Making the leap: help choosing first rb

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Not to hijack the thread, if the OP @Zebra 1 . IIRC the older Megs had a PIN code you would enter to unlock deeper/mixed gas, or was that AP?

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Yes the very first Smithers Megs had a trimix lockout PIN. I doubt there were a dozen unlocked Megs in existence before Will Smithers sadly passed away taking the ability to unlock the units with him.
 
do you want a fmcl or bmcl unit?

XCCR would be at the top of my list for a fmcl (wob/hydrostatic imbalance winner) unit but i dont know how the support/parts works with that one. website seems very basic.

what has happened with REVO now its owned by mares? has that had any impact since the creator and inovative brain has sold the company?

I dive a AP 2020 FMCL unit, havent dived any others so cant comment. one thing I like about ap i can shop online and buy any tiny part i want to replace, upgrade when i want and its shipped to me very fast (no middle man clipping my ticket). it does the job and I havent had a problem with it.

I plan on doing a try dive on a revo and diving it in all different positions to see how the WOB is compared to the AP FMCL
 
To the OP,

I am not certified on any of the units you are looking at but I do dive with other members who have dived the Prism or currently do. Out of the 3 divers who had a Prism only one currently dives his. The other two moved on to the XCCR which they seem to be really excited about. Problems with Hollis seemed to be their biggest complaint when their units went down. The last one currently diving the unit really likes the WOB on the unit but he is currently diving with the FMCL. He is also an instructor on the unit in addition to being an instructor on AP units. He is now working to be an instructor on the Poseidon. I have researched and seen the O2ptima and if I lived in Florida cave country it would certainly be on my list of possible new rebreathers. However I have not seen anyone diving one here in the northeast.

If going new is your preferred choice you should really look at the O2ptima and doing your training in Florida. Lots of good instructors in that area and you have less chances of loosing training days with all the springs available. Not to mention being close by to the manufacturer in case anything goes wrong with that new rebreather. If you are set on your instructor I would still push for a better deal since you are buying two rebreathers and I know that there is a good deal of mark up in those units. The Prisms are really nothing special other than a radial canister compared to other options in the marketplace.
 
do you want a fmcl or bmcl unit?

XCCR would be at the top of my list for a fmcl (wob/hydrostatic imbalance winner) unit but i dont know how the support/parts works with that one. website seems very basic.

what has happened with REVO now its owned by mares? has that had any impact since the creator and inovative brain has sold the company?

I dive a AP 2020 FMCL unit, havent dived any others so cant comment. one thing I like about ap i can shop online and buy any tiny part i want to replace, upgrade when i want and its shipped to me very fast (no middle man clipping my ticket). it does the job and I havent had a problem with it.

I plan on doing a try dive on a revo and diving it in all different positions to see how the WOB is compared to the AP FMCL
I had a friend asking about different rebreathers who was torn between a rEvo and a Meg. I suggested he attend an upcoming try-dive and try breathing on each unit in all possible positions. When the facilitator asked him not to turn on his back on the rEvo because any moisture in the CL might damage the cells if they got wet he opted for the Meg.
 
I had a friend asking about different rebreathers who was torn between a rEvo and a Meg. I suggested he attend an upcoming try-dive and try breathing on each unit in all possible positions. When the facilitator asked him not to turn on his back on the rEvo because any moisture in the CL might damage the cells if they got wet he opted for the Meg.

Thats just silly you’d have to flood the thing to get enough water into the inhale counterlung on a try dive. The cell tray will block the water and send it into the scrubber if its not taken care of by the shammy. My unit gets the wettest when I go rec diving with it all day doing short dives getting on and off the boat a bunch and havent had cell problems some water in the scrubbers if i dont dry it out a bit and put new shammy’s in mid day.
 
what has happened with REVO now its owned by mares? has that had any impact since the creator and inovative brain has sold the company?

From what I have experienced, things are actually better. Parts are more available now. It was a single source in the states and now just about anyone who can get Mares stuff can get you service parts for the rEvo. There are more service centers opening up so there are choices in where to send things if major work needs to happen.

There are a few little things. 1st stage regs changed to Mares, although the Apeks are still available the last I checked (option of what regs to get). Some of the clips on the harness now have the Mares name on them. But they did not really do anything. Paul is still around, answers questions when asked. Even though he sold it, he isn't gone.

