Why you chose a Classic KISS over a Sports KISS and vice-versa

bobmaggi

I picked the Classic because the depth limitation fitted the type of diving I have been doing up here in the Great Lakes. I also liked the simplicity and robustness of the unit. With 64 hours on the unit I haven't been disappointed yet. I haven't missed any dives due to the unit. The only change I plan on making is adding a Shearwater computer and HUD once the finances get back in shape!

Bob

caveseeker7

Dave, I had been playing with the thought of getting a Sports Kiss for a while.
Even though I want a PRISM eventually (and maybe a MK for good measure), I really liked Gordon's design and innovation. The unit is a breeze to strip and maintain, I like the small size for travelling, the option of getting an alu case for that purpose. Spares are easily available and for most part reasonably priced. The simplicity of the system appeals to me enormously.

Actually buying it was a spur of the moment decision. I had decided to move back to Germany and wasn't able to get a PRISM in time to bring it along (as moving goods, saving on separate shipping and taxes/duty).

SSA in Montclair had just received the first three Sport Kisses, and Alan Studley was scheduled to teach a class a week later. Too good a situation to pass up.

The Sport Kiss lived up to the expectations I had, really enjoy diving it. Can't imagine wanting to sell it, even as other units come along.

Perfect unit for the intended use, which all of my current diving is and most of my diving will likely be in the future, too. Alan's class was great, getting to know him well a superb bonus. One of the nicest people I've met in the Rebreather industry.

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buggeriamold

I purchased my ck just as the sport was released, and the funny shaped scrubber and lack of widespread user experience with the sport made me think that as a beginner i would be happier with a more proven design.



Mark

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Well, it is cheap stuff and it comes almost from the local gardening store, but it works fine and it's very solid. We tried to destroy one by hitting it with a hammer... we succeeded but we really had to hit it hard.

narked@10m

hi dave
dive a sport now ,reason for choosing was first seeing phi pack one in rucksack!!
but since now having owned for about 18 months i now prefer diving this over my visioned inspo.
only real trouble ive had is with handsets flooding so since now have shearwater.managed to break a few bits around pods but now have protector handle.
but is def more rugged than it looks though.
dave see my pics of handle.
as the exposed pods are my only critisum of the sport.
atb pete

MHD

With the 13 cubic foot al cylinder the sports kiss is a dream to handle regarding weight. great for people who do not want to lug much weight and still have extended bottom times.

Much prefer lifting it into the boat than another other unit. Also sits nicely due to it the flat bottom in the boat.

If the person is only looking to dive to 50m the SK wins for it general ease of assembly and handling over all.

Matt

grandizer52

Since i dive a dolphin...i recently converted to CCR finding it has limits...was thinking of going to a kiss...live in hawaii but travel, and i'm not gentle on anything...what unit would you guys recommend?
laytah
steve

Scuttle

I did the same with the SCR Dolphin, converted it to CCR, not quite for me, then went to Oztek in Sydney 2004 to speak with Kiss gurus, Gordon & Kim. Still couldn't decide until it was recommend that the classic would suit my dive profiles, greater than 50m. I had looked at the classic in operation with Steve James first off & was impressed. Doc Richard Harris was doing some dives with the CK at Southern Cross Divers during the show that I happened to be on & he stripped it down to show me between dives. I chose the CK in the end but having to use a tool kit to strip the unit was an extra burden time & weight for travel. The ck is tuff & has taken a pounding. Weak point was the po2 monitors housing cracking & I had them replaced under warranty with the updated version & can now say they that they are a reliable gauge like the rest of the unit after a solid 3 months of intense deep diving this year.
I am very happy with my purchase overall, great service, reliable, & cost effective for entering the mainstream of training on reconised breathers in the market place. Using a lot of my O/C gear on the kit was a factor but the
Mixed gas option was the "coup de grace".
Well worth the extra money spent.

Ben Field

Have been diving the SK for a year now and just upgraded to the CK.

The move was purely and simply to do Mod2/3 for diving deeper than 50mtrs.

Had my first dive on the CK just yesterday and was almost overjoyed to find that to dive it is as near identical as I could have hoped! Obvious perhaps but the underlying concern that I might not like it after the SK was there, happy to report it was great! (Almost exactly 6years since I first tried one! (Thanks Phi))

Yes, the SK is faster to strip down to bare bones and the scrubber is much faster and simplier to pack, also you can travel with it alittle easier due to the way it breaks down into small chunks.

However, once assembled the CK is actually smaller in some respects, its shorter and narrower and while I needed the frame on the SK to make it comfortable I found that even after 65minute dive on the CK I had no back pain, another pleasent surprise.

As excellently outlined earlier in the thread the "differences" are really minimal in all but appearance.

The real factors of choice IMVHO are-
Intial slight cost difference
Percieved traveling benefits as per your diving
Local qualification/insurance issues if you choose to dive deeper than 50mtrs.

One last benefit is that whichever you buy, changing to the other will be a relatively painless and stressfree, to dive you could be forgiven for forgetting which one you actually have on your back :-)

BEN

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lizardland

I bought the CK because it was more like what I needed. I dive mostly out of the back of a Jeep and I don't tend to dive on holidays so weight wasn't really an issue. I'd heard the Sport wasn't that robust (based entirely on that great information service, gossip) and having had a nosey around them I thought I'll quite easily screw-up/break something on it, as well as thinking that I just don't like the look of it. I also wanted the longer/deeper rating of the CK. As others have said, the CK had been around a while and there weren't really any new unit specific issues getting discovered whereas the SK was new to the market (I'm a professional cynic). Finally, I knew quite a few people with CK's and knew the type of diving they were doing with there's was akin to what I wanted it for.

OK, there was one more... I got my CK for less than the cost of an SK.

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decoweenie

Here you were 6 years ago...

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