We finally took the plunge!

**Gill Envy** · 8th March 2006, 00:54

We finaly did it! We finally made a decision and put $$money$$ down on an evolution, make that two (one for my wife). This was after four months of daily reading, trying out various units, asking lots of question on Rebreather World, visiting every store within driving distance that is into rebreathers (we have three

) and talking about rebreathers to my wife until she was pretty much rethinking the whole marriage thing

.
I thought it had come down to a used inspo or a meg. The inspo in the end seemed too big for our needs, boxy, heavy and felt combersome in the water water, albeit in a swimming pool. The meg was hard to turn down, such a nice kit and a devoted following, but no integrated deco electronics. Though I’m told they are on the way, they will likely drive the cost of the meg up to match that of the evolution.
This was not the direction I thought we’d go but in the end it came down to the electronics. My wife and I are recreational divers, we like to keep it simple and compact…one screen and a red and green light and a relatively small kit should allow us to do what we love most, check out the critters up close and personal and take lots of amazing photographs and venture off into the depths once we are ready. The vision electronics just won me and my wife over, seemed to set the evolution apart from the others for the kind of diving we want to do. The temp stick and intelligent injection both were particularly appealing to me. While we have every intention of paying close attention to our stats and making sure the unit is working properly while we are diving, we are looking forward to it’s automation.
The smaller size of the bottles and scrubber just didn’t seem like a draw back since we are not planning on doing super long dives. Also, as far as bigger units and more capacity, it’s not like a bigger unit means a smaller bail out bottle since size of bail out is determined by depth not dilluent and oxygen bottles size. The small size, light weight and improvements on weighting over the inspo are also plusses. We ordered it fully loaded with nitrox/trimix software, which should keep us clear of the reported software bugs/patches and give us lots of growing room. We sprung for an extra set of bottles for each, figuring that with two full sets of tanks we can go just about anywhere for a lot of diving and not have to worry about refills. Also, as far as modularity and flexibility, after seeing the travel frame, I realized that if I really want modularity I can mix and match canister and tanks between the evolution and inspiration on the travel frame down the line to get more extended range.
So, now, the waiting and dreaming begin. About all I can think about is us in our kayaks, paddling, out for a weekend camp/dive expedition in the san juans or northern gulf islands with everything we need for the weekend on our kayaks. I can’t help but think that the virtual silence both above and below water will feel so serene and provide many close encounters we won’t forget. FREEDOM IS CALLING!
G

The runners up:
The meg:
The Pros: I really like how well built and versatile the meg is, taking a wide range of bottle sizes and scrubber canisters with no back cover; really, all of them should be designed this way in my opinion.
The Cons:
We would need to purchase an additional VR3’s or equivalent per unit and then have two screens to go back and forth between or wait for the new electronics to come out…I don’t want to wait and the cost will add up to about the same as the evo.
My wife was particularly apprehensive about the small size of the company and the reliability of the electronics and felt that it was really best for tec divers who want a lot of capacity, to pretty much dive the rig manually and use the electronics as back up. It didn’t help my impression that folks from inner space bailed on the rebreather try out at the last minute, haven’t answered my email or even list themselves on their answering machine. From the meg fest atmosphere of Rebreather World it is apparent that their product is good enough that they don’t really need to try very hard to reach out to new customers. Without being able to try out the unit or readily contact that company I fell pray to the fears that going with a small company, run by one main guru just might actually have it’s draw backs as the AP valve enthusiasts proclaim.

A used Inspo:
Pros: lower cost, a well established company, lots of units out there.
Cons: big, boxy, no integrated deco (unless you upgrade$$), also non-versatile…unless you put it on a travel frame, which I just might do with the evolution.

The Optima:
Pros: This unit felt the best in the pool. Really nice harness system, obviously benefiting from years of oc tec production. Really nice fit, I liked the ideas behind the design for the most part…it’s built on what has been proven for the most part.
Cons: I couldn’t get past the high operating cost due to the pricy extendair scrubber canister and lack of granular adapter option...the affordable price would soon be outweighed by the money you would spend on the canisters. It seems that the chance of caustic cocktail is just not that high any more with the new designed/reliability of the rigs on the market now, so the fact that the canisters lower that risk just doesn’t impress me enough to overcome it’s cost.
It’s very new on the market, not had all the bugs worked out, though I have only heard of a few, like the housing on the HH electronics corroding (though I hear that has been fixed). If I were shopping a year from now, who knows, this might have been my pick.

