SF2 Rebreather Review

[sea_ledford]

it breaks apart in the middle. The rods on the side and the STA come off IIRC

The head clamps and STA do not come off. At least not easily. One of the parts for the SM conversion is a new lower section that doesn't have the STA on it. I haven't traveled with my BM version yet, but I did have to fly with a SM unit once. It needed a full size suitcase (ie not carry on size) because those clips are so long. You could bend them in a little to save an inch or so, but really the packing size is the length of the 2 carbon fiber tubes. I bought one of the small Husky rolling job boxes from home depot for mine and it barely fits fully assembled (hoses not attached) with tanks. Take of the back plate and regs so you can rearrange them, leave the bottles behind and you can easily fit in most of the rest of a set of dive gear. It's marginally oversized though... depending on who you are flying with.

So I wouldn't call the back mount version overly travel friendly. A heavy duty cinchable cover and wear it like a backpack like some of the revo divers were doing might be the way to go.

-Chris

 

[kensuf]

did you dive it with cooper hoses or the stock longer loop hoses? I always thought the stock ones looked long.

They are now available with shorter loop hoses. I'm not sure if it's an "option," or that's standard.

 

[victorzamora]

KISS looks pricey now I have to say.

I still think the Kiss is cheaper than the SF2 and many others by a fairly wide margin. Honest questions: Does the SF2 come with tanks? Sensors? Do you need to add a HUD?

I think by the time you get to a properly apples-to-apples comparison, the Sidekick is notably higher than $4500 but still notably lower than "most" rebreathers. I mean, all most people would really need to dive a sidekick are 3 sensors and a NERD/Petrel+HUD...right?

 

[The Chairman]

I think the SF2 back mount is a bit over $8k and the sidemount version is just under that. You can buy the SM conversion for about $2.5k I added a Shrimp. second Petrel and Cooper hoses to the back mount and will probably add the Shrimp and Cooper hoses to the SM version as well. I tried my SF2 with the sidemount in the pool using two lp45s as bailouts. It wasn't a total fail, but that's not going to be the way for me. I will be putting a steel Oxy bottle on the SF2 and use an LP 95 on the other side for dil and bail out. I'm enjoying the heck out of the back mount, so I'm not pushing the side mount very hard. I'll be ready when it's ready.

 

[JonTNY]

KISS looks pricey now I have to say.

If you trick as KISS SK it looks like this:

SK 4500
NERD 2000
Sphere 2000
2L DIL 250
SM DSV 500 or more
2 1st 500 or more
Sphere Holder 500
teck me spring for 02 1st stage 75 DS4 style only, with shipping from Germany
02 MAV with .00025 orifice 300
Off board kit 150
Hoses 150

Total 10,925.00 worst case.

With no NERD (HW Petrel2 instead), no sphere, no holder you're at 7925.00 +/-

You get the idea and things like OPV's for 1st stages and other little pieces are left out too.

 

[JonTNY]

I think the SF2 back mount is a bit over $8k and the sidemount version is just under that. You can buy the SM conversion for about $2.5k I added a Shrimp. second Petrel and Cooper hoses to the back mount and will probably add the Shrimp and Cooper hoses to the SM version as well. I tried my SF2 with the sidemount in the pool using two lp45s as bailouts. It wasn't a total fail, but that's not going to be the way for me. I will be putting a steel Oxy bottle on the SF2 and use an LP 95 on the other side for dil and bail out. I'm enjoying the heck out of the back mount, so I'm not pushing the side mount very hard. I'll be ready when it's ready.

Stripped its 8000 but the ready to dive version is 9900.00, so 1900 buys you a plate, wing, regs, MAV's and tanks

I'd start with a 2L heavy Steel on the breather for 02 as far back as possible to deal with the seesaw and pipe in DIL for a BO bottle, an LP 85 or so. Lots of steel rings on the long rubber hoses to try and make the DSV more comfortable. You may need to add a couple pounds to the rear of the breather but I'm not sure.

I wouldn't add a shrimp out of the gate because it introduces more complexity, piping and breathing hose routing issues, get the unit perfect before you go down the BOV route.

 

[The Chairman]

get the unit perfect before you go down the BOV route.

I want to keep both units as close to each other as possible to enhance muscle memory. Since I'm on a Shrimp with my back mount already, I'm going to continue with that. After all, it's only one hose. Maybe I should remove the dil MAV on the back mount as well, or at least dive without using it. I've used it a couple of times in the last few dives, but I rely on the ADV to do most of the work already.

You know, I really hadn't thought about removing the dil MAV on the back mount before writing this. That's kind of intriguing. That would really clean things up for me, but there's a lot going on there. Maybe too much!

 

[sea_ledford]

I want to keep both units as close to each other as possible to enhance muscle memory. Since I'm on a Shrimp with my back mount already, I'm going to continue with that. After all, it's only one hose. Maybe I should remove the dil MAV on the back mount as well, or at least dive without using it. I've used it a couple of times in the last few dives, but I rely on the ADV to do most of the work already.

You know, I really hadn't thought about removing the dil MAV on the back mount before writing this. That's kind of intriguing. That would really clean things up for me, but there's a lot going on there. Maybe too much!

I initially learned on the SM version and my first question once I saw it was "Where's the dil MAV?" Once I got used to adding dil by leaning over and loose lips, I couldn't figure out why I would need the dil MAV on the BM, it was so easy! With some more thought and guidance I realized that it is for clearing floods. You want to clear a BM flood? Close the loop and honk on the dil MAV until bubbles come out the bottom. With the side mount you have to let the counterlung bottom out to activate the ADV, so you have to stand the unit up on it's end and let the gas out. In the process you are forcing more water up into the upper section and potentially into the scrubber and electronics. I also run mine with the OPV fully shut so I'd have to open that to clear a flood without the dil MAV.

Only having one button on the SM version sure is nice though.

I've never actually used the dil MAV on the mine intentionally. It is right in line with, and in the same direction as, the wing inflator so I've accidentally used it on a couple occasions. I've since swapped out to a 12" inflator hose and reversed the direction of the button on the MAV (button points out rather than in). That's one of the few mods I've done to it.

-Chris

 

[The Chairman]

You want to clear a BM flood? Close the loop and honk on the dil MAV until bubbles come out the bottom.

I can flush out water without the MAV as well. It takes a bit longer, but it's less wasteful. I've been couch bound a few days since I'm healing a creased Tibia, so I haven't been able to really check it out, but the more I think about it, the more I like it. I have a thread about MAVs, and this may very well be the answer I am looking for. Move my dil MAV on the BM to be the oxy MAV on the SM.

 

[TotDoc]

They are now available with shorter loop hoses. I'm not sure if it's an "option," or that's standard.

I believe the shorter hoses are standard now in the US, but they had to keep the longer ones for the CE cert overseas, since that is the config the unit was tested in. At least that's what I recall from my discussion with James Draker from ScubaForce about it