Quote: (Originally Posted by
robinzon)
Hey all,
I was recently at G Caymans and had a chance to try Evoltuion as a "rebreather experience". I dive OC but wanted to finally try/move to CCR. At any rate, things I did NOT like about the Evolution: mouthpiece is the cheapest POS I have ever seen
(cmon for that price tag you can get something a bit bigger ie Optima has a nice piece), swiveling closure of the circuit (I found that to be dangerous as opposed to having a handle), the BC is horrific with a thousand and one ways to tangle yourself - difficult to release. Now I have no rebreather experience but also Work of breathing is high (I hear Optima circuit is shorter for example and a little easier to breathe)... also when does the ADV kick in on the EVO? I had to use the diluent button all the time to fill up the CL .... What I did like is the new Vision Eletronics and the size... the unit is rel. small and well made.... ohh, almost forgot ... NO BOV VALVE
again for the price tag that should be Mandatory on it ....
Besides that the first 5 mins in the water were scary until you get a hand of filling counterlungs, controlling buoyancy, etc... there is certainly a learning curve... I dove with Divetech, which is the only CCR operation on the island.... as far as tech. diving they are great, though I do have to say I was dissappointed with most G. Cayman diving ops them included since they have that "here is the water go dive attitude..." (perhaps that is how it should be but I find that most other islands diving is much cheaper AND most dive boats really take care of you - ie sometimes its nice for someone to offer you the weights, change your tank, etc.... )
The ADV fires when you bottom out the lungs and I guarantee you did that so it mus have been switched off (Isolated) The WOB is balanced around loop volume (ie did you have too much gas in the loop) and position of the counterlungs. (ie were they pulled down tight or riding up over your shoulders.
When i first dived a classic i thought the WOB was a bit high but i soon found out it was the fact i was trying to over inflate the counterlungs with my lungs that was causing the problem.
Running the correct loop volume takes practice. It wont happen straight away. As a result it will be a while before you feel you have a lid on the breathing. I dived the classic and the Evo and the WOB for those units is good compared to the KISS and Edo5.
AP are launching a BOV in the future but in the mean time there are many good BOVs available for the unit. The trade off is the weight of them in your mouth.
The mouthpiece may or may not have been standard but if it had the larger (Thicker) bite pieces it is the proper AP one. This feels odd at first but its done to open the jaw more and reduce C02 retention. Loads of people swap them out for other things but its important to understand that standard mouthpieces allow more c02 buildup than the AP item.
ATB
Mark Chase