Thoughts on dive soft liberty?

[Josh the diver]

What are peoples thoughts on the divesoft liberty? I’m trying to decide what rebreather to get. I really like the redundant electronics in it. Are there better rebreathers on the market? What’s the pros and cons to eCCRs and mCCRs?

 

[broncobowsher]

I will admit it has been a few years since I was shopping. And my internet research in my early shopping had me drooling over the Liberty. So much cool stuff. This was about 5 years ago. I got lucky one year and the shop I help out at invited me to tag along to DEMA. Got to walk the isle of rebreathers. I spent nearly 2 days looking over everything, talking to the reps. I was stepping into the idea of a rebreather with no path to follow, I didn't know anyone else with one (at that time). Blank slate as there could be.

After seeing the Liberty in person, I sucked in my drool and kept walking. I am pretty sure it is absolutely the most complex rebreather on the market. Overly complex. I had a few others that I liked, and after some more investigation a couple of the back burner choices were making there way to the front. Mostly in the name of simplicity. And a year after that DEMA I placed my order.

This is where things can really help you. Take a rebreather class. Learn what the failures can be and how to work around them. It is amazing how little you need to be functional on a rebreather and it will still get you back. The mountain of redundancy on the Liberty is a mountain of liability, there is twice the stuff that can go wrong. Knowing what I know now, after taking a couple of classes, I am glad I passed on the Liberty. And with all that redundancy, they are not fail proof. people have still died on them.

There are a lot of rebreathers on the market. Typically each one has a niche that they are best at. You never stated what your plans for a rebreather are. Are you planning on longer dive? Deeper? Travel? If so, where? Photography? My plan was simply to stay a little longer, and a little deeper. But the ability to travel was very high. Weight and size were high on my priority list. When you can put the rebreather in the overhead bin as your carry on, it does help with travel. If I were to play in caves, there are other choices that would be better.

You asked for my thought, there you go. And soon there will be someone else's thought added to this.

 

[Josh the diver]

I will admit it has been a few years since I was shopping. And my internet research in my early shopping had me drooling over the Liberty. So much cool stuff. This was about 5 years ago. I got lucky one year and the shop I help out at invited me to tag along to DEMA. Got to walk the isle of rebreathers. I spent nearly 2 days looking over everything, talking to the reps. I was stepping into the idea of a rebreather with no path to follow, I didn't know anyone else with one (at that time). Blank slate as there could be.

After seeing the Liberty in person, I sucked in my drool and kept walking. I am pretty sure it is absolutely the most complex rebreather on the market. Overly complex. I had a few others that I liked, and after some more investigation a couple of the back burner choices were making there way to the front. Mostly in the name of simplicity. And a year after that DEMA I placed my order.

This is where things can really help you. Take a rebreather class. Learn what the failures can be and how to work around them. It is amazing how little you need to be functional on a rebreather and it will still get you back. The mountain of redundancy on the Liberty is a mountain of liability, there is twice the stuff that can go wrong. Knowing what I know now, after taking a couple of classes, I am glad I passed on the Liberty. And with all that redundancy, they are not fail proof. people have still died on them.

There are a lot of rebreathers on the market. Typically each one has a niche that they are best at. You never stated what your plans for a rebreather are. Are you planning on longer dive? Deeper? Travel? If so, where? Photography? My plan was simply to stay a little longer, and a little deeper. But the ability to travel was very high. Weight and size were high on my priority list. When you can put the rebreather in the overhead bin as your carry on, it does help with travel. If I were to play in caves, there are other choices that would be better.

You asked for my thought, there you go. And soon there will be someone else's thought added to this.

my goal is deeper and longer.

what rebreather did you choose?

 

[rsingler]

JJ-CCR

 

[Jack Hammer]

The Liberty is a nice unit, well built, solid company with great people. It breathes well and dives easy.

I'm not sure how I feel about all the cells on the Liberty. They are nice but I'm not convinced that many are needed.

