A question of support

mik · 12th January 2007, 09:40

I decided a while ago that I would like to get a rebreather so that I can get into diving deeper wrecks more safely and while carrying less gas. Unfortunately, I have reached a road block. I have done a lot of research and narrowed my choice of rebreather down to the Meg and the Inspiration Vision but I am leaning towards the Meg. I love the Inspo for its bells and whistles complete package but I love the ruggedness and customizability of the Meg. I think that they would both be excellent rebreathers for me but both also have their drawbacks. One of the biggest with the Meg is that I live on the other side of this Wide Brown Land from the only Australian distributor while my friendly Inspo dealer is just around the corner. Both have extensive spares and can service most hardware on their rebreathers.

I have spent a lot of time talking to and emailing both guys and they have both done a very good job to convince me that either rebreather will do the trick for me. My question is: how important is local support, particularly for a new rebreather diver in an area where there is only one other diver on the same rig? The Meg instructor will only ever be a phone call/email away but is it sometimes necessary to actually have a person to visit when dealing with rebreather distributors?

Look forward to your responses

Chris · 12th January 2007, 10:16

Hi Mik
Good to see another Aussie Going down the CCR path.

Being on the other side of the country to you I can honestly say you will not have any problems with support or spares from CCRdiving. Steve keeps a complete stock of spare parts for the Megs locally and ready to be shipped at anytime.

I think benefits on the support for the Meg over the Inspo is pretty much all repairs can be done in Australia. So many times I have read and seen mates diving AP units and PRISM's

having to send heads, handsets and the like overseas to have them repaired and being out of the water for weeks and months. Steve has completed the Meg Service Technician course and can complete pretty much any repair needed on the Megs in Australia, and in most cases if he can't repair it, the part can be swapped out while waiting on Leon to do his good work.

I moved to the Meg for the same reasons as you are looking at buying one, the things is built like a tank and are so much more versatile and easy to travel with. There is very little that ever goes wrong with the Megs, and if it ever does a quick call to Steve will have you up and running in no time, the longest you would be out of the water for is the time it would take to air freight parts over to you.

The other benefit of the Meg is the training, Steve is an outstanding instructor I have done a number of courses with him and having just completed my Meg course can say it was the most in-depth course I have ever done. All the guys in Australia diving the Megs know if they need a hand with anything they can always get him on the phone.

I would not worry about being one of a handful of Meg divers on the East Coast There are 9 <Megs over here now and the interest this is generating on your side of the island is significant. I believe there will be substantial Meg sales over East this year.

Cheers
Chriso

sven · 12th January 2007, 10:17

Quote: (Originally Posted by mik)

I decided a while ago that I would like to get a rebreather so that I can get into diving deeper wrecks more safely and while carrying less gas. Unfortunately, I have reached a road block. I have done a lot of research and narrowed my choice of rebreather down to the Meg and the Inspiration Vision but I am leaning towards the Meg. I love the Inspo for its bells and whistles complete package but I love the ruggedness and customizability of the Meg. I think that they would both be excellent rebreathers for me but both also have their drawbacks. One of the biggest with the Meg is that I live on the other side of this Wide Brown Land from the only Australian distributor while my friendly Inspo dealer is just around the corner. Both have extensive spares and can service most hardware on their rebreathers.

I have spent a lot of time talking to and emailing both guys and they have both done a very good job to convince me that either rebreather will do the trick for me. My question is: how important is local support, particularly for a new rebreather diver in an area where there is only one other diver on the same rig? The Meg instructor will only ever be a phone call/email away but is it sometimes necessary to actually have a person to visit when dealing with rebreather distributors?

Look forward to your responses

Mik,

There is another Meg diver in Sydney. PM me with your real-world email address and I forward it to him. He may be the best person to answer your question.

On the other hand: Ask all of us who go for our regular Rebreather worship to Bazza's altar (should read shop) how important that sort of local support is ... I personally decided to go down the Inspo path mainly for two reasons: number of units out there (=field testing) and local support/service for the mechanical parts.

***Decodiver*** · 12th January 2007, 10:53

I have only had to send my Meg back once in over 2 years, and that was to get the Shearwater changed to Apecs 2.

Mine went Europe to USA which is further than from one side of Oz to the other!

They are very robust and well built, you should not have a problem.

Cheers,

Dave Cooper.

