New rEvo BOV

[stuartv]

Another year and I have emailed rEvo HQ to see about getting a service kit for it, just because it seems like it should probably be serviced soon, just based on overall timespan I've had it.

It is still behaving and still dry. It is definitely still tight - as in pretty firm to open/close it. I did pull it apart and put it back together not long ago, to get a new load of tribolube in between the barrel and body.

I really can't say much about WOB on OC. I have really only breathed through it on the surface and shallow. The deepest I've had it is 270'/82m. I did a BO ascent from there, as part of my MOD3 class. But, I didn't breathe off the BOV. I closed it and went to the deep BO mix on the reg on my bungee necklace.

I bailed for a few minutes early in the Spring, on a dive on the Lady Luck, at around 110 - 120 feet. Again, though, I closed the loop and switched to an OC 2nd stage on my BO cylinder. I did not breathe off my BOV.

I have my BOV plumbed to onboard Dil. I dive as if I don't have a BOV. It's only there in case something delays me during a switch to offboard BO and I have to take a breath. Or, say, if I inhaled and got some caustic, I would immediately close the BOV to switch to OC and breathe off that while I pulled off the gag strap and attempted to change to my offboard BO reg. I suppose if I'm in a coughing fit from caustic, it might take more than one breath.

Thus, I have not played with any QC6s.

At this point, I am somewhat ambivalent to having it. I have been considering changing back to my DSV with Cooper hoses. At least, for a few dives to compare them and see what, if any, difference I notice.

I have also been planning to get the hoses and QC6 fittings, so that I CAN plumb the BOV straight to offboard. I would like to do that and take it to some depth >200'/60m and switch to BO there, to see how the BOV breathes at that depth. I wouldn't do that with it plumbed to onboard dil. I want to do it where I can breathe it at depth long enough to form a real impression. I have been told that the BOV won't breathe well enough, for example in the event of a CO2 hit, and I'll want to switch to a "real" 2nd stage, whether I have a BOV or not. But, I have not been told that by anyone that has really tried the rEvo BOV at depth, so.... I'd like to actually try it and compare it to a "real" 2nd stage. Not try a CO2 hit, of course. Just try really breathing off it and switching between it and a real 2nd stage, to compare.

 

[Brad_Horn]

I have been told that the BOV won't breathe well enough, for example in the event of a CO2 hit, and I'll want to switch to a "real" 2nd stage, whether I have a BOV or not. But, I have not been told that by anyone that has really tried the rEvo BOV at depth, so.... I'd like to actually try it and compare it to a "real" 2nd stage. Not try a CO2 hit, of course. Just try really breathing off it and switching between it and a real 2nd stage, to compare.

Why not just ask the manufacturer and get the actual WOB in black & white from their testing of it to remove your uncertainty? It has passed EN250 testing hasn’t it….

Regulators have had their WOB benchmarked to help in identifying any dross for decades:
Regulator Performance – Dive Lab
Commercially Available Mares Regulators
Not meant to be an ad but some might find it interesting... - Page 2
http://archive.divernet.com/Diving_Gear/group_tests/158687/15_regs_at_50_metres_the_tests.html
http://archive.divernet.com/Diving_Gear/group_tests/158688/15_regulators_on_test_the_regulators.html

Of course there is nothing actually stopping a BOV providing a "real" 2nd stages performance! And then given sufficient size bailout tins, you can retain the safety benefits of the gag strap, and not need to phaf around in event of an emergency.
https://www.opensafetyglobal.com/Safety_files/DV_DL_ALVBOV_Breathing_Params_A3_100318.pdf

 

[stuartv]

Why not just ask the manufacturer and get the actual WOB in black & white from their testing of it to remove your uncertainty?

Because the #s would, in no way, remove my uncertainty.

My experience has been that manufacturer #s do not always translate into the real-world performance their #s would have you expecting.

 

[Brad_Horn]

Because the #s would, in no way, remove my uncertainty.

My experience has been that manufacturer #s do not always translate into the real-world performance their #s would have you expecting.

No worries. I've found the opposite to be true but that is the delight of the world we live in.
However note the industry upset that the direct comparison Diver tests John Bantin et al published caused for regulator manufacturers.

What BOV manufacturers have you got #s from?

As WOB is a fixed constant for each individual piece of kit, it directly translates to its real world performance; if you're actually comparing WOB! Add other factors in like cracking pressure, IP or the loops hydrostatic imbalance and things will feel different in-water but can still be compared if you have the/any testing data.

 

[stuartv]

No worries. I've found the opposite to be true but that is the delight of the world we live in.
However note the industry upset that the direct comparison Diver tests John Bantin et al published caused for regulator manufacturers.

What BOV manufacturers have you got #s from?

As WOB is a fixed constant for each individual piece of kit, it directly translates to its real world performance; if you're actually comparing WOB! Add other factors in like cracking pressure, IP or the loops hydrostatic imbalance and things will feel different in-water but can still be compared if you have the/any testing data.

What do you consider the opposite of "manufacturer #s do not always translate into the real-world performance their #s would have you expecting" to be (that you found to be true)? Are you suggesting that manufacturer #s always DO give the real-world performance you'd expect?

Anyway, I don't have any BOV #s. I am not comparing or really interested in comparing different BOVs.

What I said I want to do is compare the BOV I have to the "high performance" conventional reg set that I use on my BO cylinder.

 

[Matan]

A question on this new BOV:

1. My Shrimp BOV is constantly hitting my nose due which is causing annoying water entry to my mask - happened to you with this BOV as well?


