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This is a collection of direct links to our knowledge base of educational content that appears on the Dive Gear Express website mostly in the form of brief blocks of diving related information that are distinct from our product descriptions and administration content. This knowledge is primarily focused on experienced sport and technical SCUBA divers. It may not be useful to those just now learning to dive, and in some cases might even contradict instructor recommendations to entry level divers.


Our popular Tek-Tips are product independent information attached to the bottom of various category and product pages. There is some product related information, such as our opinions on specific product selection or usage, that we list in a separate Product-Tips category. We have a few longer discussions that we list under the Articles category.

The Dive Gear Express YouTube Channel contains a library of our in-house produced information videos. Each video is focused on important facts for a single topic, omitting extraneous promotional content and excessive detail. The videos are fast paced to keep them compact, about one to three minutes in length with pause and rewind controls always available during viewing.

TekTips

  1. Compressor Lubrication for SCUBA
  2. Compressor Lubricants and Diver Safety
  3. Nitrox and Compressor Lubrication
  4. Orange, Yellow, or White, which is better?
  5. "OMG" Is your QR insurance paid up?
  6. Where do I get replacement batteries?
  7. Marine Grade Stainless Markings Must Be Annealed
  8. Your Hands and Feet Can Be Larger When Diving
  9. The R-22 and R-17 type oxygen sensors in diving
  10. Aluminum vs. Stainless Hardware
  11. Dust caps with DIN-to-Yoke adapters are not best practice
  12. Is My HP Tank 3/4 NPS or 7/8 UNF Neck Threads?
  13. A unified and robust solution for dive logging software
  14. Rigging the SPG on Stage and Sidemount Bottles
  15. How Deep is DEEP and How Cold is COLD?
  16. Open Water Students and Modern Equipment Configurations
  17. Seriously, Do Not Pee On That...
  18. The 411 on Dive Instrument Consoles vs Wrist Mounts
  19. Line Markers
  20. Advice for Flying with SCUBA tanks
  21. Helium Grades for Breathing Gases in Diving
  22. Environmentally Sealing SCUBA Regulators
  23. High Pressure Swivel Spindles aka 'Air Spools'
  24. 'The Skinny' on Snorkels and SCUBA Diving
  25. Single-Tank-Adapters or Assembly Screws Are Often Counterproductive
  26. Divemasters Should Ask 'Is Your Oxygen ON?'
  27. Using PTFE (aka Teflon) Thread Seal Tape with Oxygen, Nitrox and Trimix
  28. What is the knob and lever on my second stage?
  29. ADVISORY: Oxidane and Diving
  30. Many Mass-Market Cleaning Products Can Damage Your Dive Gear
  31. Rechargeable Battery Chemistry for Dive Lights - Lithium Ion
  32. When is Enough... Enough?
  33. How do you stay warm in a neoprene wetsuit? Take it off.
  34. About Gas Time Remaining (GTR) Calculations
  35. Diving and Blue Pills
  36. Helium Penalty? What Penalty?
  37. Calibrating Oxygen Analyzers for Diving
  38. Bühlmann versus VPM Decompression Schedules
  39. Using a Signal Mirror for Rescue
  40. SCUBA Cylinder Neck Threads and Pressures in North America
  41. Handling Emergency Oxygen Kits
  42. How do the grades of compressed oxygen differ?
  43. Lubrication and SCUBA Valve Installation
  44. Do I really need that big NITROX wrap decal on my tank?
  45. Units of Pressure in Diving
  46. Sunscreen and Dive Computers
  47. Metric vs Imperial SCUBA Cylinder Sizes
  48. Servicing SCUBA Hoses
  49. Quick-Disconnect Compatibility and Lack Thereof
  50. How to use a twist-on handheld dive light or strobe
  51. Damaged 300 bar DIN valve outlets
  52. Can Nitrox or Trimix be run through a breathing air compressor?
  53. A Battery Warning Means You Are Diving On Borrowed Time!
  54. A Common Mistake When Using Tables for Repetitive Dives
  55. About the U.S. Diver Down Flag
  56. Learning From Analysis of Rebreather Deaths
  57. Are Rebreathers Safe?
  58. Using the metal grommets......
  59. Backup Second Stages
  60. Bailout/Deco Regulators
  61. Selection, Care and Maintenance for Guideline Reels
  62. Bad BCD Maintenance = Provoking Instead of Preventing
  63. Beware of Fin Hyperbole
