I think I would take popular out of your equations. As long as its commercially made by a company here to stay who cares if there are 200 or 2000 units on the market at the moment? What everyone else is or isn't diving is rather irrelevant to me.
That leaves weight as a top consideration, the kiss orca lte is just about the lightest possible. Based on my experience with its sister the sidewinder I would say you can expect:
manual (no solenoid)
light weight (source lead and BO at your destination)
great breathing
dirt simple but has some proprietary parts
easy to field repair/adjust
poor water/flood tolerance
modest cold water performance
~80m depth limitation in stock configuration (not really a 100+m dive kind of unit anyway)
easy to break down and pack in a carry-on
you can also readily get training in the USA and Canada.
Not CE certified so diving one in someplace like France could be a hassle depending on the dive shop etc.
That leaves weight as a top consideration, the kiss orca lte is just about the lightest possible. Based on my experience with its sister the sidewinder I would say you can expect:
manual (no solenoid)
light weight (source lead and BO at your destination)
great breathing
dirt simple but has some proprietary parts
easy to field repair/adjust
poor water/flood tolerance
modest cold water performance
~80m depth limitation in stock configuration (not really a 100+m dive kind of unit anyway)
easy to break down and pack in a carry-on
you can also readily get training in the USA and Canada.
Not CE certified so diving one in someplace like France could be a hassle depending on the dive shop etc.