Revo or Optima?

[Tracy]

CCR divers like to gossip. Why don't you tell me your thoughts about the Liberty?

Optima is popular because Lamar is a legend.

I had a liberty last year, the finish quality is utterly amazing.
I found it to be more complex than it needed to be. If you bought one, I don't think you would go wrong, but I like simple field repairable units.

 

[Scuba Client]

I think it’s the greatest rebreather built. It’s a Ferrari to everyone else’s Honda

But that’s not the OP’s question in this thread.

What water temperatures have you tested the Optima to?

 

[Wookie]

Well there you go....
Lol, I too dive around the world and the most popular rebreather we’re seeing right now is the Optima. But, your people around the world probably know better than my people around the world lol

Without being a rebreather diver, but having serviced a lot of rebreather divers, it seems to me that when I started (everyone was diving Mk. 15’s, Ouroboros and Inspirations) that if you were innovative (as in, listening to your customers) you were the flavor of the day. As newer and newer designs came out, people jumped from AP to Meg to Revo to JJ to whatever the flavor of the day is. As a charter boat operator, I detest the Hollis and love the Optima, as I’ve never had an Optima user spill sorb on my deck. And, when Lamar comes on a trip, or one of his minions does, the trip is full.

I don’t believe that there is a “best” rebreather. There is a best rebreather for the type of diving one does, and there may well be a favorite rebreather. But I’m not sure about a best rebreather.

 

[Tracy]

Brilliant! Thanks for replying and confirming these aspects for me. It's really great to hear from people like yourself who have plenty of experience across a range of units.

Is there anything that I should watch out for before making a decision to get an Optima? Based on your experience...?

If you are already an OC tech diver, take the Choptima for a spin before you pull the trigger on a back mount.

 

[Superlyte27]

CCR divers like to gossip. Why don't you tell me your thoughts about the Liberty?

Optima is popular because Lamar is a legend.

You must be new here. People hated the Optima for a very long time. It was openly mocked and people said it would never be considered a technical rebreather. Lamar was still a legend 10 years ago also but his rebreather in the beginning was a joke to most.

Lamar had massive hurdles to overcome and it was overcoming those hurdles that put him in his current market share. It had zero to do with his legend status and everything to do with listening to his divers say what they needed in a rebreather. I was there for it. I remember the transitions. I was vocal in the limitations. Lamar is killing it because he was willing to listen and innovate and improve that piece of crap from 15 years ago to the awesome unit we have today. And it’s always been those bold moves that make Lamar legend, not the other way around.

 

[Scuba Client]

I had a liberty last year, the finish quality is utterly amazing.
I found it to be more complex than it needed to be. If you bought one, I don't think you would go wrong, but I like simple field repairable units.

I believe the Liberty has 5 sensors. Not cost effective.

 

[Tracy]

What water temperatures have you tested the Optima to?

Freezing through 85F. I dive and instruct in the Great Lakes.

 

[Scuba Client]

Hey everyone

Looking into those two units for my diving. I do a bit of everything in terms of diving - walls, reefs, wrecks at anything down to 55m. Have fair amount of experience and trained to adv nitrox and deco proc. But really looking for warm gas, more bottom time and less deco obligations, ideally on a unit that is solidly built, can take a bit rough treatment, has the least number of weaknesses and can travel.

Here is what I see and I’m looking for honest opinions, not religious war.

revo
+ dual scrubber design - seems like a great solution to minimise CO2 issues
+ SW electronics - rock solid
+ easier dil flush procedure - does not require specific positioning, just flush and let gas out of mouth piece
+ hCCR - can see some benefits to having CMF and also selonoid
- no flood protection - read plenty of accounts. I’d prefer at least some solution there
- revo dream P5/hud - can’t get my head around this. Seems so counter intuitive. Didn’t like the round hud format
- 5 o2 cells - seems like overkill and if the unit floods a big expense
- default harness - didn’t like the setup so I was thinking to replace with something like a transpac or similar, which then adds to cost
- WOB - have heard revo not the best
- cost - probably on the expensive side once configured to my liking
+ compactness/weight - great for travel - would love to revisit Truk or other locations. By default quite negative buoyant so may prove a challenge in a thin wet suit
+ local community - few people diving these locally in Aus
+ local support - my instructor favours the revo

optima
? Scrubber - I like the option of sorb and EAC. Thought I’m not necessarily looking to use the EAC. I wonder if the horizontal orientation could create channeling issues if the unit is packed and then rocked about in car or boat? Generally, I think it’s a good design.
+ SW electronics and Smithers hud - big plus there. Have heard optima is a lot better at maintaining P02 levels smoothly. Dual DiveCAN architecture with easy upgrades.
+ iBov - dive soft bov is a solid solution, and very convenient to manage most of the complex workload
+ compact/weight - like the compactness of the BMCL unit and didn’t think the Al20 tanks were a problem. Though I can see this is a bit different. Overall the weight is really great.
? Hose routing/manifolds - didn’t see this as a problem, but obviously a touch more complex to setup
+ WOB - have heard this is one of the best
+ 4 cells - I like the redundancy with 1-2-3 on the controller and 1-2-4 on the hud. Makes sense.
+ flood protection - has multiple water traps and can clear water out via exhale lung
+ local community - again same here, few people diving optima, revo and JJ’s
+ local support - plenty of support. Unit can be bought and serviced locally a lot quicker than revo
+ package - all in one package just the way I like it, so not additional costs in terms of harness, or SW hud etc
+ cost - seems the overall package is a bit cheaper if I take into account The upgrades to the revo I would like

I’m a technical guy so I have a monster spreadsheet with all RBs compared across 90 odd features, but what I don’t have is any experience on these units. That said, I did do a demo dive on the original optima FX many years ago and liked it then (except the hammerhead electronics - those were shite). I kind of like both units for different reasons but think optima just provides a slightly better balance of features I’m after.

I’d be very happy to hear from anyone about their experience on either of the units to help me add some practical dimensions to my thinking.

thanks in advance
Mike

If I'm still on this forum, get back to us on your Optima experience in about a year.

 

[Superlyte27]

I believe the Liberty has 5 sensors. Not cost effective.

You would be wrong — sorta
2 of those sensors are helium sensors that never need to be replaced.

 

[Wookie]

You must be new here. People hated the Optima for a very long time. It was openly mocked and people said it would never be considered a technical rebreather. Lamar was still a legend 10 years ago also but his rebreather in the beginning was a joke to most.

Lamar had massive hurdles to overcome and it was overcoming those hurdles that put him in his current market share. It had zero to do with his legend status and everything to do with listening to his divers say what they needed in a rebreather. I was there for it. I remember the transitions. I was vocal in the limitations. Lamar is killing it because he was willing to listen and innovate and improve that piece of crap from 15 years ago to the awesome unit we have today. And it’s always been those bold moves that make Lamar legend, not the other way around.

I believe that getting away from Hammerhead was difficult for him, and the beginning of the great Optimas. I have friends who sat on the boat with their broken Rev. D’s. More than once. It was expensive to sit on the boat. To use my doubles as well...