TESTCENTRE
More for your jaw
Personal Mouthpiece
COMPANY : BEAVER SPORTS PRICE : £ 15.25 TEL : 01484 512354 WEB : WWW . BEAVERSPORTS . CO . UK
Temporomandibular disorder ( TMD or TMJ ) is a condition affecting the movement of the jaw . It can manifest in several ways . In its mildest form , it ’ s just a clicking or popping sensation around the jaw .
At its most severe , the jaw may lock , causing severe pain around the jaw , ear and temple and debilitating headaches . As a sufferer for many years , I ’ d managed to cope using a night-time splint , a custommade mouthpiece that realigned my jaw during sleep .
Eventually I was able to discard this aid and had a sustained period of relief until
I used an unfamiliar rebreather mouthpiece . This had an almost immediate effect on my jaw , resulting in a painful recurrence .
Beaver Sports ’ Personal Mouthpiece is a mouldable device that replaces any regulator ’ s standard mouthpiece . It ’ s a very simple idea : immerse it into boiling water for 35 seconds , allow it to cool for another five then pop it into your mouth , firmly biting down for around half a minute . Then rinse in cold water , check how it feels and if all good , cable tie it to your reg and you ’ re done . If it doesn ’ t feel quite right , then simply repeat the process .
I ’ ve used several mouthpieces of this type in the past , but Beaver ’ s version seems to offer a substantially softer bite . I ’ ve been using it for practically every dive since fitting and it has all but eliminated the pain and discomfort during and immediately after diving .
You don ’ t have to have TMD to take advantage of this comfortable mouthpiece and if you get a little jaw ache or have difficulty biting down for prolonged periods of time then it will provide some welcome relief . NH
SCUBA SAYS
If you ’ ve ever experienced an aching jaw during / after diving or suffer from TMD ( Temporomandibular Joint Disorder ) then this mouldable mouthpiece presents an inexpensive and effective solution .
The harder they come
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Tecline Power Jet Fins
COMPANY : AQUA ACTIVE PRICE : £ 97.97 TEL : 0330 1221395 WEB : WWW . TECLINEDIVING . EU
WWW . AQUAACTIVE . CO . UK
It ’ s pretty obvious from the outset that these Tecline Power Jets aren ’ t your average recreational diving fins . They ’ re very solid , with large , wide foot pockets , ideal for thick rubber drysuit boots or rock boots .
With their long blades , rigid stabilizers and heavy-duty spring straps , they look , and feel , very solid indeed . Weighing around 3.3kg they ’ re a little heavier than my usual split fin choice , and substantially more rigid too . This would provide a good contrast from which to assess their performance .
The Power Jets are available in three ‘ hardnesses .’ Soft , for beginners , Medium , aimed at cave , wreck and long-distance finning . The third , labelled Hard , are intended for demanding users such as dive professionals and instructors .
The medium hardness fins
I received were a great fit . The wide , soft foot pockets worked with the effective spring strap , and they slipped over my boots with ease . The high edges kept the fins rigid but not excessively so . It ’ s been a while since I ’ ve used fins of this particular type , so it took a little while to get into the swing of things , but I soon began to appreciate their advantages . Manufactured from two different types of rubber , the harder stabilisers appeared to act as a spring during the kick , with the long blade snapping back into position between strokes .
The blade-to-foot pocket angle has been designed to reduce disturbance when swimming close to the bottom and seemed to do the trick over silty terrain . Maintaining position while taking photographs was very easy , using controlled flicks and the width of the fins to hover motionless .
Full throttle from A to B was also achieved with surprisingly little effort , owing much to the large water vents between pocket and blade . NH
SCUBA SAYS
Tecline ’ s Power Jets are robust , high-performing fins built for action and the toughest of conditions . They may not be perfect for everyone but if you ’ re a wreckie , caver or exploration diver , they ’ ll take some beating .