Diverite

ScubaDadMiami

Now, I would take the neutral tester's opinion as valid since he has at least measured one against the other.

BTW, I didn't even mention the shorter breathing loop hoses, which are a dream and keep the WOB nice and low.

Again, there are other good units out there. However, the Optima is one of them.

__________________
Howard Packer
IANTD CCR Instructor
Miami Beach, Florida
CCRDiveTraining.com

decoweenie

You are right, I haven't dive the Optima but I have used the HH (which is the heart of the Optima)... I am sure we don't want to discuss about that here...

Just curious, at what capacity have you dived the other units as stated ? Do you own them or just ADM trial dives ?

It could be a wrong observation, but the only people I see praising the Optima are new CCR divers with no previous experience on any other unit. Or Optima dealer and instructors... I don't remember seeing a lot of experienced CCR divers rushing out to buy the Optima...

Yes, the political-correct thing to say is "all units are good units" but the Optima is still on the bottom of my list.

hchoat

I haven't dived the Optima, but the other guy in my class was on one, so I had the opportunity to see a few things up close.

Things I didn't like about it (without having to dive one):

1. Extend Air Cartridges- for all the reasons previously mentioned plus this- CCR's are a small, niche market. What happens to the Optima when the manufacturer decides the profit margin just isn't there and decides to stop producing them? This scenario is easily as possible as the price dropping due to increased usage, only time will tell. Granular sorb, on the other hand, is widely used in a number of different fields, I don't think we are going to see Molecular Products or the others ceasing production anytime soon.

2. Hammerhead handsets. After watching the other student remove his batteries from the handsets nightly to conserve them... I decided this was not a good option.

3. Watching the issues the unit has maintaining positive pressure while lying flat on its back (granted, this may have been intrinsic to the individual unit, but it is strange)- it just wouldnt do it. Prop the top end up and inch and it held. No one, including the instructor, had an explanation.....

4. This is just aesthetics, but the Optima (like most other "housed" CCR's) just looks bulky and cumbersome to me.

That's my .02 worth

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jiseson

Ok then-if you don't like the Optima and only newbees dive it, then which one do you like and why please?

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Jonathan D Iseson

Ken

Since you dive the NE I think you are going to see a variety. Prism, Insp. Meg, Kiss possibly a rare Ouro. and MK here and there. You take your pick. They all work well. If you are a hard core wrecker the Meg. would be near the top of my list because it's built like a truck.

cajuncaver

For the 2 cents it's worth - when I looked for a Rebreather, being that I have been on O/C since 1986, I looked for a name that I was confident would be around next year. Parts, repair, etc. The apparent ease of setup/use also appealed to me. I looked at the KISS, the Meg - and no , I didn't dive one, but, from the information I have researched both on the 'net and here, I made the decision to purchase the Optima for the above reasons and to be frankly blatant, because of the confidence in the unit from my soon to be instructor.

I guess the point is, do your research and make your decision based on the body of evidence - I totally agree that manufacturers can skew the data any way they like - I think the Optima is right for me. Period. I like the idea of scrubbers that can be used on a boat without the Captain refusing me passage because there are idiots out there who don't clean up after themselves. I like the streamlined look of the Optima. Again, my 2 cents.

Yes, I'm a Noobie, but I wanted something that I can dive a very long time in medium depths and in a cave eventually. I have used Dive Rite gear most of my diving life, and trust the name and am willing to pay what is necessary for a quality product which I feel the Optima is.

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To the Undiscovered Country...
Cajun Caver
New Orleans, LA

seafox

What SDM said!
I am repeating myself; I was on a live aboard a little while ago and it was interesting to watch the guys with the sorb,
as they attempted to replenish their canisters in 6ft seas.
I opened my canister pulled out the used cartridge, inserted the new one;
in less than a minute I was ready to dive again.
Ease of use: priceless!
I too had the handsets case replaced with the new ones, and have no complaints.
I purchased one of the first production models, so I was ready for a few surprises.
There were none except for the corroding handsets, which as I said were replaced quickly and painlessly.
I know that Dive Rite has incorporated suggestions from the early users, into the new production.
I am very pleased with the HH. Very rich in function, and very reliable.
Perhaps the unhappy posters should do some research and try the new version.
I replace my batteries once a week, about every 6/8 dives.
Not sure why they would need replacing nightly.
Perhaps the quality of the batteries that are used with that unit.
I find the Optima very well built, industrial strength, easy to dive, very flexible in its configuration, and excellent in WOB.
I believe Fill Express has them in stock, so no reason to wait for 12 to 18 months.
Are the other makes better or are they worst?
Most things in life have their better and their worst!
And its usually very subjective.
But as SDM put it so well:
I am enjoying every minute with my Optima, and I do not in any way regret my decision to get one.

