Pro tip: That cheap gas blending setup from AliExpress nearly got me bent

I was skeptical about those $80 trimix blending panels from China but a guy on a dive boat swore they worked fine for his shallow stuff. I figured I'd try one for my own 30 meter runs last month, just for 28% nitrox mixes. After 3 days using it, I started getting weird headaches and joint pain that felt like mild decompression sickness. Brought my gas samples to a certified lab and found my oxygen percentage was off by 6% from what the panel showed. I was basically diving on a mix that could have given me oxygen toxicity or a bad hit. That $80 saved me nothing compared to what a proper blending station costs. Has anyone else had a close call with cheap imported dive gear?

2 comments

2 Comments

garcia.tyler1mo ago

Did you accidentally buy a fish scale instead of a gas analyzer like I did once? My dumbest move was trusting a $40 wrist computer from the same site that almost let me drift past my deco stops. I feel like these cheap panels are basically gambling with your brain, and I've lost enough brain cells just by being myself. I once blended a tank on a whim using a garden hose and a prayer, and my instructor still brings it up at parties. Your story scares me more because I actually considered that exact panel for my own nitrox fills. Glad you caught it before you ended up as a cautionary tale on the DAN website.

the_lily27d ago

Used to be one of those guys who thought if it shipped from Shenzhen and had good reviews it was probably fine... hard lesson right there. Your experience definitely flipped a switch for me though. I was actually saving up for that same $80 panel because I couldn't stomach the price of a real one. Hearing that your oxygen was off by 6% makes my stomach drop because I would have trusted it completely. Now I'm just glad I never pulled the trigger before reading this. That kind of error isn't a small oops it's a guaranteed trip to the chamber or worse.

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