jeandiver:<snip> I don't want to have to lug all that bail-out gas with me that it will take me to get out in case that very expensive piece of gear fails!
Ah, statements made by someone who hasn't studied them...yet.
On a 4 hour dive that I did recently, I carried 2 AL40 sidemounted bailout cylinders. They lie parallel with my body and with the tank valve right behind my armpit. The setup was so streamlined that I didn't even know that I was carrying them. I carried all the gas that I would need for me to get home; no team bailout necessary.
A closed circuit rebreather has some redundancy built in. If all goes to pot, the unit can be run in semi closed mode (less efficient than CCR but more efficient than OC). That will easily get you home. Typically, the only reason to utilize your OC bailout to get you home is if you have a complete, unrecoverable flood. There are some units out there, when properly assembled, that are extremely difficult to flood. So, the only practical way to flood it and keep it flooded is if you get the breathing hose cut (unlikley but anything is possible).
Arm yourself with knowledge and one of the better designed CCRs and you'll be having a lot of fun! Afterall, we're there to enjoy the dive.