Why are they so expensive?

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Padipro:
Rebreathers are pretty complicated machines and if you take a really good look at one you can see why they might be a bit expensive.


ECCR's are relatively complicated and special tooling for custom parts is never cheap. R & D can be expensive, although most of the R & D is provided by people actually diving the unit. In all, I think expense is all relative. If you need it, you will get it. If you don't really need it, the item will be considered a luxury.

I know one thing - fashionable clothing is darn expensive and never worth the bucks...unless you think you need to look good. Who needs a Rolex that costs 12,000.00. I can get Timex which does an equally impressive job.

X
 
Thanks everyone,
Mr X, you're definitly right in your last statement. My Casio will keep time better than some Rolex's out there!

I realize that I was looking at rebreathers in a overly simplistic way. Using a rebreather is something I'd love to try someday but my chance may not come for a long time :( and Yes for me it would be a luxury item lol! :14:
 
Mr.X:
Who needs a Rolex that costs 12,000.00. I can get Timex which does an equally impressive job.X

Ya but that $19.95 Timex surely won't impress the women nearly as much as that $12,000.00 gold Rolex. :D
 
Padipro:
Ya but that $19.95 Timex surely won't impress the women nearly as much as that $12,000.00 gold Rolex. :D



LOL! :D I have found that expensive CCR's will do a number of things over the years:

With men - a ccr will intimidate some to the point where some may speak poorly of you and the unit. In the olden days of CCR I was often a pariah. CCR's could also attract to the point of being a carnival attraction. Thank heaven, CCR's are becoming standard fare and I am not requested as often to do a show and tell.

With women - they could typically give a toss about CCR's. I found that refreshing.

As per Rolex's - I have found that the only women who came around were after something more than my brains or personality. I can't say I minded this genre of woman as they were typically visually attired to bag & seal the deal. But after a while they got boring. Heck, most of em' couldn't even dive or risk breaking a fingernail.

X
 
Whats the point of spending 5-15 k on something if it doesn't pull chicks?
 
Tassie_Rohan:
Whats the point of spending 5-15 k on something if it doesn't pull chicks?
penis envy???? :rofl2:

$5K-I wish! ive stopped counting how much the MEG is costing us once i got past $18K (unit, stand, bottles, bailout, bp, new wing, training, flights, accomodation, blah blah blah)
 
So rebreather divers feel inadequate about the size of their, um, equipment?

Hmmmm, that explains it… [sound of things falling into place].

[don’t worry – I’ll be joining the ranks of the rebreather-huggers sometime]
 
It's a variety of factors that make up the price of a rebreather. It's quite easy, and fairly inexpensive, to build one. Parts were pointed out in the first post, and if you search this forum or the web you'll find links to the "$100 rebrather", and, if I recall correctly, even the "$1 rebreather". However, it's quite a different matter to build a good rebreather. That takes quite some craftsman skills and engineering knowledge. Unless you've got it all and do it for yourself, neither the skills nor the knowledge comes cheap.

Next comes the testing, ranging from a homebuilder hitting the local pond to preparing production, paying for actual testing and in a couple of cases CE certification (that alone is upward of €50K, more than $75K!) ... if all the homework was done in the first place and no changes are needed to pass.

While you ramp up production, you need to get an instructor base set up, too. Usually that starts with the boss and a couple of more or less experienced key instructors diving the prototypes and early production units. Ain't nothing for free, they either keep the rigs or get them for very little.

Next, so you can sell that "really expensive" rebreather you need to actually build it.
Broad variances here, too. Some units are made mostly from molds, such as the Inspo/Evo, Sport Kiss and the Optima. That translates into very high tooling costs, but allows for relativly cheap actual production runs for those parts. Others, like the Classic Kiss, Meg or Boris are almost entirely machined. Makes it easier to change stuff, has considerably less tooling costs, but is only price effective for low production numbers. Both skilled labor and less effective use of raw materials make machining an expensive proposition.

Last but not least, everyone involved in the project needs to make a living. From whoever keeps the books and answers the phone to the guy packing and shipping the rigs. And they should. Having had the opportunity to meet most of the manufacturers, and visit several of them, I can tell you that none have made riches so far from being in the rebreather manufacturing business. Some make a decent living, others don't really. Some have other sources of income, manufacturing, engineering and/or selling other stuff.

As for the costs mentioned in the initial post, civilian RBs are somewhere between $5K and around $18K, with the majority costing around between $8-9K. All depends on the model, the options and the exchange rates in case of foreign products (which currently really sucks for US buyers). The $50K mentioned are for a military unit where a single tank made from non-magnetic inconel costs over $1K, the piezo-electronic O2 injection valve costs almost as much as the average civillian CCR and whose target market has very deep pockets.

For used units the market obviously makes price based on availabilty and demand. Used CCRs can be had for $3K or $15K.

As far as product liability insurance is concerned, I'm not even sure all manufacturers can afford it. Especially in the US I would be surprised as such insurance coverage is outrageously high.
 
Mr.X:
LOL! :D I have found that expensive CCR's will do a number of things over the years:

With men - a ccr will intimidate some to the point where some may speak poorly of you and the unit.X

:confused: Hummmmm, I experiencing that very phenomena from some of my old OC buddies. :shakehead
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

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