Oh, yeah... not a dig at the Liberty, I just meant that if you aren't in Florida, you don't have local support. And it's nice to have local buddies with the same unit.
Lightest and most popular RB
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Oh, yeah... not a dig at the Liberty, I just meant that if you aren't in Florida, you don't have local support. And it's nice to have local buddies with the same unit.
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that is one SUPER nice thing about the Liberty and Meg15. There should NEVER be a time that you have to send the unit back to the factory unless there is a major problem with the potted wiring in the head but that's solid state so should never go bad unless you botch a pin somehow. Everything else is plug and play modules. Internal computer craps out? They ship you the module and you're back in business in 10 minutes. O2 board dies? same thing. It's all a pair of screws and a plug in module. It's brilliant.
Having hauled a lot of units on/off trucks and boats during rebreather weeks, my back is always happy when I'm handling a KISS Spirit LTE!
It's also the unit I dive, and it is such an easy unit to (dis)assemble and maintain.
It's also the unit I dive, and it is such an easy unit to (dis)assemble and maintain.
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oh, and the opposite of the lightest unit is probably mine, though the big KUR/WKPP rebreathers with LP121's will certainly put it to shame. Mine is probably about 130lbs ready to get wet, but it's a lot more than "just a meg"
Lightest is easy, it's generally easier to travel with if you're not doing a serious dive, but want to be on a rebreather. That's why things like the GEM SCR exist.
As for popularity, I can see wanting a rebreather that has a wide user base simply because of the availability of parts, maintenance, broad familiarity, etc.
I don't necessarily subscribe to either of those being deciding factors in my own diving, but I can see how in an ideal world, a rebreather you can throw in your carry-on, and get parts for anywhere in the world, would be appealing.
While I'm under no false assumption that I could reliably get particular specific parts for either my SF2 or my Pelagian anywhere in the world, both of them are dead simple, and it would not be out of the realm of possibility to fabricate some parts in-situ if necessary. I could make counterlungs for the Pelagian out of motorcycle tires if necessary, and the bellows on an SF2 are a stock McMaster part. O-rings are generally available anywhere, and I could easily replicate a canister for either out of sewer pipe if necessary. Both use very commonly available 9v batteries, and really, outside of certain parts, all others should be easily fixable or sourced from something comparable with minimal fuss. Try doing any of that with an Inspo.
My Meg on the other hand, would be significantly harder to get up and running in the even of an issue. When it was a 2.5, if I lost electronics I'd be screwed. When I switched it to a 2.7 w/a fischer it would be less of an issue. However, short of the the neoprene lungs that you can fix with aquaseal, the stock lungs may or may not be repairable in the field, or at least not as easily. The ADV on my Meg was the plunger style, on my Pelagian and SF2 it's stock 2nd stage guts, much easier to fix than the Meg. Battery wise, you either travel with the 9v adapters, or you've gotta make a new battery pack out of AA's. Not a huge deal, but it could be a pain in the right circumstances, especially with more and more airlines getting twitchy with batteries, even though there's zero risk with alkaline's or NiMH rechargeables in a unit. Now, none of this is to say the Meg is a bad rebreather in any way, shape, or form. I'd still have it if I didn't get such a smokin' deal in trade for my SF2. They're damn near bombproof, and chances are you'd never have an issue in the first place, however, were something to happen in an austere environment, I'd rather have something I can fix or repair, than be forced to sit out.
So, that all being said, I can see the justifications for having a widely popular rebreather, and if it's lightweight for travel, having the popularity of the unit on the arrival end of travel would be beneficial.
As for popularity, I can see wanting a rebreather that has a wide user base simply because of the availability of parts, maintenance, broad familiarity, etc.
I don't necessarily subscribe to either of those being deciding factors in my own diving, but I can see how in an ideal world, a rebreather you can throw in your carry-on, and get parts for anywhere in the world, would be appealing.
