Huh?
I don't get it.
There's absolutely zero benefit to hard mounting the first stages and great value to using DIN valves and having a decent first stage being installed to replace the POS Sherwoods. I somehow don't see this as an improvement....
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As for sphere securing, didn't you try the rubber o-ring system to hold the spheres in place using the original hoses? They tie the spheres in tight, and are easy to use. Makes installing the spheres easier, makes leak testing and working on the rig easier, etc. Man.. I just don't see the value here, no offense intended. I removed the hard mounts from my last rig, replaced the hard tube with HP soft hoses and am lots happier.
Send the DIN valves back if you are not going to use them: Others want them and the core valves that I modify are getting scarce. I'm almost sorry I made them if they are not going to be used.
Dave
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Don't get too upset Dave. I have a set of DIN valves also that I likely will never use. I actually prefer the simplicity of the Sherwood 1st stages and I have used them happily past 375 feet. I also think that the hard mounted first stages makes sphere placement and removal easier (depending on whether a good job was done on the hard-mounting). I ditched the soft hoses on my 15 long ago to make it more like my 15.5.
To each their own.