The big question about ccr… which one

[johnydive]

So my buddy and I are interested into CCR. Our local instructors can teach, the liberty optima jjccr or the Xccr.

we spoke to both the instructor and none can tell which one is the better… so which one do you like? What make you decide that unit? We’re mostly gonna use it for wreck diving and longer bottom time!

 

[ScubaSquatch]

I dive an O2ptima Chest Mount "Choptima". My 2psi on that unit is it can't be beat for versatility or ease of travel. I can and have dived with it in single tank BM, BM doubles, and SM configurations. Hell, you can even pull it off during the dive to squeeze through a restriction and then pick it back up on the way out. You can also pack the whole unit into a carry on size back pack... which mine is right now as I prepare to head to Bonaire.

 

[EternalCompression]

Try dive as many as possible and keep an open mind.I have enjoyed a few along the way and your choice in instructors will be equally as important as the CCR you choose.

Lesson I have learned along the way;
The loudest voice in the room may not always be the best advice for you.
Don't underestimate the value of having service available close by.
We are a close community don't Poo in your backyard politely disagree or say nothing at all(unless life safety is in the balance).
You will meet many people that are passionate along the way and care only that you are safe and enjoy journey.
Never be too proud or too arrogant to ask a question.

Good Luck

 

[johnydive]

I dive an O2ptima Chest Mount "Choptima". My 2psi on that unit is it can't be beat for versatility or ease of travel. I can and have dived with it in single tank BM, BM doubles, and SM configurations. Hell, you can even pull it off during the dive to squeeze through a restriction and then pick it back up on the way out. You can also pack the whole unit into a carry on size back pack... which mine is right now as I prepare to head to Bonaire.

What was the big difference with the BMoptima and CMoptima for you? I’m not sure how the CM will feel.

 

[GiraffeMarineSalvage]

"It depends..."
I fully believe in supporting local dive shops but travel is cheap relative to the expense of CCR + instruction so I personally would start with focus more on what is best for your anticipated diving (and style/philosophy, such as "mCCR vs eCCR") than availability of local instruction.

There's a number of threads here of people trying to figure out what the best first CCR is for them, such as:

Thinking about joining the CCR club - where to start?

Going through the same journey and landing on a DiveRite Optima CM Going through the same journey as well and although the CM used to be at the top of my list, I'm now thinking Fathom MK2.5 CCR. Also have rEvo up high on my list, but for completely different reasons. Once I've finalized my...

scubaboard.com

I strongly considered the Choptima mentioned by ScubaSquatch but ended up chosing the Triton by M3S as my first CCR and am very happy with my decision. I could have chosen differently (choptima eCCR and I "philosophically" strongly lean towards mCCR) and still been very happy with a completely different decision....

(I would have loved to have had opportunity to do try dives before buying but CCR is SO different than OC that I don't think a complete novice, even/especially if CCR novice has over 20 years of open circuit experience, is going to be able to accurately determine pros/cons of units until at a minimum 10+ hours of CCR experience... With only exception being built/takedown process being better or worse, which is also easy to tell just reading the manual)

 

[davehicks]

So my buddy and I are interested into CCR. Our local instructors can teach, the liberty optima jjccr or the Xccr.

we spoke to both the instructor and none can tell which one is the better… so which one do you like? What make you decide that unit? We’re mostly gonna use it for wreck diving and longer bottom time!

It really depends on what you want to do with it. I've been diving rebreathers for over 15 years, mostly on Sport & Spirit KISS units. I dive in cold water, and I use my CCR on all local diving. I enjoy longer run time, more flexible profiles, and I love the comfort of CCR diving. I also sometimes travel (fly) with my rebreathers (myself and wife) so portability and weight might be factors in your choice.

• Of the units you listed, the XCCR and JJCCR are big and heavy.
• ECCR vs MCCR. Electronic units need factory service. Where might you have to ship it to?
• MCCR units are generally far easier to maintain and service. It's unlikely you would ever need to get factory service if you can do some basic maintenance yourself.

 

[rx7diver]

I dive an O2ptima Chest Mount "Choptima". My 2psi on that unit is it can't be beat for versatility or ease of travel. I can and have dived with it in single tank BM, BM doubles, and SM configurations. Hell, you can even pull it off during the dive to squeeze through a restriction and then pick it back up on the way out. You can also pack the whole unit into a carry on size back pack... which mine is right now as I prepare to head to Bonaire.

Have you ever needed to crawl out of the surf on your hands and knees while using your chest-mounted Choptima? Have you ever wished your chest was clear of the rebreather (e.g., when handling a large camera/videocamera rig, or when hunting with a speargun, or when surveying for U/W archaeology, etc.)?

I wonder how a chest-mounted rebreather performs in these types of situations.

rx7diver

 

[AJ]

So my buddy and I are interested into CCR. Our local instructors can teach, the liberty optima jjccr or the Xccr.

we spoke to both the instructor and none can tell which one is the better… so which one do you like? What make you decide that unit? We’re mostly gonna use it for wreck diving and longer bottom time!

No one can tell you what's the best, because there is'nt one the best.

I dive a JJ-CCR. Why you ask? Because people I knew dive the JJ. For me it was a good choice in hindsight. The unit gives me a lot of confidence diving it. Rugged, Shearwater electronics I already knew and simple construction without a lot of stuff going on. Downside is that it's not flexible at all as the Liberty is. You can't change it to sidemount of front mount. It's also not the lightest ccr around, so I'am looking into a smaller/lighter unit for long distance air travel.

Buying your first unit is somewhat of a gamble. You don't know what you don't know, but you have to start somewhere. Upside is: you can't go wrong, all the mainstream units are good units.

 

[GiraffeMarineSalvage]

"you can't go wrong, all the mainstream units are good units."

Arguably, "all the mainstream units are good units, you can't go wrong as long as you buy a relatively mainstream unit designed for the type of diving that you do..." ie choose the right horses for the right courses...
I have nothing against a Honda Civic or a Ford 350 but for cross country drive I'm hoping to use a Civic (mileage!) and for towing I'm hoping to use a pickup truck (simply because it can!).

 

[DiveLikeAMuppet]

Pick the one that people around you dive because you will need a support group and access to spare parts.

Ask around when you go diving. People are usually quite happy to explain why they bought their unit, what they like and what they dislike. Keep in mind that a lot of people only ever owned one unit.

If you don't see people on units at all when you go diving, do some more interesting OC diving first .

Not sure if a try-dive would help you at all. It's really difficult to understand what works unless you have some CCR experience. I have maybe 50 hours on a JJ and just barely started to understand what I might like about other units that are similar to a JJ.