Capital Costs between units

[stuartv]

You might want to check more on that new price for a rEvo. IIRC when I looked a little while back, they had a price posted that was based on a very old exchange rate and there was fine print that said the actual price will be based on the current exchange rate. When I checked, the current price was considerably higher.

RMS has been out since around 2012, I think. It's not that new. I bought my rEvo III Mini with RMS, 2 Shearwater Predators and a Shearwater HUD last summer, used, for $5K. A patient person can find a good deal.

A rEvo will come with a HUD. But, you can choose between a Dream HUD or 2, or a NERD. Or, if you buy used, you might find one like mine that has an older Shearwater Pursuit (?) HUD. Or, you can get the Narked at 90 HUD, which appears to be an exact copy of the Shearwater HUD. It all comes down to what you want to spend.

Ocean Edge Outfitters is in NJ. I have already done 2 or 3 orders with them for parts. The ordering is all online and very convenient and my orders have all been delivered reasonably promptly. I don't know what it's like to get parts for any other units, but I am very happy with my rEvo in that regard.

I just got my first CCR training. Based on that experience, I would not worry about a BOV right up front. I would get and learn on the unit (whichever you choose) how it comes. Talk to the instructor. After the training, THEN I would consider and decide on adding a BOV (if it didn't come with one). In the case of a rEvo, my instructor as well as another experienced instructor both told me that Paul (owner of rEvo) had tested every BOV on the market and found that all of them had some negative impact on the WOB. I don't know, myself. But, at this point I am happy with my unit and will dive it like it is for a while.

The shop I worked for until recently has brand new Hollis Prism2s that I think they are selling for somewhere roughly around $5K. If you want their info, PM me.

Before making any decisions, I would suggest actually talking to the instructor(s) you think you might use. I tried to get my rEvo training from Tom McCarthy at StoneRust. I called and left messages. I emailed. I even sent a FB Messenger message. All trying to get info and arrange for training on my rEvo. I never got a single call back or reply. So, if that is where you are counting on for training on any of the units you listed, you might want to confirm you'll actually be able to GET that training. Otherwise, you could end up like me and have to go to FL to train with someone there. My training was awesome and my instructor was fantastic. But, the overall experience ended up costing me quite a bit more than if I had been able to do my training somewhere between DC and NYC.

One buddy of mine had a JJ and moved to an X and likes it even better than the JJ. Another buddy has met and dived with the Sub Gravity rep in this area. My buddy even did a demo dive on the X. From what I have heard, the Sub Gravity rep (who is also an X instructor) is a super nice guy. Very accessible. He travels up your way, too. If you want his contact info, PM me.

I have tried to stick to points that are relevant to your upfront costs. Hopefully I'm not deemed too far OT by factoring cost of training into my points.

 

[Jeremy Williams]

One buddy of mine had a JJ and moved to an X and likes it even better than the JJ. Another buddy has met and dived with the Sub Gravity rep in this area. My buddy even did a demo dive on the X. From what I have heard, the Sub Gravity rep (who is also an X instructor) is a super nice guy. Very accessible. He travels up your way, too. If you want his contact info, PM me.

@stuartv I've really enjoyed reading your posts and appreciate your your willingness to share your experience. I'm trying to do some of the same. I have ordered an XCCR and I'll be starting the training very soon with the same super nice guy.

I would also say that the people at SubGravity in Utah seem very nice as well.

 

[king_of_battle]

All,

Thanks for the discussion. I think there are some good points here. The rebreathers I mentioned are dived locally and I know the local instructors for the units. Training costs are comparable which is why I excluded it in this case. That's why with the initial post I limited it to just those models.

I am in agreement with everyone here that if I can snag a used unit to go for it. Whats the quote, "Rich stay rich by acting like they are poor"? While I'm certainly not rich I like to save money when I can so I'm in no rush to buy new.

My intention was just to see what a similar setup between the models would cost new (Stock+BOV+HUD). @Jeremy Williams for instance helped me correct a bad assumption with the XCCR. I am probably most surprised then that the SF2 comes out as the most expensive 'new' rebreather of the ones I listed. Does that make it the most expensive mainstream (for whatever that's worth) rebreather? Is the Revo the cheapest? Maybe. At least for what's local to me that people are actively diving those are the two extremes. Would I discount either because of that? Probably not, especially because I'd look for a used model but it does help me understand the used market a little better.

 

[sea_ledford]

If you are looking for an "all-in" price, there are all the other accouterments that will be the same regardless of the unit you buy, but add significantly in cost. The obvious bailout regs and tanks and secondary/stand alone computer you probably already have. But things like a second set of CCR bottles, transfill wips, a larger O2 bottle for transfilling (an 80 or something), cooper hoses, spare O2 cell, any tools you need to setup/breakdown the unit, a box to put it all in that is of a useful size... a lot of it is home depot dive gear, but it'll add up.

I was told several years ago to not focus on prices of specific units, just know that rebreathers cost $15,000, excluding travel for training. That was about appropriate for me, and seems to still be the case. At least for new units.

-Chris

 

[kensuf]

Every rebreather has pros and cons and there is not a single unit out there that doesn't have a compromise somewhere. As an instructor on two units (and certified on a few others), I am going to second the notion of looking at a used unit for your first purchase. Once you have some experience on a rebreather, then you'll have a better idea on what things matter to you and you'll be able to go shopping for the unit that works well for you.

BTW, I'm an instructor for the SF2, which means I'm effectively a dealer for the unit (technically all sales in the US now go through ScubaForce USA). The "Ready to Dive" SF2 includes cylinders, backplate and wing at the $9800 price. It really is ready to dive, just add sorb and fills and you're good to go.

 

[doctormike]

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My intention was just to see what a similar setup between the models would cost new (Stock+BOV+HUD).

I didn't know that any of the major CCRs came without a HUD, but you might defer the BOV decision until you get certified. There is a good bit of controversy over BOV vs. DSV, it's not that clear a choice.

On the other hand, I really like my NERD, you might want to budget for one of those, especially if you are a photographer.

 

[kensuf]

Different people have different tastes. I personally found a nerd too busy. I dove it 3 times and promptly sold it.

 

[doctormike]

Different people have different tastes.

As my father used to say, “That’s what makes horse races!”