Where should I start to approach the rebreather world

[Heat Miser]

How come the rEvo causes so much debate, it really seems to be the Marmite of the rebreather world, I don't think I ever see this much consternation about any other unit.

Amusing to watch tho!!

Its the shamwow in the bottom lung. Although some oldies have them in the top lung too.

In a recent trip I saw a SubMAtix with sponges in the lungs, I don't feel so bad about my rEvo shamwow now.

 

[Wibble]

In my dealings over the years, the guys who looked like crap and have no trim and buoyancy on rebreathers are always on revo. Obviously that’s just my personal observances in my area, but it doesn’t leave a good picture in your mind when you hear revo. Add to that, lots of features that some of us think are dumb or hyped to sound better than they are, and a unit with a lot of proprietary parts.

This, of course, is a wind up

Only a Revo diver would have 90 degree bailouts, lousy finning and rubbish trim. All other divers are perfect in every way and talk utter bollocks about a unit they know nothing about.

Hey, lets enjoy our differences. No! Be part of the borg, we have cookies.

 

[rsingler]

I use a shamwow in the bottom of my JJ can, if it helps...

 

[rjack321]

Its the shamwow in the bottom lung. Although some oldies have them in the top lung too.

In a recent trip I saw a SubMAtix with sponges in the lungs, I don't feel so bad about my rEvo shamwow now.

The Meg uses shamwows in the bottom of the canister (which usually stay super dry). The older 2.7 head has a small one in the head cell carriage - which gets soaked.

 

[RainPilot]

As a unit price reference, I sell the Poseidon in tech config (ready to dive, 100m plus battery, 2x solid state sensors and BP/W etc) for less than $12k, I throw in a Mod1 course if the purchaser comes to fetch the unit. Cells have a 10 year calibration life, that is about to be extended with service tech level recalibration kits being rolled out.

If you want regular sensors then it comes in about $2k cheaper, but you will be paying around 200 USD a year in sensors, depending if you shop around. The head is wired for both, so you can get a galvanic equipped unit then add in solid state as budget allows. The solid states really are a game changer in terms of safety and ease of use.

Service is every 2 years, kit costs around 50 USD and then whatever the service tech is going to charge (you can do a service tech course easily, then you dont pay any labour etc)

All the rest of the cost/benefit for gas savings etc will all be consistent throughout CCR units.

As a different note, you don't need to buy all those bailout tanks additional. Whatever you are using for your OC dives, those will be fine for CCR bailout, except you need a single tank to replace your twinset. As a predominantly sidemout diver, I haven't added one OC tank to the stable for CCR purposes. I have picked up extra 3L CCR tanks for convenience, usually used and pretty cheaply.

 

[stuartv]

As a unit price reference, I sell the Poseidon in tech config (ready to dive, 100m plus battery, 2x solid state sensors and BP/W etc) for less than $12k, I throw in a Mod1 course if the purchaser comes to fetch the unit. Cells have a 10 year calibration life, that is about to be extended with service tech level recalibration kits being rolled out.

If you want regular sensors then it comes in about $2k cheaper, but you will be paying around 200 USD a year in sensors, depending if you shop around. The head is wired for both, so you can get a galvanic equipped unit then add in solid state as budget allows. The solid states really are a game changer in terms of safety and ease of use.

Service is every 2 years, kit costs around 50 USD and then whatever the service tech is going to charge (you can do a service tech course easily, then you dont pay any labour etc)

All the rest of the cost/benefit for gas savings etc will all be consistent throughout CCR units.

As a different note, you don't need to buy all those bailout tanks additional. Whatever you are using for your OC dives, those will be fine for CCR bailout, except you need a single tank to replace your twinset. As a predominantly sidemout diver, I haven't added one OC tank to the stable for CCR purposes. I have picked up extra 3L CCR tanks for convenience, usually used and pretty cheaply.

Do you really think most CCR instructors would allow a MOD1 student to dive with 1 x big steel cylinder as their BO? I would expect most to require a single AL40 for MOD1 BO. Possibly allow an AL80, if the student has one they want to use.

In other words, is "whatever you are using for your OC dives, those will be fine for CCR bailout" really likely to be true in all cases?

 

[Wibble]

Then there's the question of sidemounting your stages. I had standard valves on my cylinders and swapped them for modular valves. Ended up buying another modular ali80 as one was full of trimix -- not going to throw that out just to change the valve!

Have found that I need:

• 1 x ali7 (232 bar) full of 32% for shallow dives less than 35m/120' (with RH modular valve to sidemount on LHS)
• 2 x ali7 (232 bar) full of 21/35 and 60% (with LH & RH modular valve) for dives to 50m/165'
• 2 x ali80 full of 18/45 and 60%, both with full-fills (with LH & RH modular valve) for deeper dives to 70m/230'

If pushing a longer bottom time below 30m/100' may use the two ali7s.

On top of all that, need the banking cylinders. Have 3 x 12 litre twinsets blown to ~270 bar with air, 100% and 10/75 trimix to be able to top off my rebreather cylinders.

Oh then two sets of rebreather cylinders; if you've done a deeper mix, then you've a spare diluent cylinder for shallower mixes.

Not forgetting a couple of suit inflation cylinders; a 2 litre steel 232 bar and 1.5 litre ali.

Total.... 13 singles + 3 twinsets.

(They do breed though; sidemount, other stages...)

 

[rjack321]

Do you really think most CCR instructors would allow a MOD1 student to dive with 1 x big steel cylinder as their BO? I would expect most to require a single AL40 for MOD1 BO. Possibly allow an AL80, if the student has one they want to use.

In other words, is "whatever you are using for your OC dives, those will be fine for CCR bailout" really likely to be true in all cases?

If you're diving a unit like a kiss sidekick, SM sf2, or a flex then absolutely. One "big" usually steel BO on the opposite side is typical. Whether it has an H or Y valve in it is a different matter. Likewise if a SM CCR is a good choice for anyone's first CCR (it rarely is).

Anyone moving from OC tech diving to CCR has al80s and 40s (or 7ls) around anyway. It's not like people in this position "only" have a set of double hp100s or something.

 

[rddvet]

This, of course, is a wind up

Only a Revo diver would have 90 degree bailouts, lousy finning and rubbish trim. All other divers are perfect in every way and talk utter bollocks about a unit they know nothing about.

Hey, lets enjoy our differences. No! Be part of the borg, we have cookies.

Im telling you what I see regularly around here whether you like it or not. I never said every revo diver looks like crap. But when you see so many crappy revo divers locally it laves a bad taste in your mouth. Talk to a lot of north Florida cave divers and they’ll probably tell you most revo divers in the caves aren’t impressive. Of course this is a generalization, but one arising from witnessed fact

 

[tbone1004]

Im telling you what I see regularly around here whether you like it or not. I never said every revo diver looks like crap. But when you see so many crappy revo divers locally it laves a bad taste in your mouth. Talk to a lot of north Florida cave divers and they’ll probably tell you most revo divers in the caves aren’t impressive. Of course this is a generalization, but one arising from witnessed fact

sad but true.... @Dsix36 is one of the rare exceptions, though I do tend to attribute that to quality of instructors more than the unit itself, and that instructor is not usually Sotis...