Inspiration Classic: Is it still worth it?

rebreather_jon · 20th April 2006, 02:59

Hello Everyone

So here's the situation. I've decided that I'll switch to CCR. There's a course offered that starts in two weeks. The instructor can train me on either a Megalodon or an Inspiration. He also has a new Classic Inspiration he can sell to me for $6500 that's even the right size. For my budget, this is the perfect price. After all, there are other costs beside the unit such as training, flights to Minnesota for instruction, drysuit, rebreather add-ons (spare parts etc.) that will bump up the cost to about $10,000. That's more or less my limit.

On the other hand, the Inspiration Classic was designed 10 years ago. The Inspiration Vision and Megalodon are newly designed units. From what I hear, they have some important advantages. Personally, I think the Inspiration Classic is the perfect unit for me. If it's a life or death situation, however, I'm willing to spend an extra $3000 for a Megalodon or an Inspiration with Vision electronics. I guess my question is, can the Inspiration Classic still be considered a viable unit in comparison to the Megalodon or the Inspiration Vision? Anyone.

Thanks!
Jon

fubari · 20th April 2006, 05:29

Quote: (Originally Posted by rebreather_jon)

...can the Inspiration Classic still be
considered a viable unit in comparison to the Megalodon
or the Inspiration Vision? Anyone.
Thanks!
Jon

A 10 year old design isn't so bad when you
consider it has been active in the field with
no major changes. I don't want to be a
beta-tester when it comes to ccr's.

The insp-classic isn't perfect, but its issues
are well understood (which is nice; I'm not big
on surprises). I can manage inconvenient scrubber
fills, drying the head between dives, fiddly injector
buttons that like to unscrew themselves & fall out,
very breakable case latches, frequent o2-calibrations
and so on. With practice I hardly think about them.
(heh - am I "damning with faint praise" or what?)

Insp-classic also has a well established infrastructure
for parts & service.

Lots of people still dive classics, and likely will
for some time to come. There are cool features about
the mini-meg and evolution that I like, but they
weren't (aren't) cool enough for me to spend an
additional $5K to $8K.
Sport-kiss is sweet, but I wanted more range.
The used classic I bought came along at the right
time and the right price for me (though if I'd waited,
I might have gone with the optima because I've been
hammerhead admirer for some time now).

The evo temp-stick is, quite frankly, tempting.
But not tempting enough for me to double my
acquisition costs to get that and the vision
electronics package.

While the insp-classic electronics are just setpoint
controllers, that is fine for me... I use tables for
now anyway because I'm pretty new at extended range
diving. Eventually I'm going to go the VR-3 & Hammerhead
route, but I want to learn how to do it old-school first.

There are operational expenses beyond acquisition
& training. Some I expected, some I didn't.

expected: sorb, yearly replacement cells, o2 & he analyzers,
maintenance, training for mod's #1, #2 & #3.

unexpected: The stock-cylinders for Inspiration are
UK (e.g.non DOT), and my local dive shops care
enough about their insurance that they won't work
on them (no fills, cleaning, etc). This has pushed me
into doing my own fills sooner than I expected...
another $500 for a fill-whip kit, and I'm still pricing
boosters (and thinking about how to secure t-cylinders
behind my condo so passers-by don't mess with them
- anyone have ideas on that?).

If you will be attending school near a ccr-friendly shop,
fills shouldn't be a factor for you.

unexpected: travel frame. They're just too cool not to
have one, so I have to budget for that now, too

.
(I actually flew w/my unit for the first time recently.
It was... educational, as I pack far more heavilly
than I might have imagined).

Finally - the more I learn, the more I'm surprised by
how young the "state of the art" and "best practices"
are with respect to ccr's. IMHO, continuous education,
study & practice will do much more to minimize my risk
than any particular model of ccr could (I could be wrong;
I often am

, so I will await enlightment from the more
savy and experienced Rebreather-world members).

John G.

PCDiver · 20th April 2006, 06:28

Jon, did you consider buying a used Inspiration. You should be able to get those for less than 6500$, probably in the 4500 to 5000$ range. Add a Hammerhead and a travelframe and you got almost all the features of a new Vision Inspiration for less money. It will not give you a temp stick. I went that route and saved some serious money ... that I then spent on BOVs, compressor, booster, ...

jhaaja · 20th April 2006, 06:40

Used YBOD, VR3+4th cell and travel frame --> quite good Rebreather package.

