In July 2019, Dive Gear Express was notified of a safety concern regarding specific lots of low-pressure rubber regulator hoses. The hoses in question were assembled by DaniCorp that we purchased through Innovative SCUBA, a wholesale distributor serving the recreational diving marketplace. The hoses were sold to retail customers of Dive Gear Express, both as individual hoses and included as part of SCUBA diving regulator packages
The rubber hose material is now suspected of not adhering to the ANSI Z86 7.1 standard for low-pressure hoses. This means the hose could fail during normal operation, causing a catastrophic loss of breathing gas and the diver could sustain serious injury or loss of life. The rubber hose material itself is marked with a lot code of: 0308, 0388, 0598, 0808, 1648, 1738, or 1998 and these are the only hoses in question. The finished goods (i.e. the rubber hose with the fittings attached) were produced from February 2018 to September 2018 and have Danicorp's month-year code for date of assembly stamped on the ferrule of the fitting that attaches to the the second stage: D0218 through D0918.
FYI, none of our DGX flex or Miflex brand hoses are affected, none of our rubber low-pressure quick-disconnect BC hoses are affected, and none of our high-pressure hoses are affected by this safety notice. Explaining it a different way: If the hose is NOT a rubber low-pressure regulator hose purchased from Dive Gear Express with a five-character date code between D0218 and D0918, then the hose is NOT affected by this safety notice.
Dive Gear Express has removed the hoses affected by this Safety Notice from our inventory. Not all rubber hoses sold by Dive Gear Express are affected, because during the period in question we were transitioning to a different rubber hose supplier. For hoses purchased from us, Dive Gear Express has currently not received any reports of hose failures that are related to this Safety Notice. However, out of an abundance of caution, if you purchased a rubber low-pressure regulator hose from February 2018 to July 2019, please inspect the date code stamp on the hose ferrule. Any rubber low-pressure regulator hose purchased from Dive Gear Express with a five-character date code between D0218 and D0918 should immediately be removed from service. The hose material in question was distributed through a variety of channels but we are not able to provide advice or service for hoses sold by anyone other than Dive Gear Express.
Dive Gear Express will allow you to either request a refund OR request a replacement for any hose purchased from Dive Gear Express. We don’t need the hose returned, send us a picture that includes the date code and upon confirmation cut the fitting off. Refunds will of course be issued as soon as we receive the picture of the cut hose. Depending on the method of payment on the original order and how much time has passed we may not be allowed to issue a credit against the original transaction. In such circumstances we might have to issue a store credit or use some other payment method to issue the refund.
We will do our best to dispatch replacement hoses immediately using our Super Saver class of shipping service. If you would prefer, we can also supply our DGX Premium Flex regulator hose as a replacement instead of a rubber hose. If you have a critical need by a specific date, please let us know and we’ll make every effort to get you back in the water.
If you believe you are affected by this safety notice, please start by completing our Refund/Replacement Form. If you have any questions or concerns, please Contact Us.
