Good work-of-breathing on bailout/deco regulators is very important to ensure proper gas exchange. A switch to a bailout bottle, especially if due to hypercapnia, is always a demanding situation. Low quality, improperly maintained or incorrectly tuned regulators can perform poorly regardless of how shallow the depth, and the differences are subtle enough that you might not even realize what is happening. Despite these concerns, we observe that many divers seem to have a lack of respect for the regulators they use for bailout and deco applications. They purchase cheap and poorly performing regulators, or 'demote' an older primary and thereafter avoid performing proper routine maintenance. The reality is that all your regulators deserve the same attention and respect, and should be of equal quality and with performance matched to your MOD.
