Wasted a whole dive day on a cheap hose clamp

I was doing a simple hull clean in Seattle last week and used a bargain clamp from a hardware store on my air hose. About twenty minutes in, it gave out and I had to surface. The boat had to pull me early, so we lost the whole job and about $800 in pay. I should have just used the proper stainless steel ones from the dive shop. Anyone have a go-to brand for underwater gear that won't quit on you?

3 comments

3 Comments

karen_perry3817d ago

Gotta disagree a bit here. I've been using cheap hardware store clamps for years on shallow dives and never had one fail, sounds like you just got a dud or maybe overtightened it. AWABs are great and all but sometimes the simple stuff works fine if you check it before you go down.

casey161mo ago

Oof, that "lost the whole job" part is brutal. I learned the same lesson with a cheap snorkel keeper that snapped. For hose clamps, I only use AWAB brand now. They're all stainless, even the screw, so they don't freeze up or rust out.

kai_park1mo ago

Totally agree on AWAB clamps. I had a cheap one fail on a coolant line and it made a huge mess. Never skimp on the small stuff.