LiteWeight
Contributor
I also had problems with Hollis . . . ended up selling the P2 in aggravation.
Is anyone diving the Hollis prism?
- Thread starter Cyborg Pirate
- Start date
Please register or login
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
- Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
- A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
- You can make this box go away
These days the only rebreathers I’d bother looking at are the SF2, JJ, Fathom, or one of the units Subgravity sells. An older Meg would be good, but I feel the Meg15’s are overpriced.
Fathom is out because you want an eCCR, JJ’s are pretty bombproof, although I don’t know who teaches on them in the US. The SF2 is a great unit with available support out of Florida, I own one and love diving it. The Subgravity units are close by in a Utah, and the Thorton’s are quite active and nice people to boot.
Prism isn’t even on the radar. They’re just sort of an “also ran” these days, and I wouldn’t consider them superior to any other unit. I still think the F1’s are the only Hollis product worth buying these days.
You need lots of hours to go through to get to MOD3. Most people (obviously not all) I know are on a different unit by MOD3 since people tend to buy a cheaper unit to get started and by the time they’re doing hypoxic stuff they’ve said stuff it and gotten the unit they should have bought in the first place.
Fathom is out because you want an eCCR, JJ’s are pretty bombproof, although I don’t know who teaches on them in the US. The SF2 is a great unit with available support out of Florida, I own one and love diving it. The Subgravity units are close by in a Utah, and the Thorton’s are quite active and nice people to boot.
Prism isn’t even on the radar. They’re just sort of an “also ran” these days, and I wouldn’t consider them superior to any other unit. I still think the F1’s are the only Hollis product worth buying these days.
You need lots of hours to go through to get to MOD3. Most people (obviously not all) I know are on a different unit by MOD3 since people tend to buy a cheaper unit to get started and by the time they’re doing hypoxic stuff they’ve said stuff it and gotten the unit they should have bought in the first place.
I did mod1 in Egypt and mod3 in Shetland, so I was off on a diving holiday anyway. I’d only put the cost of the course (and the baggage!) against the rebreather.
They say not to let tax rules determine how you invest or spend money, I’d suggest getting a ‘deal’ should not determine what rebreather you buy.
Is there anything to see at 70m in your lake? Will your mod 3 not be a bit tedious? Will you really do it there? Where do you usually dive?
As for vaguely local instruction NEARBY INSTRUCTORS – JJ-CCR VERSATILE REBREATHER
I am using JJs as an example because I know about them, but the same calculations apply to other brands.
As an instructor on the SF2 (and about to become an instructor on the Fathom), I'm clearly and openly biased, but I would not let "access to inexpensive instruction" be a factor in my decision making process on picking a rebreather. You're not going to do MOD 1-3 simultaneously anyway, and anyone that pushes you to do them quickly should be avoided.
BTW -- what kind of diving are you doing right now? Why do you want a rebreather?
BTW -- what kind of diving are you doing right now? Why do you want a rebreather?
- Messages
- 20,561
- Reaction score
- 14,946
- # of dives
- I'm a Fish!
@JohnnyC Robb McGann would be first recommendation for the JJ in the US if not going the GUE route.
@Cyborg Pirate I think you have a bit of bad info for your costing structure. With most agencies, MOD1 is the only course that you HAVE to be a certified instructor on the unit being taught. I.e. for MOD1 you have to go to a X-instructor. For MOD2/3 it's a lot more open on who can teach them. Some agencies require the instructor be certified as a diver on the unit being taught, but not all. I can't remember all of the specifics, but @kensuf could elaborate on it.
Now, a few other people up there echoing what I said initially about the unit. That said, it sounds like at $9k you're buying the unit and the training is free which is not all that uncommon and if you went with say an O2ptima, certainly something I know of several instructors in Florida where your only added expense would be the travel cost to get there.
Call travel and lodging costs $1500 to get to Florida, Instruction another $1500, so that puts you at $6k for the unit to come out even provided you can swing the 6 days off of work.
