Revo or Optima?

[Wookie]

Has the US Navy shown interest in Optima?

NEDU checks them all out.

 

[Scuba Client]

The rEvo Australian service centre is in Melbourne. www.allaboutscuba.com.au

I'm a rEvo owner, I dove with someone last month, who just qualified (x-over) on the Optima Chest Mount and I have to say his trim looked fantastic in comparison to when he dives a rEvo, however he still felt rEvo was better for deep diving. I would like to give the Optima CM a go one day.

I'm still sub 100 hours of experience, so my views should be considered immature in nature, but I think the rEvo has given me a lot of confidence as a new rebreather pilot, I had zero technical experience prior to buying/training on a rEvo, the life giving O2 CMF, the 2 sorb canisters if ones packed poorly, the electronically separated HUD and dreams and 2 extra O2 cells, even the RMS have all added to my confidence on dives. The light weight is important - getting back onto a boat after a deco dive. So I think it has been an excellent first rebreather for me to learn on.

But I also now know its a bit like buying a new iphone there will be better ones in the future.

Southern Cross Divers
Had you read the above link you may have reconsidered your purchase of the rEvo. This Optima Chest Mounted diver who just qualified, is he going on some kind of military mission, or is he/her using it as a back up?

 

[Superlyte27]

I bought into 5 cells (expensive to replace). I bought into redundant scrubbers and independent electronics and blah blah blah. It all sounded great to someone inexperienced. I thought it was all important. It isn’t. 3 cells works just as good as 5. Redundant scrubbers? We don’t throw out unused sorb. If your CCR is good for 6 hours, we dive it for 6 hours. That may be 2 hours here, 3 hours there, etc,

What matters is Work Of Breathing and Flood Recovery. Don’t be suckered by the gimmicks like I was. @Capt Jim Wyatt was the third revo instructor in this country. Ask him what rebreather he bought last. What rebreather he dives. There’s a reason. We got smart and quit falling for good marketing and a subpar rebreather.

 

[Wookie]

I bought into 5 cells (expensive to replace). I bought into redundant scrubbers and independent electronics and blah blah blah. It all sounded great to someone inexperienced. I thought it was all important. It isn’t. 3 cells works just as good as 5. Redundant scrubbers? We don’t throw out unused sorb. If your CCR is good for 6 hours, we dive it for 6 hours. That may be 2 hours here, 3 hours there, etc,

What matters is Work Of Breathing and Flood Recovery. Don’t be suckered by the gimmicks like I was. @Capt Jim Wyatt was the third revo instructor in this country. Ask him what rebreather he bought last. What rebreather he dives. There’s a reason. We got smart and quit falling for good marketing and a subpar rebreather.

I have spent a lot of time speaking to both Lamar and Paul Ray Meekers. I find them both to be brilliant people. But I was blown away by Lamar. The side mount Optima and the chest mount Optima are works of art, and I don’t dive a rebreather. Never will.

 

[Superlyte27]

I have spent a lot of time speaking to both Lamar and Paul Ray Meekers. I find them both to be brilliant people. But I was blown away by Lamar. The side mount Optima and the chest mount Optima are works of art, and I don’t dive a rebreather. Never will.

Most people have a hard time admitting they made a $10,000 mistake. I’m not that person. I beat on every drum about how great the revo was, the the truly great people who knew more about CCR than I will ever know tolerated me, but gently nudged, “try something else, you have no frame of reference and no perspective”. I owned 4 Revo’s. My mistake was more than $10k. Today, this month, I made enough money to buy every rebreather on the market. I can have any piece of dive gear I want. There’s 5 CCR in the spare bedroom. If the revo was even in the top 5, dontcha think I’d have one?

Lamar and Paul are both brilliant. I know them both very well. The difference between the two is that Lamar will take constructive criticism to improve his optima, and he does actually improve it. Paul wouldn’t even admit his mushroom valves were defective until I crippled his sale of them with a black market alternative. That was a fun week, I can assure you.

 

[mikesz]

Southern Cross Divers
Had you read the above link you may have reconsidered your purchase of the Revo. This Optima Chest Mounted dive who just qualified, is he going on some kind of military mission, or is he/her using it as a back up?

Yep - read it and have been cautioned about SCD by people I trust in the industry. Not saying in particular about SCD, I'm sure they're ok, but I a product of my experience and shaped by those around me.

 

[mikesz]

I bought into 5 cells (expensive to replace). I bought into redundant scrubbers and independent electronics and blah blah blah. It all sounded great to someone inexperienced. I thought it was all important. It isn’t. 3 cells works just as good as 5. Redundant scrubbers? We don’t throw out unused sorb. If your CCR is good for 6 hours, we dive it for 6 hours. That may be 2 hours here, 3 hours there, etc,

What matters is Work Of Breathing and Flood Recovery. Don’t be suckered by the gimmicks like I was. @Capt Jim Wyatt was the third revo instructor in this country. Ask him what rebreather he bought last. What rebreather he dives. There’s a reason. We got smart and quit falling for good marketing and a subpar rebreather.

Yeah, I hear you.

 

[mikesz]

I have spent a lot of time speaking to both Lamar and Paul Ray Meekers. I find them both to be brilliant people. But I was blown away by Lamar. The side mount Optima and the chest mount Optima are works of art, and I don’t dive a rebreather. Never will.

Are you able to share any insights from your conversations?

 

[Scuba Client]

Yep - read it and have been cautioned about SCD by people I trust in the industry. Not saying in particular about SCD, I'm sure they're ok, but I a product of my experience and shaped by those around me.

Living in a cocoon can give one a false impression of the world. Ask for a second opinion on the other link I sent you. The diver is an expedition diver.

 

[mikesz]

Most people have a hard time admitting they made a $10,000 mistake. I’m not that person. I beat on every drum about how great the revo was, the the truly great people who knew more about CCR than I will ever know tolerated me, but gently nudged, “try something else, you have no frame of reference and no perspective”. I owned 4 Revo’s. My mistake was more than $10k. Today, this month, I made enough money to buy every rebreather on the market. I can have any piece of dive gear I want. There’s 5 CCR in the spare bedroom. If the revo was even in the top 5, dontcha think I’d have one?

Lamar and Paul are both brilliant. I know them both very well. The difference between the two is that Lamar will take constructive criticism to improve his optima, and he does actually improve it. Paul wouldn’t even admit his mushroom valves were defective until I crippled his sale of them with a black market alternative. That was a fun week, I can assure you.

Any complaints about the scrubber on the Optima? Is the horizontal orientation of any concern I should care about?