JH

divetheworld · 20th April 2006, 07:42

Quote: (Originally Posted by rebreather_jon)

Hello Everyone

So here's the situation. I've decided that I'll switch to CCR. There's a course offered that starts in two weeks. The instructor can train me on either a Megalodon or an Inspiration. He also has a new Classic Inspiration he can sell to me for $6500 that's even the right size. For my budget, this is the perfect price. After all, there are other costs beside the unit such as training, flights to Florida for instruction, drysuit, rebreather add-ons (spare parts etc.) that will bump up the cost to about $10,000. That's more or less my limit.

On the other hand, the Inspiration Classic was designed 10 years ago. The Inspiration Vision and Megalodon are newly designed units. From what I hear, they have some important advantages. Personally, I think the Inspiration Classic is the perfect unit for me. If it's a life or death situation, however, I'm willing to spend an extra $3000 for a Megalodon or an Inspiration with Vision electronics. I guess my question is, can the Inspiration Classic still be considered a viable unit in comparison to the Megalodon or the Inspiration Vision? Anyone.

Thanks!
Jon

AFIK SDS were selling reconditioned units for knock down prices. Used units (which is no problem at all) are at the $4.5K - $5K as previously stated.
There is nothing wrong with the old Classic. Its a matter of choice but it cant be denied that the Vision electronics is the future of AP rebreathers.

How have you chosen your instructor? This will have a lot to do with your decision. There are a few on this board who I would ask for advise on this subject.

Brent

NickK · 20th April 2006, 07:50

Quote: (Originally Posted by PCDiver)

Jon, did you consider buying a used Inspiration. You should be able to get those for less than 6500$, probably in the 4500 to 5000$ range. Add a Hammerhead and a travelframe and you got almost all ....

Hi Jon,

I got my Evo in October 2005. Just love it. My training was on Inspo Classic and, frankly I did not like it very much. I was reading about Vision quite a bit before my course. Download the manuals for Classic and Vision and you will see a difference between two of them. This probably why quite few owners of Classic dumping them now for exchange with Vision (or others).
The benefit to have integrated computer (trimix version what I would recommend) in one handset with slick very simple to read and understand, very informative display. Very easy to understand HUD. Very redundant system if you treat it as your "body", and not as"a stupid machine which just wait when to kill you".
This winter had chance to "play" with it in the pool quite often. Tried to get all warnings "naturally activated" for high/low O2, end of scrubber life - all was operational as described in the manual. Scrubber Progress Monitor (Tempstick) is real peace of mind, and could be a real life saver. Ability to download and review your profiles and keep control on your progress in training is priceless.
So, if you carefully will take a look at new classic price add HH, VR3 e.t.a. you will find quickly that you are over that new Evo/Inspo Vision price and even after, when you will have a chance to dive a Vision, you will feel sorry you did not buy it.
Dig a bit more before you will make your desision. I am very happy with my unit and not gona change it soon.

This is my personal opinion and I could be wrong.

Good luck,
Nick

JonnyB · 20th April 2006, 08:07

Hi Jon, i choosed the Meg over them all, had a classic kiss, did my YBOD course. Nothing matches the Meg though... It breaths like no other.

If you have the oportunity, test dive them both. As i understand its the same instructor you have that can teach both Meg and Inspo. So you should be able to try. When i started Rebreather's i chosed an instructor that could teach me in KISS and Inspo. I wanted to get as much info as possible before i purchased a unit.

just my 2cents
/Jonny

Gibbon · 20th April 2006, 08:10

Where is Explorer when you need some unbiased input?

Mark Chase · 20th April 2006, 18:12

The classic is a cheep way in to a well tried and tested unit. The Travel problems can be overcome with the Travel frame and the electronics can be upgraded by getting a HH unit. I paid £3K for an almost new classic but looking back I would have got a cheep old unit for £2250 and bought a HH unit to run it on.

Megs are OK but not as good as the hype. We need to see the new control head in action before I vote it as the way to go. If I had 5K to spend on a unit id go for the standard meg with of board deco via VR3. If I couldn't afford 5K Id go for a basic Vision and if i couldn't afford that i do go for a S/H classic. I would NOT buy a new classic with so many good SH units on the market.