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Excellence is never an accident; it is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction, skillful execution and the vision to see obstacles as opportunities.


Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterwards!

ScubaDadMiami

I started with no agenda. I read everything I could on the subject and talked to CCR divers. I read on Rebreather World. I read the Bozanic Book. I spoke to CCR instructors.

Then, I went to an Advanced Diver Magazine free seminar. I looked at the Meg, Sport KISS, Classic KISS and the Optima. We heard presentations from each manufacturer, and then we had a chance to test dive them in the water.

After all of this, I spoke to my instructor, asking him what he thought before I committed in any direction. It was after all of this that I elected to buy the Optima. Why?

I prefer the EA Cartridge. I think that what it really comes down to with the people that put it down is that it costs a little more. They will try to point to other reasons. However, under it all, that's what's really going on IMHO.

I think that the Optima trims out in the water better than any other unit. I do not have any issue with being arse down ever in the water. Yes, I have moved a bit of weight here and there. However, I have never seen another unit that trims out like this one.

WOB. Again, the horizontal canister and shorter hoses along with the EA cartridge. It makes sense, and it works.

Now, there are some things about other designs that I really like. For example, I think that the Meg is really solidly built. However, I went against this in the end because I do a lot of wreck diving.

Take a look at the hoses on the Meg and many other vertical canister designs. Notice how the hoses route from the canister. You will hear all kinds of attempts to skate around the issue that they are an entanglement hazard in wrecks. My favorite is: "Just use the bigger tanks. That blocks the hoses pretty well." Sorry, that doesn't cut it for me. With the Optima, you have just about the least worry of entanglement of anything out there (even over open circuit doubles IMHO).

The case not only looks streamlined but it actually is. And, because the case is the soft plastic, it will stay looking good for a lot longer than the scratched cases you will see swimming about underwater. After spending the kind of money you will have to spend on a CCR, you will want it to keep looking good. So, the Optima does well even in the vanity category.

I realize that resorting to using your diluent tank is very controversial. However, using 13 or 19 cubic foot tanks, it might be the last breath you ever take. The Optima, with its 27 cubic foot tanks and the Rite Source (ScubaPro Air II knock off) at least preserves the option of taking a breath from the diluent tank if there is ever any sort of delay in deploying a bailout bottle. Even if I never have to use it, I like the idea that it at least allows for this option to remain open.

Bail out valves are great. However, they have the trade off of making it more complex to pass off your tank to another diver. Using the Rite Source, you can take a breath while deploying your offboard gas, preserving the easy ability to pass off a bottle in an instant without having to disconnect. Again, that is only if you even have to resort to using the Rite Source. I just like having it as another option, and I like having it at least as much as a BOV.

There was another "icing on the cake" factor that came into play in my decision. Dive Rite Express, a sponsor on this site and one of the largest Dive Rite dealers in the world (correct me if I am wrong N2Diving), is 45 minutes from my home. I have enjoyed spending my time and money at the shop while sharing ideas with other people that know where I am coming from in this whole transition thing. I have had not just good but excellent service from both Dive Rite and Dive Rite Express even before this purchase, and I like the idea of working with large entities that I think will be around this business for a long time to come.

So, after considering all of these factors, I elected to get an Optima. This might not mean that this is the right unit for you. It is not so much that I am knocking any other unit. It is just that this one seems to make the best sense for me.

You will be happy with many of the choices that you make. My only suggestion is to start as an unemotional investigator on the path to something great. Eventually, the emotional attachment will come no matter what you do, and you will make your decision.

__________________
Howard Packer
IANTD CCR Instructor
Miami Beach, Florida
CCRDiveTraining.com

jiseson

Pls compare diver braincell workload vs open circuit divng pls.

__________________
Jonathan D Iseson

ScubaDadMiami

In the beginning, it is hard work. After a while, it is about the same.

On the other hand, I have dropped about several pounds of weight on my back and shoulders ompared to what I was using for open circuit dives. So, the physical workload is certainly less.

__________________
Howard Packer
IANTD CCR Instructor
Miami Beach, Florida
CCRDiveTraining.com