prism topaz

[zaf88]

I FINALLY SAVED ENOUGH MONEY FOR A RB!! Now its down to choosing one. Ive been researching this on and off for over a year and i keep coming back to the prism. I plan to do rec dives for the most part but would like to go tec in the near future and would def. want to buy a rig that could adapt to those needs. I love that it is compact but powerful, it is made here in the USA and the company seems to have staying power. ANyhow, I would love to hear other peoples opinion on the prism, its positive and negative points. Also if someone abs. loves another unit out there i would love to hear about it. its a big step to shell out 10G's so everyones opinion counts in my book.

 

[caveseeker7]

The Prism is a sound choice, the relationship between size/weight and performance is excellent.
It is designed for ease of use and maintainance, as well as simple and transparent operation.
Both the hardware and software are engineered with safety in mind.
It has been more thoroughly tested than any other civilian rebreather, and results are availaible.

For availability and such contact Steam Machines directly.

 

[DiveTub]

Hi Zaf
We are about to take delivery of 10 PRISM's
They will be arriving last week of Feb, with training early March with Pete Ready
I will be writing full reports on the unit and training when it is completed.
I purchased the PRISM based on
Size
Weight
Adaptability of the unit
Open and honest independent testing of the unit
Initial cost and consumables
The Companies strength

Cheers
Chris

 

[zaf88]

well i did some advanced searchs and saw some more answers to my question. but one point is still hazy for me. why doesnt the prism allow you to change setpoints on the fly, what is the positive b enefit of this? is it a plan your dive and stick with it attitude or just a mere oversight? i would find it hard to believe that a comp like smi would simply miss such a point for no good reason. and about third party testing, which method is more stingent, the navy protocol or CE's? lastly, when you travel with your prism, are catalina 19's readily available at most destinations or do you have to take your tanks with you? because it seems like takeing the head off a 100% o2 tank is not a very good idea. thank you for your replies and Sydney_Diver i look foward to your full report on your prisms ( im actually excited for you).

 

[BigJetDriver]

It has been more thoroughly tested than any other civilian rebreather, and results are availaible.

I generally do not disagree with Stefan's comments, and I an NOT knocking the Prism as a good choice for a re-breather unit, but the statement above is simply not so. It is not correct.

Rob Davie

 

[caveseeker7]

Rob,

feel free to enlighten me which civilian rebreather has undergone more testing than the Prism and by whom said testing was performed, and to whom's protocol. That I'm curious about. Before the NAVY spend years testing the Prism both unmanned and manned, recommending changes, getting them and continue testing, SMI had the initial tests performed by DCIEM in Canada. Even the MK series didn't go through entire test protocol as the Prism because the NAVY changed requirements, level of certification and test protocol since the MKs were taken into service.

Civillian CCRs ... Underwater Technologies, Cis-Lunar, Ambient Pressure Diving,
Olympic Submarine, Innerspace, Jetsam ... am I missing someone?
Which of the companies could even afford to pay for the test regimen that the Prism has undergone? Steam Machines couldn't have if the NAVY hadn't tested it to their requirements for their own use and picked up the tap.

Remember Carleton, OMG's Nemesis and whoever's Infinito are not (yet) available to the public.

I'm genuinly curious here as the amount and kind of testing the NAVY threw at Steam Machines and the Prism is mindboggling. I'm all ears and eyes.

Stefan

 

[caveseeker7]

why doesnt the prism allow you to change setpoints on the fly, what is the positive b enefit of this?

Zaf, the idea behind the automatic setpoint change is that the diver can't forget it. Simple as that, it's a safety measure. If you read Howard Hall's Rebreather Blunders (available at Rebreathers Worldwide and at his own website) you'll see he forgot to do so on his Biomarine and ended up in chamber due to it and a few other mistakes. Divers can forget, especially when loaded with tasks other than flying the rig.

On the initial prototypes the setpoint was both adjustable and manually switched. Even then switching was forgotten a couple of times, so the idea and the manually adjustable setpoint controls were thrown out. Pete showed me the controls, and Steve Millard has a picture of them in his Prism article, still available on NW Design's website.

and about third party testing, which method is more stingent, the navy protocol or CE's?

They are simply different protocols, at least when the NAVY uses their own.

Some of the tests are like, setpoint control accuracy, WOB & hydrostatic differences, scrubber duration and such, also both the protocol and the requirered results may differ.

The NAVY also requires testing that are application specific to the use of their rebreathers like magnetic signature and the like that would not make a difference to a civilian diver.

When CE on the other hand takes materials into consideration, they require recycleability rather than a low magnetic signature, a bright color for visibility etc.

Both are thorough test regimen have their pros and cons, and passing one doesn't mean you'll pass the other. A MK15/16 wouldn't pass the WOB/HD requirements of CE, while the Inspiration didn't even get to manned testing because it failed the loop gas analysis.

Yet those rigs are used successfully for their intended purposes.

lastly, when you travel with your prism, are catalina 19's readily available at most destinations or do you have to take your tanks with you?

Depends on where you go, really. Many if not most RB divers seek out locations where they can get gas, tanks and absorbant as needed. If not they either haul it along or send it ahead. 'silent running' here on the board travels quite a bit with his Prism and made a couple of posts in that regard. Jeff Bozanic published an article on his Bikini trip, available on the web, and explains the logistics to use a CCR there.

Plenty of poular destinations have at least one shop who supports rebreathers and can supply the needed consumables and tanks.

If you do need to bring your own tanks they'll have to be inspected so the valve needs to be removed. Also, the Prism can take the smaller and lighter two liter tanks if weight/size is an issue.

 

[zaf88]

Thank you so much for the replies, maybe one day ill be knowledgeable to answer someone elses questions instead of bothering you guys with mine.

 

[Curt McNamee]

Thank you so much for the replies, maybe one day ill be knowledgeable to answer someone elses questions instead of bothering you guys with mine.

Just quickly throwing in my feelings about CCR rebreathers. My girlfriend and I are diving the KISS Classic and have been having a great time with it. We have been using it in all kinds of conditons and have enjoyed it's ease of operation and reliability. It is very rugged and we are now doing trimix dives with it. Check out my other posts on this site and they tell my story about how and why I decided on the KISS Classic.

Good luck on making your choice, all you can do is get all the information you can and make the decision that you feel is right for you.

Sincerely,

Curt

 

[caveseeker7]

What a DIK! :lol: I was waiting for that.

Whenever someone asks about a specific BCD on the boards,
someone jumps in with a post about backplate and wings.
Anybody asks about a specific rebreather of any sort,
someone jumps in with a post about a KISS. :bluthinki

DIK - Doing it KISS eace:

:joke: Stefan