J.R.Gauthier · 8th March 2006, 01:07

Hi Gill...Congatulations! I moved from an Insporation to an Evolution for the same reasons. You might rethink the VR3 for redundancy. I dive the VR3 as my primary & vision secondary. Either way it's nice to have another should one decide to stop the dive before you can.

Good Luck!

J.R.

01RMB · 8th March 2006, 07:54

I am sure you will be happy with your decision. The Evolution with a spare set of cylinders is what I am using.

The Evo will go a long way - I have been doing dives to over 80m without a problem. The next weekend you can do simple recreational photography dives and the small size and low weight come into it's own to make it so easy to dive with. The integrated deco and the one screen controls is everything you say. It is very intuitive and very simple to use. One glance and everything is right there on the one console. Once you gain confidence with the unit, the HUD gives you the ability to know that everything is fine or if something is wrong. Makes it easy when you are task loaded such as taking photos or crawling through a wreck.

The spare set of cylinders means you can mix and match dil and get a whole weekend's worth of diving in without having to top up.

Good luck and hope you don't have to wait too long for them to arrive.

BTW - There is also a new version of software to fix the little niggles that were present in the last version of software.

***caveseeker7*** · 8th March 2006, 15:04

Guess with two Evos in the house you can finally drop the 'envy', Gill. Congratualtions.

Make sure to let your wife know that once the DSV is in your mouth it will have
a pacifier effect and you'll shut about it. She will then consider the unit the single
best investment in the marriage.

lizardland · 8th March 2006, 15:16

Congratulations!!! Cool... two less OC divers in the world!!!

But I can't help think you will be disappointed:

Quote: (Originally Posted by Gillenvy)

the virtual silence... above water will feel so serene

Didn't you say you were taking your wife?

**Gill Envy** · 8th March 2006, 16:24

"the vitual silence above water.....didn't you say you were taking your wife"
now tht is funny!

**Gill Envy** · 8th March 2006, 16:31

"Make sure to let your wife know that once the DSV is in your mouth it will have a pacifier effect and you'll shut about it. She will then consider the unit the single best investment in the marriage."
I will be sure to pass that on, I think she kind of figured that out already....since we ordered the units a few weeks back, i've hardly muttered a word! You guys really make me laugh!!

Yevgeniy · 8th March 2006, 17:37

Great news! Good to know that there is another crazy family with two Evolutions in our neighborhood. My wife is getting her unit this week and I dive mine since December. I logged 10+ hours and didn't have a single problem. Sure you won't regret about your decision.

Best,

Yevgeniy

**Gill Envy** · 10th March 2006, 22:44

"You might rethink the VR3 for redundancy. I dive the VR3 as my primary & vision secondary. Either way it's nice to have another should one decide to stop the dive before you can."

So, J.R. do you have your VR3 plugged in to the evo for real time po2? In any case we are planning on taking tables and diving no deco limits with Al 40s for bail out, staying above 130 fsw for the first 30-50 dives. When we start to venture deeper, a VR3 will be handy. I'm curious why you dive the vision as your secondary?

**wedivebc** · 10th March 2006, 23:32

Thank you for the interesting insight into rebreather choices. Although I was swayed by the

Quote:

the meg fest atmosphere of Rebreather World

I am glad you made a choice you are happy with.

