Welcome to Rebreather World.
That's quite a load in your intro post.
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I'd love to see an article here on Rebreather World - or, several articles - that lay out the pros and cons of many Rebreather's in wide use, and then rate on the following:
Knowledge falls into two categories, theoretical and practical. There aren't many people who have both on all units, have no personal agenda or vested intrest, have the skill to write well
and make the effort to do so. Which makes an article like that hard to come by.
I suggest a fund to get me trained on all units to get some practical experience, I write pretty decently and enjoy it, and I promise to stay as objective as I can.
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1) Most Value for Money.
That depends mostly on what you need and what you want from your rebreather. Obviously for most people the price does play some role, but no matter what it is, if the unit suits your diving you got good value for your money, if not you don't. With diver's profiles, needs and wants spanning a very broad range that is almost impossible to get it right for everyone. Different people value different things.
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2) Most User-Serviceable.
Probably the Jetsam units. Then again, I never serviced one.
Back to experience ... .
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3) Most Off-the-Shelf (can't think of a better term).
Not a bad term. Some rebreathers use a lot more propriatory parts than others, Dräger comes to mind, as does Steam Machines. I can't think of a rebreather that is sold commercially and build only from off-the-shelf parts.
Propriatory spares for rebreathers tend to be expensive, and most companies have had problems at one point or another getting parts fixed or replaced in a timely manner.
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4) Most Travel-Friendly.
Size and weight. Those numbers are fairly easy to come by.
Also, plenty of info in threads on that subject. The Sport Kiss in the backpack probably takes crown.
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5) Most Friendly to Casual* Divers (speaking of two dives a month).
That's another tough one, I think. The basic loop tends to be quite simple, and most if not all rebreathers come with check lists for pre- and post dive procedures. The Dive Rite with the scrubber cartridge stands out in that handling it is much easier and more convinient than packing granules. Units that have springloaded compression usually pack easier than units that don't.
Electronics are worth consideration, too. But again, the perception differs from diver to diver. I like them simple (like the PRISM and MK series), without having to scroll through menue after menue to select or unselect a function. Reading through manuals will give you an idea of what to expect and how much fiddling you will have to do. Some units have considerably more options, buttons and menues and hence a higher learning curve (Optima or Boris, for example) and require more practice to be proficient.
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6) Most User-Friendly. Since I'd like to fiddle with my gear as little as possible during a dive, I wouldn't mind electronics. Or would I?
Much of the last answer should apply well to this question, too.
I'm not sure if (some) electronics don't translate into more fiddling than not having any. In addition, you need to be proficient in controlling any unit manually, and controlling an eCCR manually is more fiddling than controlling a mCCR manually. A mCCR also translates into staying proficient since you always control the pO2 that way.
Another thought, can you get additional scrubber containers at an affordable price, so you can pack them at home. What does you typical dive day look like? Will you
have to pack onboard a rolling boat to do the last dive of the day. That sort of thing.
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7) Most Friendly to OC Buddies.
None of them are unless you have rebreather friendly buddies.
Some may be a bit worse than others due to unit reputation and buddy prejudice. A FFM with BOV is probably the easiest way for a non-Rebreather diving buddy to help. You don't really want people pushing your buttons that don't know what they're doing. If at all.
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8) "Least" in Failure Modes.
Not all that much difference, really. Electronic vs. manual gas addition is a main one, enclosed (rear) counterlungs vs. exposed another. So is number of bits and pieces, the more there are, the more can fail. The more connections, the more possible leaks. Pro and cons to all ... take your breathing hose example: Armored provides protection but doesn't allow (easy) crushing, done to check the one way valves during the dive (and making possible to control gas direction in case of failure).
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9) Most Beginner-Friendly.
Pretty much the same as in #5 and #6 answers this one.
If the unit is user friendly, it's easier as a beginner to use it.
Anyway, my 3¢ worth ... now lets start the collection.