I started with no agenda. I read everything I could on the subject and talked to CCR divers. I read on RBW. I read the Bozanic Book. I spoke to CCR instructors.
Then, I went to an Advanced Diver Magazine free seminar. I looked at the Meg, Sport KISS, Classic KISS and the Optima. We heard presentations from each manufacturer, and then we had a chance to test dive them in the water.
After all of this, I spoke to my instructor, asking him what he thought before I committed in any direction. It was after all of this that I elected to buy the Optima. Why?
I prefer the EA Cartridge. I think that what it really comes down to with the people that put it down is that it costs a little more. They will try to point to other reasons. However, under it all, that's what's really going on IMHO.
I think that the Optima trims out in the water better than any other unit. I do not have any issue with being arse down ever in the water. Yes, I have moved a bit of weight here and there. However, I have never seen another unit that trims out like this one.
WOB. Again, the horizontal canister and shorter hoses along with the EA cartridge. It makes sense, and it works.
Now, there are some things about other designs that I really like. For example, I think that the Meg is really solidly built. However, I went against this in the end because I do a lot of wreck diving.
Take a look at the hoses on the Meg and many other vertical canister designs. Notice how the hoses route from the canister. You will hear all kinds of attempts to skate around the issue that they are an entanglement hazard in wrecks. My favorite is: "Just use the bigger tanks. That blocks the hoses pretty well." Sorry, that doesn't cut it for me. With the Optima, you have just about the least worry of entanglement of anything out there (even over open circuit doubles IMHO).
The case not only looks streamlined but it actually is. And, because the case is the soft plastic, it will stay looking good for a lot longer than the scratched cases you will see swimming about underwater. After spending the kind of money you will have to spend on a CCR, you will want it to keep looking good. So, the Optima does well even in the vanity category.
I realize that resorting to using your diluent tank is very controversial. However, using 13 or 19 cubic foot tanks, it might be the last breath you ever take. The Optima, with its 27 cubic foot tanks and the Rite Source (ScubaPro Air II knock off) at least preserves the option of taking a breath from the diluent tank if there is ever any sort of delay in deploying a bailout bottle. Even if I never have to use it, I like the idea that it at least allows for this option to remain open.
Bail out valves are great. However, they have the trade off of making it more complex to pass off your tank to another diver. Using the Rite Source, you can take a breath while deploying your offboard gas, preserving the easy ability to pass off a bottle in an instant without having to disconnect. Again, that is only if you even have to resort to using the Rite Source. I just like having it as another option, and I like having it at least as much as a BOV.
There was another "icing on the cake" factor that came into play in my decision. Dive Rite Express, a sponsor on this site and one of the largest Dive Rite dealers in the world (correct me if I am wrong N2Diving), is 45 minutes from my home. I have enjoyed spending my time and money at the shop while sharing ideas with other people that know where I am coming from in this whole transition thing. I have had not just good but excellent service from both Dive Rite and Dive Rite Express even before this purchase, and I like the idea of working with large entities that I think will be around this business for a long time to come.
So, after considering all of these factors, I elected to get an Optima. This might not mean that this is the right unit for you. It is not so much that I am knocking any other unit. It is just that this one seems to make the best sense for me.
You will be happy with many of the choices that you make. My only suggestion is to start as an unemotional investigator on the path to something great. Eventually, the emotional attachment will come no matter what you do, and you will make your decision.