Andy Del · 12th January 2007, 20:51

Quote: (Originally Posted by Chris)

Hi Mik
The other benefit of the Meg is the training, Steve is an outstanding instructor I have done a number of courses with him and having just completed my Meg course can say it was the most in-depth course I have ever done.

So Chris, did Steve do the trick with a slate and writing in teeny weenie letters 'I'm gonna be a pr**k' drill on you?

Chris · 13th January 2007, 01:40

Quote: (Originally Posted by sven)

Mik,
I personally decided to go down the Inspo path mainly for two reasons: number of units out there (=field testing) and local support/service for the mechanical parts.

Yea I guess for the Inspo its better to have that local support/service for the mechcanical parts

Quote:

So Chris, did Steve do the trick with a slate and writing in teeny weenie letters 'I'm gonna be a pr**k' drill on you?

Nope but I did learn that unlike the PRISM, you don't need to drop your pants to Calibrate the Meg.....

Cheers
Chriso

Dave & Sandy · 13th January 2007, 02:07

Hi Mik,

I don't think it is a problem to deal with someone across the other side of Australia. We live in melbourne and have found it easy to deal with Bazza in Sydney. Parts are shipped pronto and emails are answered quickly. I reckon you'd get the same service from Steve having talked to him a couple of times on the phone.

In terms of hardware problems, you will learn to fix problems yourself. I reckon it's the only way to get to know your unit. O rings and molex can all be changed yourself, initially with a bit of guidance from either Bazza or Steve, depending on which way you go.

Electronics, I'd imagine with either unit, will need to go back to either the UK or US depending on the complexity of the problem.

Both guys don't want to see you missing dives so will be quick to help you out.

Good luck with your decision and have fun, no matter which one you pick.

iDiveChick · 13th January 2007, 05:09

If you get Hearn's great travel frame, the issue of travel and configuration adapability ie, the ability to use different 02 and dil cylinders resolves one issue you have with the Inspo.

RonMicjan · 13th January 2007, 05:17

Yup, service on the meg is excellent and Steve is a great guy. Were you considering getting a unit around Oztek? I am coming over and can bring a unit for you. Steve and I intend to do a meg course right after oztec, so if you so desire, let him know.

mik · 13th January 2007, 06:04

Quote:

So Chris, did Steve do the trick with a slate and writing in teeny weenie letters 'I'm gonna be a pr**k' drill on you?

Quote:

Yea I guess for the Inspo its better to have that local support/service for the mechcanical parts

I was hoping to keep this clean by saying that BOTH units are excellent for me but, alas, it was not to be.

Quote:

Were you considering getting a unit around Oztek? I am coming over and can bring a unit for you

Ron, I have already spoken about this option with Steve. Sounds good!

As I suspected in the end it will come down to personal choice and I will just have to live with the decision. Hopefully if I chose the Meg I can still get sorb from Baz for less than $100000/kg

(don't get any ideas Baz!)