8th March 2006, 00:54	#1 (permalink)
Gill Envy Shearwater Copis Diver Current Rebreather/s: Other CCR Other Rebreather/s: Evolution Other CCR Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: seattle Posts: 1,255	We finally took the plunge! We finaly did it! We finally made a decision and put $$money$$ down on an evolution, make that two (one for my wife). This was after four months of daily reading, trying out various units, asking lots of question on Rebreather World, visiting every store within driving distance that is into rebreathers (we have three ) and talking about rebreathers to my wife until she was pretty much rethinking the whole marriage thing . I thought it had come down to a used inspo or a meg. The inspo in the end seemed too big for our needs, boxy, heavy and felt combersome in the water water, albeit in a swimming pool. The meg was hard to turn down, such a nice kit and a devoted following, but no integrated deco electronics. Though I’m told they are on the way, they will likely drive the cost of the meg up to match that of the evolution. This was not the direction I thought we’d go but in the end it came down to the electronics. My wife and I are recreational divers, we like to keep it simple and compact…one screen and a red and green light and a relatively small kit should allow us to do what we love most, check out the critters up close and personal and take lots of amazing photographs and venture off into the depths once we are ready. The vision electronics just won me and my wife over, seemed to set the evolution apart from the others for the kind of diving we want to do. The temp stick and intelligent injection both were particularly appealing to me. While we have every intention of paying close attention to our stats and making sure the unit is working properly while we are diving, we are looking forward to it’s automation. The smaller size of the bottles and scrubber just didn’t seem like a draw back since we are not planning on doing super long dives. Also, as far as bigger units and more capacity, it’s not like a bigger unit means a smaller bail out bottle since size of bail out is determined by depth not dilluent and oxygen bottles size. The small size, light weight and improvements on weighting over the inspo are also plusses. We ordered it fully loaded with nitrox/trimix software, which should keep us clear of the reported software bugs/patches and give us lots of growing room. We sprung for an extra set of bottles for each, figuring that with two full sets of tanks we can go just about anywhere for a lot of diving and not have to worry about refills. Also, as far as modularity and flexibility, after seeing the travel frame, I realized that if I really want modularity I can mix and match canister and tanks between the evolution and inspiration on the travel frame down the line to get more extended range. So, now, the waiting and dreaming begin. About all I can think about is us in our kayaks, paddling, out for a weekend camp/dive expedition in the san juans or northern gulf islands with everything we need for the weekend on our kayaks. I can’t help but think that the virtual silence both above and below water will feel so serene and provide many close encounters we won’t forget. FREEDOM IS CALLING! G The runners up: The meg: The Pros: I really like how well built and versatile the meg is, taking a wide range of bottle sizes and scrubber canisters with no back cover; really, all of them should be designed this way in my opinion. The Cons: We would need to purchase an additional VR3’s or equivalent per unit and then have two screens to go back and forth between or wait for the new electronics to come out…I don’t want to wait and the cost will add up to about the same as the evo. My wife was particularly apprehensive about the small size of the company and the reliability of the electronics and felt that it was really best for tec divers who want a lot of capacity, to pretty much dive the rig manually and use the electronics as back up. It didn’t help my impression that folks from inner space bailed on the rebreather try out at the last minute, haven’t answered my email or even list themselves on their answering machine. From the meg fest atmosphere of Rebreather World it is apparent that their product is good enough that they don’t really need to try very hard to reach out to new customers. Without being able to try out the unit or readily contact that company I fell pray to the fears that going with a small company, run by one main guru just might actually have it’s draw backs as the AP valve enthusiasts proclaim. A used Inspo: Pros: lower cost, a well established company, lots of units out there. Cons: big, boxy, no integrated deco (unless you upgrade$$), also non-versatile…unless you put it on a travel frame, which I just might do with the evolution. The Optima: Pros: This unit felt the best in the pool. Really nice harness system, obviously benefiting from years of oc tec production. Really nice fit, I liked the ideas behind the design for the most part…it’s built on what has been proven for the most part. Cons: I couldn’t get past the high operating cost due to the pricy extendair scrubber canister and lack of granular adapter option...the affordable price would soon be outweighed by the money you would spend on the canisters. It seems that the chance of caustic cocktail is just not that high any more with the new designed/reliability of the rigs on the market now, so the fact that the canisters lower that risk just doesn’t impress me enough to overcome it’s cost. It’s very new on the market, not had all the bugs worked out, though I have only heard of a few, like the housing on the HH electronics corroding (though I hear that has been fixed). If I were shopping a year from now, who knows, this might have been my pick. __________________ Gill Envy ...Because I wasn't born with gills! ><(°>><(°>><(°>><(°>><(°>><(°>><(°>><(°>
(Online)

8th March 2006, 01:07	#2 (permalink)
J.R.Gauthier New Member Current Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Evolution Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: New Hampshire Posts: 20	Re: We finally took the plunge! Hi Gill...Congatulations! I moved from an Insporation to an Evolution for the same reasons. You might rethink the VR3 for redundancy. I dive the VR3 as my primary & vision secondary. Either way it's nice to have another should one decide to stop the dive before you can. Good Luck! J.R.
(Offline)

8th March 2006, 07:54	#3 (permalink)
01RMB Evolving Current Rebreather/s: Evolution Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: May 2005 Location: Brisbane, Australia Posts: 191	Re: We finally took the plunge! I am sure you will be happy with your decision. The Evolution with a spare set of cylinders is what I am using. The Evo will go a long way - I have been doing dives to over 80m without a problem. The next weekend you can do simple recreational photography dives and the small size and low weight come into it's own to make it so easy to dive with. The integrated deco and the one screen controls is everything you say. It is very intuitive and very simple to use. One glance and everything is right there on the one console. Once you gain confidence with the unit, the HUD gives you the ability to know that everything is fine or if something is wrong. Makes it easy when you are task loaded such as taking photos or crawling through a wreck. The spare set of cylinders means you can mix and match dil and get a whole weekend's worth of diving in without having to top up. Good luck and hope you don't have to wait too long for them to arrive. BTW - There is also a new version of software to fix the little niggles that were present in the last version of software. __________________ Cheers Rod
(Online)

