Kategorie: News
The new regulator from Dynamic Nord
The new IR-50 regulator from Dynamic Nord arrives shortly before my planned holiday trip. I actually want to test it in cold water, but there's no time for that now. So I'll postpone that until later, as I want to know what it can do under a wide variety of conditions.
Now it's time to test it under tropical conditions: I will use the machine in shallow water, at depth (up to 40 metres) and under working conditions in the current.
Unfortunately, I cannot offer a laboratory test. Testers with suitable machines are responsible for that. Nevertheless, I believe that I have dived many automatic machines in my life and can therefore judge the differences very well. What strikes me immediately is the noticeable Venturi effect when you draw in air a little more forcefully under water. You immediately feel that a stronger air flow is coming in. This means that if, for whatever reason, you suddenly need more air, the machine releases it immediately. Conversely, this means that if you simply pull hard, more air will arrive immediately and the air consumption could increase. For an experienced diver, this should only have advantages, but for an inexperienced diver it may well lead to more air consumption. I cannot judge how much this is. If you breathe ‘normally’, you won't notice anything, as the air comes out of the regulator pleasantly light and evenly distributed.
The workmanship looks robust and very high quality. The quality should also be good, because immediately after the third dive I put the jacket down in the water and hand it over to the boat crew, who are not exactly squeamish with the equipment and immediately slam the machine against the side of the boat. During the subsequent inspection, I don't notice any damage or scratches. The machine took it well, but the one belonging to my diving buddy, who dives a different brand, didn't fare quite as well. The toggle lever fell out there.
On my dive just over the 40 metre mark, I didn't notice any change in the air volume or air comfort. The regulator does its job just as well as in shallow water. Basically, I don't notice any increase in air consumption compared to my own regulator, which means that despite good air delivery performance and excellent breathing comfort, air consumption does not increase. I dived with the regulator for a good half of the dives on this trip and kept switching to other regulators so that I could better assess the differences. I noticed the mouthpiece positively, which feels very good in the mouth and shows no bite marks even after two heavy drift dives (... I like to bite through a mouthpiece from time to time). The first stage is also beautifully finished, the outlets are well positioned and solidly made.
After my holiday trip to the tropics, I want to do another test in cold water and so I go to my local lake to do two dives there. Of course, these are not exactly the perfect dives for testing under extreme conditions, but the overall picture is very positive in my eyes.
Let's see how it dives in winter when I take it under ice. That will separate the wheat from the chaff and I'll be able to judge the IR-50's performance even better afterwards. It was built for this purpose and I will report on how it performs. I'm very impressed now and look forward to further tests.
Info:
IR-50-DIN
1st + 2nd stage regulator
Price: 499,00€
Connection: DIN up to 300 bar
sandblasted brass, matt chrome-finish
Outlets: 2 HD 7/16 UNF, 4 ND 3/8 UNF
- membrane compensated
- Adjustable venturi to prevent free blow-out at the surface and reduce inhalation effort during the dive
- Adjustment knob to select personal inhalation comfort
- Exhaust valve and deflector minimise exhalation effort
- LP hose tested for a maximum pressure of 34 bar
- Mouthpiece made of high-quality silicone
- Average work of breathing for the complete regulator: 0.84 J/L
THE ADVANCED
Suitable for advanced and experienced divers and also for depths below 30 metres. With its compensated membrane, it enables deeper dives and more natural breathing.
The adjustable venturi (Dive-/Predive) was primarily developed to prevent free blowing at the surface and to reduce the effort required to inhale during the dive. The personal inhalation comfort can be set using the adjustment knob. To allow comfortable and easy exhalation, the exhaust valve and cover provide minimal resistance. The deflector is designed to reduce bubbles on the diver's face.
The LP hose is tested for a maximum pressure of 34 bar. The mouthpiece is made of high-quality, anti-allergic silicone for maximum comfort. The work of breathing of the first and second stage of the IR-50 is 0.84 J/L on average.
Compensated second stage:
The compensation of the second stage ensures that inhalation comfort remains comfortable regardless of the residual pressure remaining in the bottle.
1st controllable Venturi effect:
By setting to ‘-’, the Venturi effect is weakened so that the second stage does not blow off unintentionally on land. Under water, the venturi effect is then increased in the ‘+’ position, allowing easy and comfortable inhalation.
2. adjustment of the response resistance:
Every diver has a personal perception of the ‘optimum’ inhalation resistance. Using the adjustment knob, everyone can find the best personal setting and thus maximise breathing comfort.
Mouthpiece
The mouthpiece is made of anti-allergic silicone. It guarantees a firm and comfortable fit in the jaw and can be changed in a few simple steps if necessary. It is available as a spare part from specialist retailers.
Bubble deflector
The bubble deflector is a further development of the previous standard. Not only does it deflect the gas bubbles from the field of vision, in conjunction with the enlarged exhalation membrane it also reduces the exhalation work and thus increases the breathing comfort of the second stage.
Product details
Weight 1.34 kg
Size 29.00 × 19.00 × 9.00 cm
Item number 01-0641-2000 - Website Dynamic Nord
Photographer:
Christian Eisenbeis, Peter Schreilechner