While I'm under no false assumption that I could reliably get particular specific parts for either my SF2 or my Pelagian anywhere in the world, both of them are dead simple, and it would not be out of the realm of possibility to fabricate some parts in-situ if necessary. I could make counterlungs for the Pelagian out of motorcycle tires if necessary, and the bellows on an SF2 are a stock McMaster part. O-rings are generally available anywhere, and I could easily replicate a canister for either out of sewer pipe if necessary. Both use very commonly available 9v batteries, and really, outside of certain parts, all others should be easily fixable or sourced from something comparable with minimal fuss. Try doing any of that with an Inspo.
My Meg on the other hand, would be significantly harder to get up and running in the even of an issue. When it was a 2.5, if I lost electronics I'd be screwed. When I switched it to a 2.7 w/a fischer it would be less of an issue. However, short of the the neoprene lungs that you can fix with aquaseal, the stock lungs may or may not be repairable in the field, or at least not as easily. The ADV on my Meg was the plunger style, on my Pelagian and SF2 it's stock 2nd stage guts, much easier to fix than the Meg. Battery wise, you either travel with the 9v adapters, or you've gotta make a new battery pack out of AA's. Not a huge deal, but it could be a pain in the right circumstances, especially with more and more airlines getting twitchy with batteries, even though there's zero risk with alkaline's or NiMH rechargeables in a unit. Now, none of this is to say the Meg is a bad rebreather in any way, shape, or form. I'd still have it if I didn't get such a smokin' deal in trade for my SF2. They're damn near bombproof, and chances are you'd never have an issue in the first place, however, were something to happen in an austere environment, I'd rather have something I can fix or repair, than be forced to sit out.
So, that all being said, I can see the justifications for having a widely popular rebreather, and if it's lightweight for travel, having the popularity of the unit on the arrival end of travel would be beneficial.
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@JohnnyC did you see my twin 9v adapters on the meg that I made? Nice since it takes a pair of them so they last longer but you can use one if you only have one. I.e. It has 4 in it now, but if for whatever reason the primary set died, I could easily pop out one of the secondary and run one of each. Super glad I did that because the battery packs are annoying AF. Last forever, but are annoying
I didn't see your specific adapters, but I did something similar when I had mine. Honestly, I think the pre-made pack idea is one of the weak points of the Meg, and one I'm glad I don't deal with anymore. There's really no reason they couldn't make a battery tray that allows you to throw your own AA's into it and use that instead. I had one pack that died after 3 hours in the water. I literally made my own pack in my hotel room in Mexico. Not everyone is going to be able to do that.
One thing that's not specific to the Meg, but machined acetal heads in general, the lack of intelligently designed fasteners. I get it, you can tap threads right into Delrin, you can also strip the hell out of it if you look at it sideways. There's no excuse to not use something like a Spirol insert or similar. Sure, it's not a problem if it's a part that no one outside of the factory is going to take apart, but a battery box that will constantly get opened up is just waiting for an issue. Raise the cost of the unit by 5 cents, I'm sure the customer won't mind. Then again, replacement battery boxes have a higher margin.....
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The Meg adv plunger is so dang tiny its really easy to carry a spare. They are cheap too. They can also be sourced at any decently stock automotive shop. So just because its not a "scuba shop part" doesn't mean its not serviceable.
I'm not sure I agree that carrying and using ~3gm 9V battery pigtails as a backup is a weak point? Part of why the meg (pre15) is usable anywhere is that anything from a 5 to a 10V battery is ok. Compare with a shearwater predator that can only take a relatively hard to source saft battery.
I'm not sure I agree that carrying and using ~3gm 9V battery pigtails as a backup is a weak point? Part of why the meg (pre15) is usable anywhere is that anything from a 5 to a 10V battery is ok. Compare with a shearwater predator that can only take a relatively hard to source saft battery.
I love the kiss sidewinder and its super light. But once you add an appropriate BC to carry it, its not really that light anymore. Way lighter than my Meg, but also less capable.
I guess I want to know why light weight and popular are such key criteria?
I guess I want to know why light weight and popular are such key criteria?
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