not a "One Time" buyer by any means.
Without VDH the vintage community would be at the beck and call of rip-off A-Holes selling shoddy crap at exorbitant prices. When it comes to life support equipment, penny wise and pound foolish is lethal! The dive industry makes a big deal about "You get what you paid for" new equipment purchases with a major emphasis on quality and track records. VDH meets and in 90% of cases exceeds the OEM specs, in all of its parts! We should be bragging about VDH every time we run into an know it all A-hole who doesn't know squat about industrial design and production processes, let alone real diving. If anything the US Navy should be buying "Kraken's" from Bryan and not stiffing the US Taxpayer for the price of a fricken US D/Aqualung "Mentor" that runs about $2000.00 before they overprice it even more"for contracting purposes" spare parts and overpriced servicing!! And the "Kraken" is more versatile with regards to various equipment configurations that the Navy boys need to familiarize with! Which means BETTER OVER ALL TRAINING TIME AND MONEY SPENT!

BOTTOM LINE: When you purchase from VDH you not only support high quality items at a fair price, you are supporting innovation and the Vintage community as a whole!

On another note, Alec Pierce in Canada also has a full Vintage Diving specialty accreditation through PADI, so there are three of you in North America that I know of so far. Since Alec has been diving longer than I have been living, you and your buddy Tim are in very exclusive company in that regard. Vintage Diving and Modern or as I call it Retro Double Hose Diving is growing much more than we give it credit. Know one over here thinks that it is outmoded or wacky. If anything, people are fascinated by it and find it daring and unique. I have proven to the nay sayers over here with more than 150 DH dives in the Red Sea without incident. On occasion I have had to assist single hose divers who had problems with THEIR equipment. I have had 20 people try DH in the pool, approximately 11 dive it in the Red Sea many are now interested in getting their own gear and regs. especially for the benefits of macro photography here in the Red Sea. As more people open up to this "New (Upgraded) Science Of Skin and Scuba Diving" with equipment that exceeds the originals, and new designs that are very cost effective for the consumer, yet of high quality such as the "Kraken" more people will become involved in this so called niche. $600 dollars for a "Kraken is more than reasonable for what amounts to a custom regulator. The prices for some of the higher end Scubapro, Mares, Cressi, Sherwood, etc. regs are well above $1000. And remember, Argonaut is an American Company! We are only at the beginning of the 21st century and is an exciting time to be diving!

SFC Russell S. Campbell
USA, Infantry (ret.)
"Where'd ya get that ol' thang, don't cha' know them thare things ill kill ya!"

Live From the Red Sea,

Russ

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Bryan
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First Name: Bryan
Location: Wesley Chapel Florida
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Re: Healthways is next on the agenda

Sat Oct 08, 2016 7:28 am

I appreciate the kind words and support! Aside from Healthways there are some other small items being worked on now that I'm sure many divers will enjoy.
I hope Rich is not too discouraged or put off by what he heard and there will be an event at White Star again next year. Hopefully vintage equipment divers will use a better choice of words and speak to the quality of their gear and not as much on how cheaply it was acquired and or maintained.
Healthways is still in the works but it's just about Kraken time again so I need to shift focus that direction again for the next couple months.

Sent from my SM-T810 using Tapatalk
Doing it right should include some common sense, not just blindly following specs and instructions. .Gary D, AWAP on SB

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Bronze06
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First Name: Russell
Location: Tabuk, Saudi Arabia

Re: Healthways is next on the agenda

Tue Oct 18, 2016 9:18 am

Bryan wrote:I appreciate the kind words and support! Aside from Healthways there are some other small items being worked on now that I'm sure many divers will enjoy.
I hope Rich is not too discouraged or put off by what he heard and there will be an event at White Star again next year. Hopefully vintage equipment divers will use a better choice of words and speak to the quality of their gear and not as much on how cheaply it was acquired and or maintained.
Healthways is still in the works but it's just about Kraken time again so I need to shift focus that direction again for the next couple months.

Sent from my SM-T810 using Tapatalk
You mean it's "time to get Kraken"! LOL!!! :D :D :D
"Where'd ya get that ol' thang, don't cha' know them thare things ill kill ya!"

Live From the Red Sea,

Russ

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