Question Is the KISS Sidewinder the best to learn on on & keep for a lifetime?

[Wibble]

You haven’t mentioned your choice of bailout rebreather. The sidewinder isn’t great for use with buttmounted bailout rebreathers.

 

[admikar]

Scubaboard tradition is live and kicking in 2025.

 

[DiveLikeAMuppet]

You haven’t mentioned your choice of bailout rebreather. The sidewinder isn’t great for use with buttmounted bailout rebreathers.

Easy, Sidewinder together with DiveTalk Go. Plug both into the same dil and O2 bottles to save space and to lower the number of regulator failure points.

 

[Fat old english bloke]

Easy, Sidewinder together with DiveTalk Go. Plug both into the same dil and O2 bottles to save space and to lower the number of regulator failure points.

Team that lot up with a K01 hood, Santi or SF Tech drysuit and personalised XDeep wing and you’ll be the coolest kid in the water.

 

[rddvet]

If Harbor Freight was a CCR it would be a sidewinder. It's a tool that's cheaply made with cheap parts. It'll work for you for a little bit, but much sooner than later it's going to fall apart or break. Because it's made of cheap plastic. Eventually you'll realize it was kind of a piece of crap and you'll eventually go buy the Craftsman version.
Big difference is a cheap wrench isn't going to drown you when it breaks

 

[rddvet]

. Plug both into the same dil and O2 bottles to save space a.

I think the only thing getting plugged into is your rear end if you buy a GO

 

[ZephyrNYC]

i wouldn't call the shop mention above.. honestly shop around talk to the instructors see what the offer

Why not? Please elaborate.

 

[InWay2Deep]

No idea if this is a troll post or not, but whatever. Sidewinder was my first CCR, I had about 200 dives when I took the training. I have completed Trimix down to 200ft on it, never did OC trimix or much OC tech diving. I mostly dive caves and switched to sidemount after about a 100 dives. So if you have strong sidemount skills learning the sidewinder won't be hard. I mostly cave dive so thats why i went sidewinder, i have dove it from a boat and it's not my most favorite thing to do. If the majority of my diving was by boat I would look for something else. About it being poorly built, I guess if you let it bounce around in the back of your truck and toss it on the ground when you get to the dive site yea, it will break...

 

[crofrog]

should probably get a dive talk go

 

[davehicks]

I've been diving the Kiss Spirit since 2015 and maybe 1000 dives. Basically the same unit as the Sidewinder in back mount configuration. My wife has one too. Both units are working great with no major issues at all. Nothing broken in 1800+ dives on these units with just a few replacement o-ring sets and maybe a replacement fischer cable or to two. The plastic parts are tough and in great shape. I did 3d print a replacement purge cover for the Hollis BOV a couple of years ago.

Don't listen to any uninformed nonsense about these being flimsy CCRs. They are solid and super reliable. You can do your own maintenance on these units and keep them running for years.