The majority of rebreather divers I know are pretty happy with whatever unit they currently dive and see no need to replace it with the latest trend.

 

[ChuckP]

I'm too real high on the Liberty but trying to keep my hard head open. The JJ just keeps coming up and I did the worst thing and searched for instructors and frick, there's a few right over in Tulum....I'd be open ocean wreck diving.

The Liberty has some bells and whistles, how import is the fan kit for drying the head, the pressure test kit for cell calibration?

BOV and MAV right by the BOV seem to me like a good idea - Can the Divesoft BOV/MAV work with a JJ?

Controllers, what's the odds of one controller failing?

If I'm in the Pacific for two months - is one or the other more than likely to have major part failure and what is it? Would you have a spare controller at that point?

Am I incorrect in assuming that you could technically continue to dive a Liberty with one controller failed? I mean this explicitly for being in the middle of the pacific, not here at home.

 

[broncobowsher]

my goal is deeper and longer.

what rebreather did you choose?

rEvo.
But KISS wasn't far behind.

Locally the two most common rebreathers are the rEvo and the Prism. But I think I see so many Prisms mainly because the local dealers are Hollis dealers and have some encouragement to stay with the house brand.

I have only met one JJ in the wild. Come to think of it, he was an instructor as well.

I personally only know of 2 people who have more than one brand of rebreather. Both are instructors that teach rebreather. As mentioned, most get one and stick with it. Jump on the band wagon of "I dive a X and it is the best, you should dive one as well". That is why I initially didn't mention what I dive, it tends to distract from the conversation.

As for your deeper/longer, who else will you be diving with? Do others have a rebreather? Are you going to be the first of your friends to get one?
How much deeper and how much longer? Not knowing your history I don't know if you are aiming to go from 60 feet to 100 feet, or if you are already diving 150 and are looking at 200+?
This is where in normal time I would say the best thing to do is find an instructor, or even a local who does the dives what you are wanting to do and buy them a burger and a beer, sit down and have a talk about what all is involved. The really quick (and you may already be there, I don't know) is get a basic tech class on open circuit. Advanced Nitrox and Deco procedures gets you the basic theory and practice for a rebreather. You might be best served by taking those classes first and spend some time on doubles. A lot less expensive starting point and everything will carry over into a rebreather. Even the doubles regulator package will transition into a bailout regulator package.

 

[kensuf]

I'm an instructor on 2 units and currently own 3. I'm also certified on a half-dozen different units. I have yet to find the absolutely perfect rebreather, they all have trade-offs somewhere.

Fathom? Just about perfect but I hate the scrubber lid.

JJ? A great eCCR, but I hate the way the head sits on it and that there's only one gas addition source on the stock config (as sold in the US). Oh and the dump valve for the CL is on the wrong side of the counterlung (why is it on the top rather than the bottom???)

SF2? A solid eCCR and nothing de-waters better. Poor hydrostatic work of breathing when you're not in good trim. It would be nice to have a HUD as a standard option.

Optima? Decent unit. I'm not a fan of the cartridges, just use packed sorb instead.

Meg 15? Well you don't really need those electronics to work correctly, do you?

KISS Classic? This was my first ccr and I still have a soft spot in my heart for it. Scrubber is way tooo long and narrow to be able to use 797/812 mesh without horrible work of breathing.

Liberty? Too complicated.

 

[KenGordon]

BOV and MAV right by the BOV seem to me like a good idea - Can the Divesoft BOV/MAV work with a JJ?

I have the Divesoft BOV on my JJ, but still use the original JJ manual adds.

It was pointed out to me recently that while many CCRs’ design philosophy is adding stuff, the JJ one is leaving stuff out.

 

[Zebra 1]

I was just in your position.
I researched long and hard (it's what I do). Got a lot of great help and from others here on SB.
For me the O2ptima with the Divesoft BOV and Shearwater Nerd 2 ticked most of my box's.