Megalodon v Ouroboros Comparison

Megalodon v Ouroboros Comparison
By Dave Cooper


So I said that I would do a comparison article about the Ouroboros and Megalodon so here goes.

I have had my Meg for a year now and my Boris for 3 months.


Cylinders

The Megalodon is a neat modular rebreather, the owner can decide what size tanks to fit to the cannister using either G-Snaps or the more traditional Tiger Mounts.

My Meg has Tigers, and really having considered the reduction in width of about 2 inches for the G-Snaps, I just couldn’t really be bothered.

I use either 2 or 3 litre cylinders on my Meg as seen in the attached photos.

The Boris comes with 2 litre cylinders, however there is soon to be a composite base for the Boris which will raise it enough for me to fit some stumpy 3 litre cylinders in their place. Currently those cylinders are 5mm too long so the base is a must.

Build Quality

Production quality on both units is absolutely stunning, APD units like the Inspiration and Evolution, look like cheap toys, when in the company of either of these beasts.

Everything is machined on the Boris from Delrin, giving a good quality, hard wearing solid feel to the unit. The case is made of carbon fibre but still needs careful handling, especially around the base where the unit sits all of its weight.

Again for the Meg, everything is machined, except for the t-pieces that are moulded, like the Boris the feel of the unit oozes quality.

In The Water

Swim wise both units are a dream to dive, I love the Meg as it is a very compact CCR, the hoses are quite short and overall it is easy to poke in and out of wrecks with ease.

The Boris breathes and swims like a dream, the clutter free chest allows for the nostalgia of the old OC days to creep back, at a push I would even say that the Boris breathes better than the Meg, though there is hardly anything in it.

Size-wise as can be seen by the photos the Boris is bigger, but in depth both are similar given the added encumbrance of the Meg counter lungs.


Head Up Display

Both units have a HUD, I love the way that the Meg gives me my PPO2 for all 3 cells at a glance, also the way the Boris visually alerts me to alarms, my solenoid working, my PPO2 with regard to my setpoint and my deco is really cool.

If I could get a mixture of both it would really be great.

I think HUDS are a great idea, when teaching the Meg I can instantly get someone’s PPO2 just by looking at the reflection of the HUD in their mask.

Likewise the Boris also has a PPO2 readout on the back and has all four lights as per the HUD. This is a useful tool and enables us all to keep an eye out for each other.

Breakdown and Assembly

Both units strip down easily allowing disinfection to be carried out.

Leon provides all Meg users with a predive checksheet that is signed and ticked off against all tasks as they are completed.

With Boris there are plenty of predive checks that are carried out and prompted by the controller, the checks are thorough and necessary.

Calibration

Calibration on the Boris is very easy following four O2 flushes and can easily be cross corroborated with the passive secondary.

Calibration on the Meg is also easy, using a direct flow of O2 through the head and a neat calibration kit.

The cells on the Boris can easily be removed for storage indoors, this would be a great extra to have on the Meg and is one of my only criticisms of the unit.

As I no longer have my Shearwater on my Meg both units have two handsets, on the Boris the HUD is the primary and the left handset the secondary, there is also a passive right hand controller give PPO2 and millivolt readings at a glance.

Hopefully this article will give you some thoughts about the comparison of both units.

I have deliberately avoided breakdown or detailed component photos as these are readily available on the web.

Anyone looking to get a Meg or wanting to do a Meg Mod 1 or Meg Trimix course feel free to contact me at info@zerogravitydiving.com

Cheers,

Dave Cooper.

Technical Training from Diver to Instructor
CCR Training to Mixed Gas on Inspiration/Evolution/Megalodon
www.zerogravitydiving.com
"ONCE YOU HAVE EARNT YOUR CERTIFICATION, WE AWARD IT. YOU CANNOT BUY IT."



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