This is a rebreather forum so people love their rebreathers but I am hear to tell you they can be a big scary pain in the arse so it might be worth doing a season on a cheep SH YBOD to see if its for you.

ATB

Mark Chase

Alan Crichton · 20th April 2006, 19:01

Hi Jon I went through the same decision making process 6 months ago and eventually purchased a brand new Classic + VR3. Having dived with other Vision Rebreather's I still prefer this set up. The reason is simple the VR3 allows me to switch to OC or any combination of RB + OC without being attached to my RB. A prime example was returning to shore ( only 30 min away) after a 2.5hr deep dive ( 65m) no time to change scrubber fill etc I used my old OC and dived with my VR3 to shallower depths. With the Vision this would not have been possible as the computor is attached to the RB. I may also have been influenced by the original Vision computor problems. Anyway still very pleased with my Insp Classic.

20th April 2006, 02:59	#1 (permalink)
rebreather_jon New Member Current Rebreather/s: Not Bought Yet Other Rebreather/s: Megalodon Not Bought Yet Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Switzerland Posts: 7	Inspiration Classic: Is it still worth it? Hello Everyone So here's the situation. I've decided that I'll switch to CCR. There's a course offered that starts in two weeks. The instructor can train me on either a Megalodon or an Inspiration. He also has a new Classic Inspiration he can sell to me for $6500 that's even the right size. For my budget, this is the perfect price. After all, there are other costs beside the unit such as training, flights to Minnesota for instruction, drysuit, rebreather add-ons (spare parts etc.) that will bump up the cost to about $10,000. That's more or less my limit. On the other hand, the Inspiration Classic was designed 10 years ago. The Inspiration Vision and Megalodon are newly designed units. From what I hear, they have some important advantages. Personally, I think the Inspiration Classic is the perfect unit for me. If it's a life or death situation, however, I'm willing to spend an extra $3000 for a Megalodon or an Inspiration with Vision electronics. I guess my question is, can the Inspiration Classic still be considered a viable unit in comparison to the Megalodon or the Inspiration Vision? Anyone. Thanks! Jon Last edited by rebreather_jon : 20th April 2006 at 23:00.
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20th April 2006, 05:29	#2 (permalink)
fubari New Member Current Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 113	Re: Inspiration Classic: Is it still worth it? Quote: (Originally Posted by rebreather_jon) ...can the Inspiration Classic still be considered a viable unit in comparison to the Megalodon or the Inspiration Vision? Anyone. Thanks! Jon A 10 year old design isn't so bad when you consider it has been active in the field with no major changes. I don't want to be a beta-tester when it comes to ccr's. The insp-classic isn't perfect, but its issues are well understood (which is nice; I'm not big on surprises). I can manage inconvenient scrubber fills, drying the head between dives, fiddly injector buttons that like to unscrew themselves & fall out, very breakable case latches, frequent o2-calibrations and so on. With practice I hardly think about them. (heh - am I "damning with faint praise" or what?) Insp-classic also has a well established infrastructure for parts & service. Lots of people still dive classics, and likely will for some time to come. There are cool features about the mini-meg and evolution that I like, but they weren't (aren't) cool enough for me to spend an additional $5K to $8K. Sport-kiss is sweet, but I wanted more range. The used classic I bought came along at the right time and the right price for me (though if I'd waited, I might have gone with the optima because I've been hammerhead admirer for some time now). The evo temp-stick is, quite frankly, tempting. But not tempting enough for me to double my acquisition costs to get that and the vision electronics package. While the insp-classic electronics are just setpoint controllers, that is fine for me... I use tables for now anyway because I'm pretty new at extended range diving. Eventually I'm going to go the VR-3 & Hammerhead route, but I want to learn how to do it old-school first. There are operational expenses beyond acquisition & training. Some I expected, some I didn't. expected: sorb, yearly replacement cells, o2 & he analyzers, maintenance, training for mod's #1, #2 & #3. unexpected: The stock-cylinders for Inspiration are UK (e.g.non DOT), and my local dive shops care enough about their insurance that they won't work on them (no fills, cleaning, etc). This has pushed me into doing my own fills sooner than I expected... another $500 for a fill-whip kit, and I'm still pricing boosters (and thinking about how to secure t-cylinders behind my condo so passers-by don't mess with them - anyone have ideas on that?). If you will be attending school near a ccr-friendly shop, fills shouldn't be a factor for you. unexpected: travel frame. They're just too cool not to have one, so I have to budget for that now, too . (I actually flew w/my unit for the first time recently. It was... educational, as I pack far more heavilly than I might have imagined). Finally - the more I learn, the more I'm surprised by how young the "state of the art" and "best practices" are with respect to ccr's. IMHO, continuous education, study & practice will do much more to minimize my risk than any particular model of ccr could (I could be wrong; I often am , so I will await enlightment from the more savy and experienced Rebreather-world members). John G.
