Question First CCR question

[gordonscuba]

Just to get clear the inspo use dual proprietary controllers: the vision system

Thanks for the correction! Edited my post.

 

[aElliott]

It depends largely on the type of diving you'll be doing. For shallower cave diving, a big scrubber is only going to get in the way. If you are doing deeper wreck dives, then you may want to consider going backmount

 

[jont2]

I'm considering my first CCR whether is it BM or CM (choptima). My question is the scrubber size I see the choptima is 2.2kg and some BM units have bigger size. Does size matters? I can imagine it's related to the duration. What else? Tks

I'll give you some advise that I hope will guide your choice. I'm certified on 10+ rebreathers and dove many more. Here's my list of things to consider:

1) There are a lot of good choices out there. If anyone pushed you towards one specific unit and says "its the best" ...walk away, the unit may me good but "the best" simply doesn't exist. You don't want an instructor/advisor with that mindset.

2) Whenever someone spends a lot of hard earned money on anything theres an inherent need to justify that purchase. We all have egos and we all want to feel we made the best choice possible. Reality is far from that. I know someone that claims the P2 is the best RB ever made and they would NEVER dive anything else......Ummm...it's not and they should. There are much better choices out there.

3) Understand what you need in a RB and then what you want. Is SM needed or wanted? Are you going to do 10+ hour dives down the road? These facts will alter your choice. The Choptima has been a successful unit (I never dove one but I have dove chest mounted units) and chest mounted units are attractive for a number of reasons, they are light, GREAT WOB, short gas path, easy to ditch but all of this comes at the price of dive duration, scrubbers are small.

4) Touch, feel and dive as many units possible. Don't let anything or anyone push you in a direction and take your time.

5) Choose an instructor that can teach more that one unit and has experience on more than that. I remember asking an instructor: How do you like that SF2.....the answer with typical tech diver arrogance was "It's all I dive".....LOL. Well it turns out this person was given a unit and incentivized to sell and teach that unit......hardly an opinion that can be trusted. Today that instructor no longer dives that unit.

Become educated first and then pull the trigger.