  64. Buddies and BC Integrated Regs
  65. Care and Feeding of Lithium Chemistry Rechargeable Batteries
  66. Choosing Stage/Deco Regulators
  67. Choosing the Best Inflation Hose Length
  68. Choosing the Best Primary SPG Hose Length
  69. Cleaning Low Current Electrical Contacts
  70. Common Uses for Stainless Steel Snaps
  71. Compass Balance Zones
  72. Tiny Bubbles?
  73. Just Say No to Deep Air
  74. Do You Know Your Right From Your Left?
  75. Does the Vindicator knob make sense for experienced divers?
  76. DPV Battery Technology Tradeoffs
  77. Open Circuit Etiquette with Closed Circuit Divers
  78. Evolution of Manifolds and Bands
  79. Finger Spools Are Not Guideline Reels
  80. Form vs. Function in Dive Masks
  81. Full Face Masks and Recreational Scuba
  82. A Gas Booster Reality Check
  83. Gearing Up With a Long Hose
  84. Get the Lead Out!
  85. Give Tank Boots the Boot, Decals Too!
  86. Gradient Factors
  87. Helmets Have Their Place In Diving
  88. History of the Finger Spool
  89. Hose Protectors Don't
  90. How Long is Your Hose?
  91. How Much and Where to Use Lubricant
  92. How to Choose Between Lift Bags and Marking Tubes
  93. How to Glue On Your Glue-On Pocket
  94. How to Overhaul a Power Inflator
  95. Independent Twins Are Not Doubles
  96. Inside Submersible Pressure Gauges
  97. Installing Valves in SCUBA Cylinders
  98. Interchangeability of Backplates and Wings
  99. Regulator Intermediate Pressure (IP)
  100. Tang? Pommel? Drop Point? Swage? Spine?
  101. Leaking Mask? Loosen The Strap!
  102. Looping Hoses Under Hose Retainers
  103. Lumens, Lux and Burn Time - Caveat Emptor
  104. Mask Defoggers Explained
  105. Candela vs Lumen
  106. Mixing Brands or Ages of Oxygen Sensors
  107. Mr. Cleaning Your Dive Slate and Wetnotes
  108. Dispelling the Myth of the Simple Oxygen Flush Test
  109. Nitrox? Heliox? Helitrox? Triox? Normoxic Trimix? Hypoxic Trimix? Heliair?
  110. Blame Normalization of Deviance, Not "Complacency"
  111. OOPS.... NOT!
  112. Ordering Vision Correcting Lenses for Dive Masks
  113. The Origin of Hogarthian Configuration
  114. Oxygen Sensor Life in Rebreathers
  115. The Oxygen Shutoff Is a Mixed-Bag
  116. Perfect Positioning of Decals
  117. Piston vs Diaphragm... Does it really matter?
  118. Burst Disks in SCUBA Valves Are Not What You Think
  119. Rebreather Training
  120. Hogarthian Regulator Configuration for Doubles
  121. Long Hose Regulator Configuration for Single Tank Diving
  122. Streamlined Open Water Regulator Configuration
  123. Regulator Necklaces
  124. Sanitizers, Disinfectants, Antiseptics and Your Rebreather
  125. Self-Operated vs Pilot-Operated
  126. Sidemount Diving Has Gone Mainstream
  127. "Sidemount diving makes technical diving easy" - Jeff Loflin
  128. Sidemount Configurations
  129. Valves for Sidemount
  130. Single Tank Mounting with Backplates
  131. Who's Your Buddy... Han?
  132. SPG Floods
  133. Stage Straps
  134. Swivel vs Fixed
  135. Take Only What You Need, No More and No Less
  136. The Best Things in Life are FREE
  137. Threading a 3-Slot Quick-Release Belt Buckle
  138. Time to Fly? Maybe Not.
  139. Types of Back Inflation BC Systems
  140. Do You Sidemount Up or Down?
  141. Upstream vs Downstream
  142. ZHL, VPM, RGBM, DSAT, DCIEM, DCAP ... Does It Really Matter?
  143. What about "black face" instruments?
  144. What Color is Your Parachute Bag?
  145. What Happened to Low-Pressure (LP) Cylinders?
  146. What Happened to My Gas?
  147. What if you donate your primary?
  148. What is the difference between "200 Bar" and "300 Bar" fittings?
  149. What Size Fins Do I Need?
  150. Which Wing Do I Need?
  151. Why Black Dive Masks Are Better
  152. Will back inflation float an unconscious diver face up?
  153. You Can't Get Everything On-Line
  154. Inspect Your Regulator Mouthpiece
  155. BCD Bladder Repairs
  156. Choosing the Best Regulator Hose Length
  157. SCUBA Regulators and Hoses Nomenclature
  158. Sizing and Selecting O-Rings for SCUBA
  159. Canister vs Handheld Lights
  160. Optical Coating Masks Are Not "Cool"
  161. Manifold Crossbar Isolator Valves May Not Improve Safety
  162. StainLESS does not mean StainPROOF
  163. Plan Your Dive - Dive Your Plan
  164. Uncoupling DIN Fittings From SCUBA Valves
View All 164 articles