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20th April 2006, 06:28	#3 (permalink)
PCDiver Submerge Productions Current Rebreather/s: Inspiration Vision Other Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Belgium Posts: 969	Re: Inspiration Classic: Is it still worth it? Jon, did you consider buying a used Inspiration. You should be able to get those for less than 6500$, probably in the 4500 to 5000$ range. Add a Hammerhead and a travelframe and you got almost all the features of a new Vision Inspiration for less money. It will not give you a temp stick. I went that route and saved some serious money ... that I then spent on BOVs, compressor, booster, ...
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20th April 2006, 06:40	#4 (permalink)
jhaaja Custom Title Allowed! Current Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Finland Posts: 884	Re: Inspiration Classic: Is it still worth it? Used YBOD, VR3+4th cell and travel frame --> quite good Rebreather package. JH
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20th April 2006, 07:42	#5 (permalink)
divetheworld Dive porn pimp Current Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Other CCR Other Rebreather/s: Not Bought Yet Inspiration Classic Inspiration Vision Classic Kiss Other CCR Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Leeds, England Posts: 1,586	Re: Inspiration Classic: Is it still worth it? Quote: (Originally Posted by rebreather_jon) Hello Everyone So here's the situation. I've decided that I'll switch to CCR. There's a course offered that starts in two weeks. The instructor can train me on either a Megalodon or an Inspiration. He also has a new Classic Inspiration he can sell to me for $6500 that's even the right size. For my budget, this is the perfect price. After all, there are other costs beside the unit such as training, flights to Florida for instruction, drysuit, rebreather add-ons (spare parts etc.) that will bump up the cost to about $10,000. That's more or less my limit. On the other hand, the Inspiration Classic was designed 10 years ago. The Inspiration Vision and Megalodon are newly designed units. From what I hear, they have some important advantages. Personally, I think the Inspiration Classic is the perfect unit for me. If it's a life or death situation, however, I'm willing to spend an extra $3000 for a Megalodon or an Inspiration with Vision electronics. I guess my question is, can the Inspiration Classic still be considered a viable unit in comparison to the Megalodon or the Inspiration Vision? Anyone. Thanks! Jon AFIK SDS were selling reconditioned units for knock down prices. Used units (which is no problem at all) are at the $4.5K - $5K as previously stated. There is nothing wrong with the old Classic. Its a matter of choice but it cant be denied that the Vision electronics is the future of AP rebreathers. How have you chosen your instructor? This will have a lot to do with your decision. There are a few on this board who I would ask for advise on this subject. Brent __________________ Attitude and self praise is no reccomendation. Dont try to be a great man, just be a man and let history be the judge of you. CHECK OUT OUR INTERWEBS FOR CUSTOM REBREATHER UPGRADES *WWW.NARKEDAT90.CO.UK* *http://www.grpservices.com/pursuit/* Supporting Shearwater Research Products in Europe
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20th April 2006, 07:50	#6 (permalink)
NickK New Member Current Rebreather/s: Evolution Other Rebreather/s: Evolution Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Vancouver Island Posts: 90	Re: Inspiration Classic: Is it still worth it? Quote: (Originally Posted by PCDiver) Jon, did you consider buying a used Inspiration. You should be able to get those for less than 6500$, probably in the 4500 to 5000$ range. Add a Hammerhead and a travelframe and you got almost all .... Hi Jon, I got my Evo in October 2005. Just love it. My training was on Inspo Classic and, frankly I did not like it very much. I was reading about Vision quite a bit before my course. Download the manuals for Classic and Vision and you will see a difference between two of them. This probably why quite few owners of Classic dumping them now for exchange with Vision (or others). The benefit to have integrated computer (trimix version what I would recommend) in one handset with slick very simple to read and understand, very