Welcome aboard.
The good news is there aren't many (any?) _bad_ units
on the market. The bad news is that makes choosing
just one unit all the more difficult.
I'd encourage you to consider support options (parts, access
to service techs), and what kind of unit(s) other people in
your area are diving, since similar units make it easier for
save-a-dive spares and having other divers to learn
tips & tricks from.
Your short list will probably include AP(Inspiration, Evolution),
Megalondon, O2ptima, and Kiss. And... if money were no object,
I would be happy to dive an Ouroborus - but thats about
9000 pounds (or $18000) for the unit itself and some extra bells
and whistles, which is a little rich for my hobbies.
I'm starting on a used Inspiration classic and a hammerhead.
After a few seasons go by, I should have an idea of what I
want to upgrade to (if anything). For depth ranges, I don't
see myself passing 100m any time soon. It was the widely
available parts and service that made a this a good choice
for me. That was 2 years ago, and the market is different
now.
Anyway...
I'm probalby going to dive this until a viable CO2 detector
has been in the field for a season or two, or some other
outstanding innovation comes to market that I can't live
without. The perfect unit wasn't out there when I looked,
this was good enough to get me started.
As far as the quirks and personalities of each unit, start
browsing the history of each unit's forum to see what people
are having issues with, or praising. That will give you an idea
of vendor responsiveness, design pros & cons, and whether
or not users are satsified with their respective ccr's.
Hmm... I'd also encourage you to spend some time reading the
incidents/accidents list to see what people are having trouble with,
and what kinds of risks you will be getting into. I really, really like
diving CCR but it has a variety of sneaky and effective ways
it can kill you compared to open circuit. I'm just saying go into
this with your eyes wide open.
Hmmm... that is a lot of reading. In all likeliehood, you're going
to drop at least 5,000 pounds on this investment (maybe 7k or
8k is more reasonable after training for mods 1, 2, & 3). Anyway,
I 'd say it is worth some extended research before you pull
the trigger.
I'm optimistic you'll find interesting things, no shortage of
opinions, and some genuninely good information here.
Good luck, happy readihg, and happy diving
[quote=scubaondown]
Quote: (Originally Posted by scubaondown)
My name is john and I am based in London.
I am an experienced UK wreck diver and am thinking of making the change from Open Circuit to CCR.
This seems like a good place to get help with choseing which unit I buy and then getting advice to make sure I dive it safely.
Any comments on best type of CCR for the UK wreck diving scene would be appreciated.
Once again hello to every one at Rebreather World.