8th March 2006, 15:04	#4 (permalink)
*caveseeker7* Who loves ya, baby Current Rebreather/s: Sport Kiss Other Rebreather/s: Prism Topaz Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Too far from Neverland Posts: 5,325	Re: We finally took the plunge! Guess with two Evos in the house you can finally drop the 'envy', Gill. Congratualtions. Make sure to let your wife know that once the DSV is in your mouth it will have a pacifier effect and you'll shut about it. She will then consider the unit the single best investment in the marriage. __________________ Cheers Stefan "It is still a good day if you are on the green side of the grass! Su amigo Roberto!" Sponsor Lou in Race For Life!
(Offline)

8th March 2006, 15:16	#5 (permalink)
lizardland Yak Current Rebreather/s: MK 15.X Home Build Other Rebreather/s: Classic Kiss Home Build Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: North... Posts: 1,189	Re: We finally took the plunge! Congratulations!!! Cool... two less OC divers in the world!!! But I can't help think you will be disappointed: Quote: (Originally Posted by Gillenvy) the virtual silence... above water will feel so serene Didn't you say you were taking your wife? __________________ Can you imagine drifting along in the sea with your mouth open and a load of f***ing plankton going in? You'd like it, would you? www.westons-cider.co.uk Azerbaijani Association of Technical Divers Publicity Officer and Goat Wrangler
(Online)

8th March 2006, 16:24	#6 (permalink)
Gill Envy Shearwater Copis Diver Current Rebreather/s: Other CCR Other Rebreather/s: Evolution Other CCR Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: seattle Posts: 1,255	Re: We finally took the plunge! "the vitual silence above water.....didn't you say you were taking your wife" now tht is funny! __________________ Gill Envy ...Because I wasn't born with gills! ><(°>><(°>><(°>><(°>><(°>><(°>><(°>><(°>
(Online)

8th March 2006, 16:31	#7 (permalink)
Gill Envy Shearwater Copis Diver Current Rebreather/s: Other CCR Other Rebreather/s: Evolution Other CCR Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: seattle Posts: 1,255	Re: We finally took the plunge! "Make sure to let your wife know that once the DSV is in your mouth it will have a pacifier effect and you'll shut about it. She will then consider the unit the single best investment in the marriage." I will be sure to pass that on, I think she kind of figured that out already....since we ordered the units a few weeks back, i've hardly muttered a word! You guys really make me laugh!! __________________ Gill Envy ...Because I wasn't born with gills! ><(°>><(°>><(°>><(°>><(°>><(°>><(°>><(°>
(Online)

8th March 2006, 17:37	#8 (permalink)
Yevgeniy New Member Current Rebreather/s: Evolution Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Mill Creek, WA Posts: 11	Re: We finally took the plunge! Great news! Good to know that there is another crazy family with two Evolutions in our neighborhood. My wife is getting her unit this week and I dive mine since December. I logged 10+ hours and didn't have a single problem. Sure you won't regret about your decision. Best, Yevgeniy
(Offline)

10th March 2006, 22:44	#9 (permalink)
Gill Envy Shearwater Copis Diver Current Rebreather/s: Other CCR Other Rebreather/s: Evolution Other CCR Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: seattle Posts: 1,255	Re: We finally took the plunge! "You might rethink the VR3 for redundancy. I dive the VR3 as my primary & vision secondary. Either way it's nice to have another should one decide to stop the dive before you can." So, J.R. do you have your VR3 plugged in to the evo for real time po2? In any case we are planning on taking tables and diving no deco limits with Al 40s for bail out, staying above 130 fsw for the first 30-50 dives. When we start to venture deeper, a VR3 will be handy. I'm curious why you dive the vision as your secondary? __________________ Gill Envy ...Because I wasn't born with gills! ><(°>><(°>><(°>><(°>><(°>><(°>><(°>><(°>
(Online)

10th March 2006, 23:32	#10 (permalink)
wedivebc FIGJAM Current Rebreather/s: Megalodon Other CCR Other Rebreather/s: Not Bought Yet Inspiration Classic Sport Kiss Other CCR Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Vancouver Island BC Canada Posts: 1,358	Re: We finally took the plunge! Thank you for the interesting insight into rebreather choices. Although I was swayed by the Quote: the meg fest atmosphere of Rebreather World I am glad you made a choice you are happy with. __________________ Cheers, Dave.... Man is the only animal burdened with the knowledge he will eventually die
(Offline)

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