12th January 2007, 09:40	#1 (permalink)
mik New Member Current Rebreather/s: Inspiration Vision Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Sydney North Posts: 75	A question of support I decided a while ago that I would like to get a rebreather so that I can get into diving deeper wrecks more safely and while carrying less gas. Unfortunately, I have reached a road block. I have done a lot of research and narrowed my choice of rebreather down to the Meg and the Inspiration Vision but I am leaning towards the Meg. I love the Inspo for its bells and whistles complete package but I love the ruggedness and customizability of the Meg. I think that they would both be excellent rebreathers for me but both also have their drawbacks. One of the biggest with the Meg is that I live on the other side of this Wide Brown Land from the only Australian distributor while my friendly Inspo dealer is just around the corner. Both have extensive spares and can service most hardware on their rebreathers. I have spent a lot of time talking to and emailing both guys and they have both done a very good job to convince me that either rebreather will do the trick for me. My question is: how important is local support, particularly for a new rebreather diver in an area where there is only one other diver on the same rig? The Meg instructor will only ever be a phone call/email away but is it sometimes necessary to actually have a person to visit when dealing with rebreather distributors? Look forward to your responses __________________ It just fell apart in my hands, Chief!
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12th January 2007, 10:16	#2 (permalink)
Chris Go Nude Or Go Home Current Rebreather/s: Megalodon Other Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Megalodon Prism Topaz Sport Kiss Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 615	Re: A question of support Hi Mik Good to see another Aussie Going down the CCR path. Being on the other side of the country to you I can honestly say you will not have any problems with support or spares from CCRdiving. Steve keeps a complete stock of spare parts for the Megs locally and ready to be shipped at anytime. I think benefits on the support for the Meg over the Inspo is pretty much all repairs can be done in Australia. So many times I have read and seen mates diving AP units and PRISM's having to send heads, handsets and the like overseas to have them repaired and being out of the water for weeks and months. Steve has completed the Meg Service Technician course and can complete pretty much any repair needed on the Megs in Australia, and in most cases if he can't repair it, the part can be swapped out while waiting on Leon to do his good work. I moved to the Meg for the same reasons as you are looking at buying one, the things is built like a tank and are so much more versatile and easy to travel with. There is very little that ever goes wrong with the Megs, and if it ever does a quick call to Steve will have you up and running in no time, the longest you would be out of the water for is the time it would take to air freight parts over to you. The other benefit of the Meg is the training, Steve is an outstanding instructor I have done a number of courses with him and having just completed my Meg course can say it was the most in-depth course I have ever done. All the guys in Australia diving the Megs know if they need a hand with anything they can always get him on the phone. I would not worry about being one of a handful of Meg divers on the East Coast There are 9 <Megs over here now and the interest this is generating on your side of the island is significant. I believe there will be substantial Meg sales over East this year. Cheers Chriso __________________ Megalodon Sorb and Sensors whilst in Australia www.divetub.com.au Diving & Photography @ www.uwphotog.com Last edited by Chris : 12th January 2007 at 10:22.
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12th January 2007, 10:17	#3 (permalink)
sven Blogs Admin / Forum Mod Current Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Other Rebreather/s: Evolution Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Sydney Posts: 551	Re: A question of support Quote: (Originally Posted by mik) I decided a while ago that I would like to get a rebreather so that I can get into diving deeper wrecks more safely and while carrying less gas. Unfortunately, I have reached a road block. I have done a lot of research and narrowed my choice of rebreather down to the Meg and the Inspiration Vision but I am leaning towards the Meg. I love the Inspo for its bells and whistles complete package but I love the ruggedness and customizability of the Meg. I think that they would both be excellent rebreathers for me but both also have their drawbacks. One of the biggest with the Meg is that I live on the other side of this Wide Brown Land from the only Australian distributor while my friendly Inspo dealer is just around the corner. Both have extensive spares and can service most hardware on their rebreathers. I have spent a lot of time talking to and emailing both guys and they have both done a very good job to convince me that either rebreather will do the trick for me. My question is: how important is local support, particularly for a new rebreather diver in an area where there is only one other diver on the same rig? The Meg instructor will only ever be a phone call/email away but is it sometimes necessary to actually have a person to visit when dealing with rebreather distributors? Look forward to your responses Mik, There is another Meg diver in Sydney. PM me with your real-world email address and I forward it to him. He may be the best person to answer your question. On the other hand: Ask all of us who go for our regular Rebreather worship to Bazza's altar (should read shop) how important that sort of local support is ... I personally decided to go down the Inspo path mainly for two reasons: number of units out there (=field testing) and local support/service for the mechanical parts. __________________ Regards, Sven The Sydney Project website: http://www.sydneyproject.com My Blog: http://sven.rebreatherworld.com "Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it's time to pause and reflect." Mark Twain
