Argonaut mouthpiece question

[macado]

cdharris,
I understand where you're coming from but the harsh reality is you can't please everyone. Luis, Bryan, Herman, et al have done a tremendous job with the Argonaut.

I suggest if one of the DIY mouthpiece modifications or other suggestions don't work for you then you wait for next revision.

We may have to agree to disagree that -- when spending $600+ on a regulator -- bite comfort is a "minor thing". Just my two cents.

Price is inconsequential to quality in many cases. You could spend well over a thousand dollars on a regulator and still not have something as unique and better performing than the Argonaut.

[bbain]

I will admit that the standard mouthpieces can be be uncomfortable and the DIY version looks intriguing. I have an old Voit curved mouthpiece that I would be willing to modify, but I note that the "hourglass" version is what's spec'ed. Is that a necessity or can the "curved" mouth piece be used as well?

[luis]

You can try it, but from looking at it I am fairly certain that the curve mouthpiece will not work. The shape of the opening is too wide, the inside is rectangular, the tube is short and too much of a tapper.

The hour glass mouthpiece works OK, but even that one is not perfect.

[couv]

Sorry I'm late to the party-I've been busy shouting orders to Drew Brees and the Saints, but they ignored my wisdom so now they're out of the playoffs.

Anyway, I am one of the "mouthpiece complainers." Contrary to what the wife says, I have a little mouth (and probably a funny shaped head) which causes two issues for me with the usual double hose mouthpiece configuration. The typical alignment (mouthpiece facing the can when sitting on a table) put a bit of stress on my bite. Adjusting the hoses slightly out of alignment solved that issue. The other problem I have is the standard double hose mouthpiece chafes my gums. No amount of adjusting seems to solve that problem; but Allan and Luis came up with an effective solution by modifying an hourglass mouthpiece to accommodate a single hose style mouthpiece. One could probably install just about any style mouthpiece on the modified unit, so that problem is solved. The only minus I found was it was not quite as secure as I would have liked, but again, it was the prototype.

One more thing to bring into the discussion is the use of hose weights. As noted in the picture, the hose loop I used in CZM had the weights installed. The idea is to counter the additional moment added by the length of the mouthpiece. However, when the mouthpiece is in position (in the mouth) I'm not sure there is that much more length exposed to be concerned about. The operative term is "not sure" because I did not remove the weights, so I'm looking forward to other's comments.

Lastly, like James, I've recently picked up a PVC T-fitting to experiment with......

[bbain]

You can try it, but from looking at it I am fairly certain that the curve mouthpiece will not work. The shape of the opening is too wide, the inside is rectangular, the tube is short and too much of a tapper.

The hour glass mouthpiece works OK, but even that one is not perfect.

Thanks for the information. I will spare my Voit curved mouthpiece from the knife -- no point in trashing a perfectly good piece of kit if it won't work. I think I will instead be on the look out for an hourglass mouthpiece.

Thank you, Bryan, Herman, and all the others for all your help -- I doubt most of us would be using double hose regulators at all were it not for your collective efforts.

[EDIT] I see that The Scuba Museum has reproduction Voit hourglass mouthpieces listed in silicone and some that are the original neoprene. Is there an issue using the silicone one in finding a sealant that will stick to the silicone?

[simonbeans]

I used a silicone Voit "hour-glass" mouthpiece from The Scuba Museum for the prototype. No sealant of any kind was used. And why would there be? The modern mouthpiece you want to use slips over the "stub" of the Voit mouthpiece once the part that actually goes into your mouth is removed. The stainless steel part is put into the "stub" section so that a modern cable tie can hold your chosen mouthpiece and the Voit together. You don't use a sealant when you put a mouthpiece on a modern second stage.

[luis]

The stub section is a bit short and it doesn't have a ridge at the edge like single hose regulators have.

In practice it is not as secured and you forgot that Robert did have an incident when the mouthpiece came off. It feels very secure, but I will be using regular silicone caulking/ glue in addition to the tie strap.

Robert reattached the mouthpiece and made many more dives after the incident. He was just more careful, but why be extra careful when it can be fixed to be more secured. No matter what I use for bonding, taking it apart when needed, will not be difficult. Nothing makes that strong of a bond with silicone.