You message @Dsix36 and buy the O2ptima that he's selling for $2k. It's an old one with the old electronics, but for $2k you deal with it for a while because it's so cheap. If you love it, send it back for the DiveCAN upgrade, if not, flip it for the price you paid for it. Could do the same with an older Meg, etc etc but it sounds like the only thing going for the Prism right now is the convenience of the local training and the fact your buddies are diving it. Not inconsequential but you have to acknowledge that you are sacrificing overall unit quality *it really does feel like a Fisher Price toy compared to pretty much everything else out there...*. It won't kill you, it will breathe just fine, but when you pick that up compared to a Meg, or Subgravity, O2ptimas, SF2's, etc. it feels like a toy
@Cyborg Pirate I think you have a bit of bad info for your costing structure. With most agencies, MOD1 is the only course that you HAVE to be a certified instructor on the unit being taught. I.e. for MOD1 you have to go to a X-instructor. For MOD2/3 it's a lot more open on who can teach them. Some agencies require the instructor be certified as a diver on the unit being taught, but not all. I can't remember all of the specifics, but @kensuf could elaborate on it.
Now, a few other people up there echoing what I said initially about the unit. That said, it sounds like at $9k you're buying the unit and the training is free which is not all that uncommon and if you went with say an O2ptima, certainly something I know of several instructors in Florida where your only added expense would be the travel cost to get there.
Call travel and lodging costs $1500 to get to Florida, Instruction another $1500, so that puts you at $6k for the unit to come out even provided you can swing the 6 days off of work.
You message @Dsix36 and buy the O2ptima that he's selling for $2k. It's an old one with the old electronics, but for $2k you deal with it for a while because it's so cheap. If you love it, send it back for the DiveCAN upgrade, if not, flip it for the price you paid for it. Could do the same with an older Meg, etc etc but it sounds like the only thing going for the Prism right now is the convenience of the local training and the fact your buddies are diving it. Not inconsequential but you have to acknowledge that you are sacrificing overall unit quality *it really does feel like a Fisher Price toy compared to pretty much everything else out there...*. It won't kill you, it will breathe just fine, but when you pick that up compared to a Meg, or Subgravity, O2ptimas, SF2's, etc. it feels like a toy
OP
Cyborg Pirate
Contributor
What type of problems?
Tbone, I am looking again at the o2ptima you all are making sense. That’s why I am asking here. So again thank you. Still contemplating the X-CCR. It is one of the sub gravity units.
Instructor is not pushing me towards rushing through the mods btw. I work at the shop.... so will be there for a while. As for what is there to see in the lake. The lake is 312’ deep, avg, 173’ a few sunken boats and 2 aircraft. The big ticket item is the old dam. Stands 250’ tall and was the largest multi arch structure in the world when it was completed in 1927. The old valve House is still intact at the bottom and many other structures on the down side of the dam from when it was built. Lots to see when you get down there. Most have never seen it since the building of the new dam in 1993. Obviously the lake is where I do most of my diving. I do travel as well. Usually those are family trips and therefore are recreational dives as Momma likes to dive too. But she is a shallow warm water look at the fishies kinda girl. She does let me do the Great Lakes treks and a few other tech dive trips tho. As the baby gets older maybe more trips. But time off work and away from family is hard to come by right now. Momma is also a firefighter and getting a babysitter for 24 hrs is not easy, with a 6 month old.
Btw, working for a shop doesn’t necessarily mean I get paid. It’s more I get equipment at shop price, and better pricing if not free on instruction for classes. That is one of the reasons I am at a new shop now. Downside of working for a new shop. (And no they are not pressuring me to buy new stuff etc. but I know it does affect things). All of my dive gear is NOT whatbthe shop sells. Regs, drysuits, wetsuits, BP/Wings, gloves, hood, etc. none of which do I plan to re-buy new anytime soon. But I do not look like the rest of the shops dive pros. Which to some doesn’t sound like a big deal. But from the shops standpoint it can and will eventually.
I still have my original unit, an AP Inspiration. It had the control updated last year to the 20:20 after i broke the depth sensor on the original.