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12th January 2007, 10:53	#4 (permalink)
*Decodiver* Administrator Current Rebreather/s: Other CCR Other Rebreather/s: Other CCR Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Geneva Posts: 2,194	Re: A question of support I have only had to send my Meg back once in over 2 years, and that was to get the Shearwater changed to Apecs 2. Mine went Europe to USA which is further than from one side of Oz to the other! They are very robust and well built, you should not have a problem. Cheers, Dave Cooper. __________________ CCR/OC Trimix Instructor Trainer CCR Training to Mixed Gas in Switzerland, France, UK & Germany on Megalodon/COPIS-Megalodon/KISS/Sport KISS/Ouroboros/rEvo/Inspiration/Evolution/Sentinel www.zerogravitydiving.com Rebreather World Terms & Conditions
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12th January 2007, 20:51	#5 (permalink)
Andy Del Classic KISSer Current Rebreather/s: Sport Kiss Classic Kiss Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Australia, Sunny Sydney Posts: 438	Re: A question of support Quote: (Originally Posted by Chris) Hi Mik The other benefit of the Meg is the training, Steve is an outstanding instructor I have done a number of courses with him and having just completed my Meg course can say it was the most in-depth course I have ever done. So Chris, did Steve do the trick with a slate and writing in teeny weenie letters 'I'm gonna be a pr**k' drill on you? __________________ Yellow - the colour of greatness!
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13th January 2007, 01:40	#6 (permalink)
Chris Go Nude Or Go Home Current Rebreather/s: Megalodon Other Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Megalodon Prism Topaz Sport Kiss Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 615	Re: A question of support Quote: (Originally Posted by sven) Mik, I personally decided to go down the Inspo path mainly for two reasons: number of units out there (=field testing) and local support/service for the mechanical parts. Yea I guess for the Inspo its better to have that local support/service for the mechcanical parts Quote: So Chris, did Steve do the trick with a slate and writing in teeny weenie letters 'I'm gonna be a pr*k' drill on you? Nope but I did learn that unlike the PRISM, you don't need to drop your pants to Calibrate the Meg..... Cheers Chriso __________________ Megalodon Sorb and Sensors whilst in Australia www.divetub.com.au Diving & Photography @ www.uwphotog.com Last edited by Chris : 13th January 2007 at 01:47.*
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13th January 2007, 02:07	#7 (permalink)
Dave & Sandy RBW Member Current Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 106	Re: A question of support Hi Mik, I don't think it is a problem to deal with someone across the other side of Australia. We live in melbourne and have found it easy to deal with Bazza in Sydney. Parts are shipped pronto and emails are answered quickly. I reckon you'd get the same service from Steve having talked to him a couple of times on the phone. In terms of hardware problems, you will learn to fix problems yourself. I reckon it's the only way to get to know your unit. O rings and molex can all be changed yourself, initially with a bit of guidance from either Bazza or Steve, depending on which way you go. Electronics, I'd imagine with either unit, will need to go back to either the UK or US depending on the complexity of the problem. Both guys don't want to see you missing dives so will be quick to help you out. Good luck with your decision and have fun, no matter which one you pick. __________________ Cheers, Dave & Sandy Atvar shows Dave & Sandy testing their new habitat 101 and home build RBMK69's
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13th January 2007, 05:09	#8 (permalink)
iDiveChick Banned Current Rebreather/s: Evolution Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 13	Re: A question of support If you get Hearn's great travel frame, the issue of travel and configuration adapability ie, the ability to use different 02 and dil cylinders resolves one issue you have with the Inspo.
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13th January 2007, 05:17	#9 (permalink)
RonMicjan Cap Ron scourge of the NW Current Rebreather/s: Megalodon Dolphin Home Build Other Rebreather/s: Sport Kiss Classic Kiss Dolphin Home Build Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Cape Disapointment, The Graveyard of the Pacific Posts: 1,120	Re: A question of support Yup, service on the meg is excellent and Steve is a great guy. Were you considering getting a unit around Oztek? I am coming over and can bring a unit for you. Steve and I intend to do a meg course right after oztec, so if you so desire, let him know. __________________ Marine rescue, towing and salvage. Interfering with natural selection since 1983. www.tmishop.com Diving bits etc. www.seatowpdx.com The Summer Job
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13th January 2007, 06:04	#10 (permalink)
mik New Member Current Rebreather/s: Inspiration Vision Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Sydney North Posts: 75	Re: A question of support Quote: So Chris, did Steve do the trick with a slate and writing in teeny weenie letters 'I'm gonna be a prk' drill on you? Quote: Yea I guess for the Inspo its better to have that local support/service for the mechcanical parts I was hoping to keep this clean by saying that BOTH units are excellent for me but, alas, it was not to be. Quote:** Were you considering getting a unit around Oztek? I am coming over and can bring a unit for you Ron, I have already spoken about this option with Steve. Sounds good! As I suspected in the end it will come down to personal choice and I will just have to live with the decision. Hopefully if I chose the Meg I can still get sorb from Baz for less than $100000/kg (don't get any ideas Baz!) __________________ It just fell apart in my hands, Chief! Last edited by mik : 13th January 2007 at 06:14. Reason: spulling!
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