British Made Divers Equipment UK

[iain/hsm]

British Made Divers Equipment

Just to cheer up all those who think the UK don’t manufacture divers equipment
Here is a list in progress of those that do manufacture listed in no particular order. Feel free to add to the list with the caveat that the product has to be made in Britain and not imported and not a sub contracted part or component.

I should have done this over the holidays for those bored with repeat TV and game shows and the increasing slide of this a diving forum into a party political self opinionated politics platform but was too busy working. So before I give up caring don’t cock it up No importers, no scuba shops, and no retailers. Manufactured clearly in the UK and only clean diving products not distributors.

I have left out wet/dry suits for now because its a long list and until I’ve separated out those that import from China and simply modify to fit, from those that truly manufacture. I should also add the number of British dry suit laminated material manufacturers later.
But for now listed as below, feel free to add like dislike delete or censor as you feel.

Cylinders:
Scuba Aluminium. Luxfer Nottingham
https://www.luxfercylinders.com/tech...uba-cylinders/

Piller Valves:
Apeks Marine Blackburn
https://www.apeksdiving.com/products...der-valve.html

AP Diving: Cornwall
https://www.apdiving.com/shop/en_gb/...-complete.html

Regulators, Demand Valves:
Apex Marine Blackburn
https://www.apeksdiving.com/products...egulators.html

Pressure Gauge submersible:
The Miniature Pressure Gauge Company. Halesowen
http://www.miniaturepressuregauge.com

Full Face Mask:
Poseidon Atmosphere (British made for Poseidon by UK OEM )
https://www.poseidon-uk.co.uk/products/atmosphere/

Charging Fittings HP Adaptors:
Undersea Southampton
https://undersea-centre.com/adaptors

Rubber Products Latex cuff and neck seals:
Precision Dippings Bristol
https://www.precisiondippings.co.uk

Dry Suit Zips:
The New Zipper Company Runcorn (now owned by YKK Japan)
Download PDF
https://ykkeurope.com/immersion/

Rebreathers:
Ambient Pressure Diving Ltd Helston Cornwall
https://www.apdiving.com/shop/en_gb/...breathers.html

Vobster Marine Systems Radstock Somerset
https://www.vmsrebreathers.com

Lungfish Dive Systems Cambridge
https://divelungfish.com

Lifting Bags:
JW Automarine Norfolk
https://www.jwautomarine.co.uk

Gas Analysers:
Scottish Anglo/ Analox Middlesbrough
https://www.analoxgroup.com/markets/diving

Rope Soap and Dope:
DMM Llanberis Wales
https://dmmwales.com/knowledge/janua...m-factory-tour

Marlow Ropes Hailsham Sussex
https://www.marlowropes.com

Edit. I have removed a few companies not because they are not British Manufactured but because they mostly supply
to the commercial/ military markets and not recreational scuba. Another because only one product is UK manufactured the balance being manufactured in China and one other due to it being purley a commercial diving product supplier.

Added will be those suggested by the forum members

[Wibs]

Visited Marlow ropes two years ago. Amazing to watch rope being weaved. Took a slow-mo video of the machine, only then can you truly get the complexity


I never realised Luxfer were British. Thanks for pointing that out.


KT - Manufacturers of reels, etc.

[Vanny]

Molecular products - Harlow , Essex. Rebreather lime manufacturing (sofnalime)

[iain/hsm]

Molecular products - Harlow , Essex. Rebreather lime manufacturing (sofnalime)

Cheeky LOL

https://www.hsmuk.com/wp-content/upl...Ltd_Harlow.pdf

Yes and a darn sight better than the old plant they had I might add. Aproaching it back then was a breathing hazzard mixed with a panoromic view like that of a land fill meets an off road obstacle course.

[iain/hsm]

Visited Marlow ropes two years ago. Amazing to watch rope being weaved. Took a slow-mo video of the machine, only then can you truly get the complexity


I never realised Luxfer were British. Thanks for pointing that out.


KT - Manufacturers of reels, etc.

Luxfer were part of the ALCAN group and are pretty much world wide, USA France (SM Gerzat) Australia (CIS) At one point they had there own aluminium production smelting plant in Fort William Scotland. Now Luxfer Nottingham made the first Aluminium scuba cylinders under the old HOAL (Home Office Aluminium) specification HOAL 1,2,3 and 4 although they were not produced for diving in the same numerical order I think it went HOAL1,then 4,then 3, then 2 (from memory) Rule of thumb (ish) is the 232 bar cylinders in UK dive shops in yellow are UK Nottingham manufactured and the 200 bar white, clear and unpainted are from Luxfer Riverside plant in California. This is also complicated by having two different importers/ distributors, one has a contract with Nottingham direct (Sea & Sea), the other via Halcyon with Riverside. Why the heck they make them in the Midlands near the M1 and ship them all the way down to Devon for scuba distribution all the way back up to Scotland. Go figure. No wonder the Yanks can compete by sea freight. I shall have words with them.

Kent Tooling I'm not sure where they manufacture I know they say in house but trucking a CNC laser cutter for making those back plates down that country lane? I'm just not sure, as were a few others I omitted from the kick off list for similar reasons.

[Wibs]

This is a great list Iain. Will be a nice reference.

I believe KT make their stuff locally in Canterbury - sure there's others on here who could confirm.

[jamesp]

Do DMM make rope?

You should see the machine shop next door that they sub a "bit" to.

As for your Scottish mate,

https://find-and-update.company-info...filing-history

[Vanny]

This is a great list Iain. Will be a nice reference.

I believe KT make their stuff locally in Canterbury - sure there's others on here who could confirm.

I’ve had the pleasure of visiting John. My understanding is that some small items are produced on site others finished on site (rumbled rings a bell) and other bits assembled on-site. The off site stuff which I believe includes backplates are uk produced.

[witchieblackcat]

Drysuits
Otter Watersports
https://www.drysuits.co.uk/

[WFO]

Kent Tooling I'm not sure where they manufacture I know they say in house but trucking a CNC laser cutter for making those back plates down that country lane? I'm just not sure, as were a few others I omitted from the kick off list for similar reasons.

You'd be surprised where they can get lasers and water jetters installed.
They're only made out of mecano not like a proper machine tool.

I don't have any actual knowledge about KT though.