AP Inspiration VS. JJ CCR

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A headservice is for sure not that much. If he had such costs, the lid was cracked.
Also when lungs fall apart. Then he did not check the unit with a positive and negative test. I have the lungs from 2009 and they are still not leaking. So this is not normal for an apd ccr.
It was. Electronics replaced with new cells.

The lungs were a nightmare. They held the pos & neg, but leaked as soon as the T-pieces were moved. He switched those lungs for over-the-shoulder ones.
 
If you've the opportunity for a recent DiveCAN (i.e. digital) JJ, go for it. Excellent box with very few people saying anything bad about them.

While I have had a play with a DiveCAN JJ, the old analog one I have seems to be extremely reliable and robust (almost a Kiss). Bad experiences with a rEvo made me wary of the DiveCAN. Either units are fine these days I'm sure.
 
It was. Electronics replaced with new cells.

The lungs were a nightmare. They held the pos & neg, but leaked as soon as the T-pieces were moved. He switched those lungs for over-the-shoulder ones.
Sometimes if you sent it in for headservice, they find a crack and then in the older versions they need to replace the lid with electronics. That is not a normal headservice.

Here are the normal prices:
Basic Vision Electronics Service – £66.00
In addition to the normal initial inspection we would backup current dive history and review rebreather performance. A ‘Basic’ Vision Electronic service would include:

  1. Sensor holder removed, O-ring replaced
  2. O2 sensors removed and tested. If out of date or faulty we would recommend replacements
  3. Coaxial connectors inspected
  4. Condition of wiring loom for lid, handset and scrubber checked
  5. Solenoid and its fittings removed, inspected, cleaned and flow tested
  6. Buzzer wire connections checked and buzzer hose O-ring replaced
  7. Battery box inspected
  8. Lid reassembled with new O-ring fitted
  9. Handset buttons inspected for operation
  10. Handset screen saver and wrist straps inspected
  11. HUD operation checked and fibre optic adjustment made if required
  12. Electronic performance assessed
  13. Tested for leaks and for correct calibration and accuracy at 1.3bar
  14. New batteries supplied when electronics returned
Note: All replacement parts required during servicing will be charged for in addition to the service costs.

In the newer lids, if they find a crack, the electronics can be move to a new lid and that is cheaper. So the price you mentioned is for a complete new lid where you can replace later easier things.
New cells will cost extra.

and if they find something, they will ask you first and inform about the costs.
 
Thanks for sharing your experiences and your discussions.

I was watching a couple of videos about both units and was also observing the used market... still no easy choice.

The temp stick might be a safety plus, also the two controller HUD. Many used units come with a G-Box or other mod frames, which could be a benefit for traveling (looks lightweight for me). But, what I really dislike is the o-ring that gets removed for a scrubber refill. The Apeks 1st stages are also not included and the JJ wing and webbing looks cleaner.

On the other hand

The Shearwater electronic of the JJ is cool (I love my Petrel for OC diving). The two o-ring sealings are great and in opposite the Inspo I don't need to modify anything. But, as far as I can see the scrubber is sealed in the aluminium rack of the unit? What is if some silt/rust/dust/whatever comes into the gap? Isn't there a risk of destroying the sealing surface?


While I have had a play with a DiveCAN JJ, the old analog one I have seems to be extremely reliable and robust (almost a Kiss). Bad experiences with a rEvo made me wary of the DiveCAN. Either units are fine these days I'm sure.

What's happened?
 
But, as far as I can see the scrubber is sealed in the aluminium rack of the unit? What is if some silt/rust/dust/whatever comes into the gap? Isn't there a risk of destroying the sealing surface?

The two o-rings that run round the head and seal against the aluminium can are there to keep the water out really. They don’t have much work to do as the pressure is the same on both sides unless you empty the lungs, turn off the ADV and O2 and sink a long way. Rust, silt and other rubbish does get in there and is a minor annoyance, you have to wipe it off and maybe remove the o-rings to do a proper job of cleaning the muck off. This is a weakness (the XCCR does it better) but isn’t a terrible problem, I have never heard of anyone damaging the aluminium face.
 
I own a 2020 vision with the newer head (electronics seperate, cheap to repair/replace though I have never had a problem)

Said this many times but the main benefit to AP to me is the direct to market parts, no middle man. If you service your own gear AP is fantastic. The AP regs are great and service kits are cheap from them.