informative display. Very easy to understand HUD. Very redundant system if you treat it as your "body", and not as"a stupid machine which just wait when to kill you". This winter had chance to "play" with it in the pool quite often. Tried to get all warnings "naturally activated" for high/low O2, end of scrubber life - all was operational as described in the manual. Scrubber Progress Monitor (Tempstick) is real peace of mind, and could be a real life saver. Ability to download and review your profiles and keep control on your progress in training is priceless. So, if you carefully will take a look at new classic price add HH, VR3 e.t.a. you will find quickly that you are over that new Evo/Inspo Vision price and even after, when you will have a chance to dive a Vision, you will feel sorry you did not buy it. Dig a bit more before you will make your desision. I am very happy with my unit and not gona change it soon. This is my personal opinion and I could be wrong. Good luck, Nick
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20th April 2006, 08:07	#7 (permalink)
JonnyB Johnny The Hatch Current Rebreather/s: MK 15.X Titan Other CCR Other SCR Home Build Other Rebreather/s: Not Bought Yet Inspiration Classic Megalodon Sport Kiss Classic Kiss Other CCR Other SCR Home Build Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Sweden (Stockholm)/Cyprus(Ayia Napa) Posts: 970	Re: Inspiration Classic: Is it still worth it? Hi Jon, i choosed the Meg over them all, had a classic kiss, did my YBOD course. Nothing matches the Meg though... It breaths like no other. If you have the oportunity, test dive them both. As i understand its the same instructor you have that can teach both Meg and Inspo. So you should be able to try. When i started Rebreather's i chosed an instructor that could teach me in KISS and Inspo. I wanted to get as much info as possible before i purchased a unit. just my 2cents /Jonny __________________ A quote from Crazyduck - In remembering our own Rob Davies. "Outbound flight 777 heavy you are cleared for flight Due west into that warm red Texas sunset You have angels on your wings and divers memories on your six." Rest In Peace http://www.divetekcyprus.com http://www.diveccr.com
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20th April 2006, 08:10	#8 (permalink)
Gibbon Southern Monkey Current Rebreather/s: Megalodon Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: East Devon Posts: 224	Re: Inspiration Classic: Is it still worth it? Where is Explorer when you need some unbiased input?
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20th April 2006, 18:12	#9 (permalink)
Mark Chase I go down for ages Current Rebreather/s: Classic Kiss Other Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Kent Posts: 2,700	Re: Inspiration Classic: Is it still worth it? The classic is a cheep way in to a well tried and tested unit. The Travel problems can be overcome with the Travel frame and the electronics can be upgraded by getting a HH unit. I paid £3K for an almost new classic but looking back I would have got a cheep old unit for £2250 and bought a HH unit to run it on. Megs are OK but not as good as the hype. We need to see the new control head in action before I vote it as the way to go. If I had 5K to spend on a unit id go for the standard meg with of board deco via VR3. If I couldn't afford 5K Id go for a basic Vision and if i couldn't afford that i do go for a S/H classic. I would NOT buy a new classic with so many good SH units on the market. This is a rebreather forum so people love their rebreathers but I am hear to tell you they can be a big scary pain in the arse so it might be worth doing a season on a cheep SH YBOD to see if its for you. ATB Mark Chase __________________ Is it supposed to make that noise ? I took my unit to the dive shop and demanded they bolt on every thing that would fit. Join my elite diving teem and get a Tshirt "Doing It Chasey"Hammerhead Eccr Advanced Diving System
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20th April 2006, 19:01	#10 (permalink)
Alan Crichton New Member Current Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Richards Bay South Africa Posts: 38	Re: Inspiration Classic: Is it still worth it? Hi Jon I went through the same decision making process 6 months ago and eventually purchased a brand new Classic + VR3. Having dived with other Vision Rebreather's I still prefer this set up. The reason is simple the VR3 allows me to switch to OC or any combination of RB + OC without being attached to my RB. A prime example was returning to shore ( only 30 min away) after a 2.5hr deep dive ( 65m) no time to change scrubber fill etc I used my old OC and dived with my VR3 to shallower depths. With the Vision this would not have been possible as the computor is attached to the RB. I may also have been influenced by the original Vision computor problems. Anyway still very pleased with my Insp Classic. __________________ *Al from the Bay* *The best dive is the next dive !*
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