I did have a look at the JJ's, they look like nice units.
On the training front. My original MOD1 was done in the Canary Islands. It was actually a pilot course, and I was there to critique it. I attended because I was diving with a lot of CCR users, and wanted to understand what they where doing on the units. I didn't really think I would buy one. My original course was on the Classic. Second dive in and I thought - got to have one of these. I actually bought the vision, and had to wait because, they weren't actually shipping them when I ordered it.
On the training front. Doing the course in Lanzarote was actually a blessing. It was February, in the UK water temps where very low. Although I wore a drysuit in Lanzorote, it was a lot warmer than the UK. I clocked up a significant number of hours on the unit, well over the recommended required for the course. (It was a running joke with every one else that we where late for meals because we where always the first into the water, and the last out).
When I did my combined MOD2 and 3, I choose to do it in the Red Sea. Again, this was so that we could maximise in water time. Rather than diving to the limitations of our ability to deal with the cold, we spent as long in the water for each dive as we could.
I am familiar with UK diving conditions, having done all my OC training in the UK - through to full trimix. It was experience on the unit that I wanted. Every dive we where able to spend time on each exercise or task, and become proficient.
As is often repeated, the instructor is more important than the agency, use someone who has time on the unit and uses it. I would also recommend ensuring that you get as much in water time as you possibly can.
Gareth
I did have a look at the JJ's, they look like nice units.
On the training front. My original MOD1 was done in the Canary Islands. It was actually a pilot course, and I was there to critique it. I attended because I was diving with a lot of CCR users, and wanted to understand what they where doing on the units. I didn't really think I would buy one. My original course was on the Classic. Second dive in and I thought - got to have one of these. I actually bought the vision, and had to wait because, they weren't actually shipping them when I ordered it.
On the training front. Doing the course in Lanzarote was actually a blessing. It was February, in the UK water temps where very low. Although I wore a drysuit in Lanzorote, it was a lot warmer than the UK. I clocked up a significant number of hours on the unit, well over the recommended required for the course. (It was a running joke with every one else that we where late for meals because we where always the first into the water, and the last out).
When I did my combined MOD2 and 3, I choose to do it in the Red Sea. Again, this was so that we could maximise in water time. Rather than diving to the limitations of our ability to deal with the cold, we spent as long in the water for each dive as we could.
I am familiar with UK diving conditions, having done all my OC training in the UK - through to full trimix. It was experience on the unit that I wanted. Every dive we where able to spend time on each exercise or task, and become proficient.
As is often repeated, the instructor is more important than the agency, use someone who has time on the unit and uses it. I would also recommend ensuring that you get as much in water time as you possibly can.
Gareth
I can recommend Wayne Fisch without hesitation, and I believe that he travels for training. An awesome instructor, have done training through Helitrox with him (including OC tech and advanced wreck).
I can also recommend the JJ without hesitation. Yeah, I'm only trained on one unit, so that means that my opinion on that topic isn't worth much, but it's an awesome, solid, beautifully designed rebreather that dives wonderfully and is easy to build and maintain.
I was talking to someone who owns, uses and teaches, Inspiration, JJ and Sentinel.
His opinion was the JJ was probably the best unit he had seen or used. All of the simplesty and reliability of the Inspiration, with improved build quality.
As I said, I had a brief look at the JJ, and would probably go for the JJ if I had to start again. The AP unit does have the advantage of being made by a long established company, and for me, its UK based, which is a plus.
I dive a p2. And have not had one problem with it. I also chose the p2 because of the op reasons, parts, repair, instruction close to me and ad hoc. I didn’t have to travel and didn’t have to take time off do it.
For the the unit, its simple, well built, and easy to maintain. I made the right decision for me.
Other guys in our group have revo, Meg, inspo, jj. I think we would all say we made the right decision. It’s an individual thing.
For the the unit, its simple, well built, and easy to maintain. I made the right decision for me.
Other guys in our group have revo, Meg, inspo, jj. I think we would all say we made the right decision. It’s an individual thing.
Similar threads