I also own a Alloy dpv Alloy is great but it does corrode and the anodising will get stripped if you get a caustic solution on it (rebreather). Galvanic corrosion can occur where you attach the backplate. The AP scrubber is plastic and isn’t subject to this (xccr also has a delrin scrubber), plastic is a better insulator for scrubber performance also.

Fmcl are great and breathes well. I have tried bmcl and will be sticking with fmcl but I’m pretty flexible so the clear chest is a mute point for me. Here is Richard Harris take on fmcl The Megalodon CCR (and other thoughts by Harry) - The Wetmules

but that is all subjective. You are stuck using bmcl on jj

harness, JJ dominates. Harness on the AP works well and can trim the unit well with it but it just doesn’t look pretty.

temp stick, c02 sensor, dual controllers, fibre optic hud are all nice to haves in my opinion.

can’t get a radial scrubber in the AP but you can in the JJ and have a extended range scrubber also.

look into the Meg and xccr aswell imho. Good luck with your choice as either will be great fun.
 
harness, JJ dominates. Harness on the AP works well and can trim the unit well with it but it just doesn’t look pretty.

None of the AP divers I know use the standard harness, it's all custom backplates and DIR harness.
So much better than the standard harness IMO :)
 
I also own a Alloy dpv Alloy is great but it does corrode and the anodising will get stripped if you get a caustic solution on it (rebreather). Galvanic corrosion can occur where you attach the backplate. The AP scrubber is plastic and isn’t subject to this (xccr also has a delrin scrubber), plastic is a better insulator for scrubber performance also.

well, i didn't thought about this. I have also an Alloy DPV with a couple of scratches. Till today is nothing happens, but im using it almost 100% in fresh water. In opposite of the DPV, the Rebreather will be used in vacations and of course salt water.
Do you know how tightly the scrubber fits into the JJ can?

Fmcl are great and breathes well. I have tried bmcl and will be sticking with fmcl but I’m pretty flexible so the clear chest is a mute point for me. Here is Richard Harris take on fmcl The Megalodon CCR (and other thoughts by Harry) - The Wetmules

Sounds pausible. Thanks for the link

can’t get a radial scrubber in the AP but you can in the JJ and have a extended range scrubber also.

Sorry for my probably stupid question, but I have no CCR experience... When makes it really sense to have an extended range scrubber?

look into the Meg and xccr aswell imho. Good luck with your choice as either will be great fun.

Thanks. The X is (in my opinion) too heavy and the Meg afaik not really lighter (and I also don't like snap locks) - I want to travel by airplane with the unit
 
well, i didn't thought about this. I have also an Alloy DPV with a couple of scratches. Till today is nothing happens, but im using it almost 100% in fresh water. In opposite of the DPV, the Rebreather will be used in vacations and of course salt water.
Do you know how tightly the scrubber fits into the JJ can?



Sounds pausible. Thanks for the link



Sorry for my probably stupid question, but I have no CCR experience... When makes it really sense to have an extended range scrubber?



Thanks. The X is (in my opinion) too heavy and the Meg afaik not really lighter (and I also don't like snap locks) - I want to travel by airplane with the unit

Very early JJs, like the first year, had corrosion problems. They added plastic breaks between the alloy can and the backplate bolts. Now they are good.

The scrubber doesn’t meet the can, the head does. It fits inside the can and the two o rings are on the outside of the head which is sleeved inside the can. It is moderately tight and you need to use correct technique taking it out - pushing it down before pulling it up.

The standard JJ and APD scrubbers are 2.5kg ish and give three hours duration by the standard tests. For a seriously long dive that is not enough. Some people decide that the testing is unrepresentative and run them longer, or you can buy a radial scrubber or a 4kg (5hr) extended scrubber. See https://www.shearwater.com/monthly-blog-posts/co2-scrubber-divers-rebreather

if the XCCR is too heavy then it is likely both the APD and JJ are probably too heavy too. You can get the rebreather into a 23kg bag if you try hard, no lime or cylinders.
 
Sorry for my probably stupid question, but I have no CCR experience... When makes it really sense to have an extended range scrubber?
When you’re doing extreme, long duration, diving. This would normally mean very deep with long decompression obligations, or very long cave penetration. Definitely a specialist type of diving, not beginners!
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

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