ProductTips

  1. How to resurrect a completely dead Poseidon Smart Module
  2. Why Choose XR by Mares?
  3. DGX No Longer Sells SAFT Lithium Batteries
  4. Peregrine vs Perdix 2
  5. DGX Gears brand D6 and XTRA regulators
  6. Backplates and Your Height
  7. Drive Gas Options for the Haskel Mini Sport Booster
  8. Differences Between DGX and Thermo Brand Valves
  9. Low-Pressure Breathing Gas Fittings on SCUBA Regulators and Hoses
  10. Garmin Descent G1 Series vs Mk2 Series Differences
  11. Dive Rite XT Regulator Differences
  12. Required-stop Decompression and Regulators
  13. Differences of Petrel vs Perdix Dive Computers
  14. Basketball Shoes for Diving... Seriously?
  15. Alternative hose configuration for your Poseidon DSV/ADV/BOV
  16. Maintaining Poseidon Cable Connectors
  17. How are the DGX Premium O2 Valves different from DGX Premium Nitrox Ready Valves?
  18. Why Choose DIVESOFT?
  19. The NERD 2 from Shearwater Research
  20. What Micro SD-card should I use with Paralenz camera?
  21. About Our Hi-Viz Line
  22. Garmin Descent Mk2/Mk2i/Mk2s Model Differences
  23. SPG Depth Ratings
  24. Differences of Teric vs Perdix 2 Ti Dive Computers
  25. Why we are ashamed to sell these...
  26. SCUBA Regulator DIN Connector O-ring Sizes
  27. CO2 Absorbent: 797 vs 812 vs 1025
  28. DGX Custom Regulators - Have It Your Way
  29. Nomad XT/LTZ/LT/LS Tank Mount Configuration Options
  30. Recreational Nitrox Configuration of Shearwater Perdix
  31. Advice regarding travel with Sofnolime
  32. Why Choose Dive Rite?
  33. Why Choose G-Dive?
  34. TransPac, TransPlate, and Hydro Lite Sizing
  35. Dive Rite's Gusset Control System
  36. Replacing Air Cell Inflation Assembly Elbows
  37. Why Choose Ocean Management Systems?
  38. Why Choose DGX Gears™ Brand Products?
  39. Why Choose Shearwater Research Dive Computers?
  40. Why dive Poseidon?
  41. Dive Rite Dual Armored Wing Options
  42. Dive Rite Air Cells Overview
  43. Aluminum Cylinders at Dive Gear Express
  44. Steel High Pressure Cylinders by Faber
  45. Steel Specialty Cylinders by Faber
  46. Light Mount Sizing Chart
  47. Compare the DGX 300 - 600 - 800 lights
  48. Why choose Omni-Swivel International products?
  49. Why Choose Analytical Industries?
View All 49 articles

Articles

  1. CCR FAQ - rEvo
  2. How to Select a SCUBA Tank
  3. Calculating SCUBA Cylinder Capacity
  4. Z Factors for SCUBA
  5. How to Attach a Snap
  6. Assembling Double Cylinders
  7. Understanding Nitrox Ready and Oxygen Service
  8. DGX Gears Harness Assembly Instructions
  9. Oxygen Sensor Handling
  10. CCR FAQ - O2ptima
  11. CCR FAQ - Poseidon Se7en+
  12. SCUBA Valves
  13. Sofnolime Absorbent Selection And Handling
  14. Lift Bags versus Marking Tubes
  15. O2ptima Scrubber Duration Test Results
  16. South East Florida Diving Logistics
  17. Suggestions for Selecting a Wing
  18. What is a Rebreather?
  19. About Oxygen Disclaimers
View All 19 articles