Regarding BOV gas connection:

1. 3L cylinder won't help you on the BOV.
2. WOB of any BOV AFAIK will be worse than OC - it's just an intermediate way to bailout and start removing that CO2 from your body while switching to your bailout - to me it made the difference when I got a CO2 hit.
3. I use a QC6 male "cheater" on my bailout cylinder - route through the crotch strap - and plug into a QC6 female on my right side (similar to PSCR switch block routing) which is clipped to my light canister. from the block I route a hose properly to my BOV. I "gas switch" into this as part of the pre-dive sequence - so entering the water with breathable (and with enough volume) bailout gas on my BOV.


Matan.

 

[stuartv]

A question on this new BOV:

1. My Shrimp BOV is constantly hitting my nose due which is causing annoying water entry to my mask - happened to you with this BOV as well?

I have never noticed my rEvo BOV hitting my nose or mask.

 

[Brad_Horn]

What do you consider the opposite of "manufacturer #s do not always translate into the real-world performance their #s would have you expecting" to be (that you found to be true)? Are you suggesting that manufacturer #s always DO give the real-world performance you'd expect?

Anyway, I don't have any BOV #s. I am not comparing or really interested in comparing different BOVs.

What I said I want to do is compare the BOV I have to the "high performance" conventional reg set that I use on my BO cylinder.

If I dive with either an Apeks or Poseidon BO regulator then I know that my BOV (an Open Safety ALVBOV) provides me the same equally high real-world performance. Sure the regs feel different, mostly due to how the bubble diffusers work and cracking pressure, but the performance is directly comparable. You KNOW this before getting in the water based on the manufacturers and/or independent 3rd party testing #s.

If a manufacturer or anybody tests their product to EN250 for OC WOB ie 50m on Air at 62.5lpm then one simply can compare apples with apples.
If a BOV is EN250 certified you know its WOB should at least be <3.0J/L at 50m on Air at 62.5lpm even if the manufacturer chooses to not disclose just how bad its actual WOB is.

I understand that the Mares rEvo BOV is only CE certified for use to 40m; so don't know where that leaves you for comparing it. Its WOB may be nearly 3.0J/L at 40m and then significantly more at 50m....?

You already know before you get in the water, that if you have a "high performance" conventional reg such as an Apeks or Poseidon one and a BOV with unknown or known poor WOB, what the end result will be. This should be of no surprise to you...

It doesn't even need to be an Open Safety ALVBOV to get a matching performance comparison.... Don't believe me, bail-off onto a Poseidon BOV and then compare that with a Poseidon Xtreme reg at depth. Poseidon have engineered their BOV around the 2nd stage; however, how much this human factors engineering choice compromises the CC performance is not documented.
You'll just have left to right gas flow with the Poseidon BOV and not know what the CC mode WOB of the BOV is. But as you don't know the Mares rEvo BOV CC mode WOB this is no loss.

As soon as someone tests and documents the Mares rEvo BOV, you can immediately see how much lower the Open Safety ALVBOV WOB in both CC and OC modes is in direct comparison. This means that I know when you dive with an ALVBOV on your rEvo and compare it with your high performance conventional reg at depth during bailout you won't notice a difference as far as breathing performance goes.

2. WOB of any BOV AFAIK will be worse than OC - it's just an intermediate way to bailout and start removing that CO2 from your body while switching to your bailout - to me it made the difference when I got a CO2 hit.

Only if you deliberately choose and dive with a BOV with worse OC WOB performance than your OC bailout reg. Dive with a high performance BOV and low performance bailout reg and you will experience the opposite.

Pick an Open Safety ALVBOV https://www.opensafetyglobal.com/Safety_files/DV_DL_ALVBOV_Breathing_Params_A3_100318.pdf or Poseidon BOV and the OC WOB of the BOV is functionally identical to that of OC bailout and the BOV no longer needs to be an intermediate only option.

But as you mention any BOV may be better than no BOV in extremis...

 

[Matan]

Pick an Open Safety ALVBOV https://www.opensafetyglobal.com/Safety_files/DV_DL_ALVBOV_Breathing_Params_A3_100318.pdf or Poseidon BOV and the OC WOB of the BOV is functionally identical to that of OC bailout and the BOV no longer needs to be an intermediate only option.

Haven't seen those anywhere - especially on JJ CCR. if really that good as described it will become more "common".

for now the options are Shrimp / iBOV - I have the shrimp which currently:

1. hitting my nose - terrible.
2. seems like the second stage is made of some spare parts - while being simple it seems the lever is crap and bends, and the BOV has a tendency to freeflow all the time.
3. really hard on the jaws when scootering.
4. bad WOD when in BO mode.


Will try the iBOV soon, any other BOVs I just don't like being a test pilot - best go with what works for everyone.


Matan.

 

[rddvet]

Haven't seen those anywhere - especially on JJ CCR. if really that good as described it will become more "common".

for now the options are Shrimp / iBOV - I have the shrimp which currently:

1. hitting my nose - terrible.
2. seems like the second stage is made of some spare parts - while being simple it seems the lever is crap and bends, and the BOV has a tendency to freeflow all the time.
3. really hard on the jaws when scootering.
4. bad WOD when in BO mode.


Will try the iBOV soon, any other BOVs I just don't like being a test pilot - best go with what works for everyone.


Matan.

I love my divesoft bov. Minimal jaw pain and very comfortable. I avoid giving any money I can to golem because his customer service is horrible and when you order stuff you may get it in a week or it may be 6 months