I'm surprised it hasn't been mentioned more as a choice. Checks the OPs boxes for BMCL, easy to travel. I've worn mine onto an airplane as my carry on. Fits in the overhead bin, even with tanks installed.


I got lucky when I went shopping for my first rebreather. Got into DEMA where I got to see everything and talk to everybody. Start looking at simplicity, number of seals and failure points, etc. There were some that I really liked on paper, but once you see them in person and take a look at how complex there idea of simplicity it, or how many proprietary parts are in there system, I backed away from several. Everything made in house to control quality = everything is only available through them. Multiple layers of redundant systems = twice the parts to fail and any will take it out of service.

I won't deal with anything Hollis/Huersh that isn't a one and done purchase. Mask, fins, no problem. Long term service, I really don't trust them. Too much history with leaving old stuff without support.
 
I know a place where you can get a fully tech-rigged Poseidon for @ $9000. That will include BMCL, the M28 computer, and an inversion kit. The unlimited black battery may up the cost but I am sure you could squeeze the blue battery (Trimix to 150 fsw) in for that cost. It is all you need for most divers learning to dive CCR.

If you can accept the sensor logic the Poseidon is a decent unit. The problem with the Poseidon is all the gizmos and extras Poseidon tries to push with the unit. You do not need the quick release brackets for the cylinders or wing/bcd, Their CCR wing while nicely made is not needed I know someone diving their Poseidon with an old Dive Rite Rec wing. The paddle is kind of big and goofy but you can substitute the M28 whenever you are ready and use it for your OC diving. The back cover to the Seven is not needed. With a steel backplate and wing it is light and and a little negative in the water and easy to travel with. You can dive it with the cylinders up like the Fathom or down like most rebreathers. Like others have said the BOV is one of the best. The plastic parts are decently made and durable just like most things Poseidon makes. The SSS is a great addition but you can still get get it with galvanized sensors. Poseidon is one of the few companies that will let a non dealer get trained to service their own unit.

The cons: Unit is expensive to maintain and repair. Accessories are expensive as well. Also as far as I know right now you still need to send the head in to Sweden for repairs. If you do not believe in the sensor logic than I understand just disagree and you can always add extra sensors with aftermarket support from Tecme.

As you can see I am a fan of the unit. It does a great job with the kinda of diving I want to do, northeast wreck diving.
 
I had a friend asking about different rebreathers who was torn between a rEvo and a Meg. I suggested he attend an upcoming try-dive and try breathing on each unit in all possible positions. When the facilitator asked him not to turn on his back on the rEvo because any moisture in the CL might damage the cells if they got wet he opted for the Meg.
Bad information in the try dive.
 
Rebreather tanks and how they trim out.

I'm not very familiar with the tank dimensions and having trouble finding them. The Optima comes with these AL 20 tanks, the Liberty and what seems like most others come with a 3 liter steel tank. I want to travel and it seems that I can get 2 and 3 liter tanks in Truk and Bikini - I'm not sure about say Soroco, Galapagos and the Raj type area from resorts and from live aboards. I've seen the 3 liter tanks around and I think I've seen shorter ones too - the Optima tank seems like a oddball size - Is that true? If it is - how do you travel with an Optima?

Trim - I see the Optima has this extra "pillow" bladder at the bottom of the wing for added lift to help with trim... How do other units trim out? Do they need help? I'd be wet suit diving mostly.....
 
@ChuckP the O2ptima and Revo are weirdly head light compared to other units, and the trim pillow is quite useful when diving wet. I have heard from a few friends that dive Revo's that it is basically unusable in a thin wetsuit or a bathing suit because it is so foot heavy. The O2ptima is not going to be as bad, but it's still going to be worse than "traditional" units. You can always invert the bottles on the Revo which helps considerably, but you can't do that with the O2ptima because of the frame design.
The O2ptima can use a few tanks, AL13's and 20's, Steel 2l's and 4l's. The "common" cylinder for backmount units are steel 3l's and those are too long for the O2ptimas frame.

If I was travelling though, I'd be far more tempted to use the Choptima with a single tank than I would be to travel with a full unit. For me I'd go with my KissKat and use a single tank with the CCR slung as a sidemount bottle before I'd travel with my frame.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

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