New PRISM

Ken West · 21st January 2007, 22:16

After a much anticipation we were informed that our brand new shiny rebreathers were ready for shipping. Since the weather in Canada pretty much sucks this time of year, we decided we would drive down to Tennesse to meet the nice people at Steam Machines and pick up our PRISMs.
We left dreadful weather behind, missed an ice storm by a matter of hours and arrived in Lebanon Tennesse the following morning at about 4:00am. Perfect, we had lots of time to find SMI, go have breakfast and return at a more appropriate hour.
At about 8:30 in the morning we couldn't wait any longer and made our way back to Steam Machines. Sharon and Peter met us on a cold and drizzly morning. She had coffee on and we spent alot of time enjoying the hospitality of their home before starting off on a tour of the SMI facility.
Its a rather interesting contrast. SMI is nestled in the hills of Tennesse on an old tobacco farm. It is very rustic looking and very scenic. The new facility hides inside of an old barn. I was really rather suprised to open the door and see a brightly lit modern facility inside. Our machines were all out on a work bench ready for our inspection.
Peter and Sharon were very generous with their time as we asked them a million questions about the processes they used to build the machines and questions about the machines themselves. Peter shared alot of his insight and walked us through some of the finer points of his design. He also shared some of his storys about rebreather diving adventures and near misses. By the time the tour was over and our machines were packed and ready to go we had gained a greater knowledge of machines and started to develop a relationship with Peter and Sharon.
We loaded the machines in the tech van (which was notably absent of technical diving gear considering our next stop was northern Florida) and prepared to set out on phase two of our journey. Next stop was Cave Excursions for fills and then on to Orange Grove Sink in the Peacock State Park. We spent the next three days diving our new machines and trying to improve our skill sets.
The dives actually went really well. My machine performed without any hiccups whatsoever. I flew it computer on for the first half of each dive and computer off for the second half of each dive. I practiced all of the skills that I was taught in my CCR course and worked on achieving the same bouyancy control that I have on open circiut (didn't quite get there...). On the third day in Florida we headed down to Troy Springs for a little change of scenery and met some guys doing an Optima CCR course with John Jones. It turned out to be a great day. Vis was fantastic and we had a great time watching the Optima divers go through their skills. It was the first time I've seen six rebreathers in the same spot before. At home they are still abit of a novelty.
Through the course of the three days we came up with a whole new list of questions for Sharon and Peter so we decided to stop at SMI on the way home. Once again we were greeted with smiles and fresh coffee. One of the machines had an issue with a hose and one machine had an issue with an intermittent reed switch. It took no time at all to correct the problems and we were once again on our way home.
I have to say that I am very happy with my unit. The decision to buy one was not an easy one and I was very concerned about support for the machine since the PRISM Topaz is still pretty rare in Canada. After meeting with Sharon and Peter I no longer have any concerns about product support. They were fantastic to deal with and went way beyond my expectations. They spent an extrodinary amount of time answering our questions. Sharon even put together a save a dive kit for us and had it ready to go when we arrived.
Should be a great year of diving ! I have already started to customize the harness a little to make it easier to carry my bailout bottle, can light etc., installed a dump valve in the bottom right corner of the wing to help with horizontal ascents and look forward to trying out some of the things i've read about on the forum over the last eight months.
Ken West

Frank · 22nd January 2007, 01:53

Congrats for your new units!!!

More and more Prisms are making their way to Canada
Only two units in Québec!!!

Regards
François Perron

**jstovall** · 22nd January 2007, 03:31

Congrats Ken +1, I am glad to see another happy PRISM diver. I have had the pleasure of talking with Sharon and Jan over the phone, but have never met these wonderful people. I have enjoyed my PRISM the short time I have on it, and like to hear other begining ccr divers and experiences on the unit. I think the PRISM is an awsome and comfortable e/mCCR. Enjoy her, I know I do.

DaveC · 22nd January 2007, 10:47

Congrats Ken, sounds like you had a fun trip, both picking up the units and diving down in Florida. I was talking to Sharon and heard you were there and got the van stuck.

Look forward to hooking up with you guys and doing some dives.

**Lake_Tahoe_Diver** · 22nd January 2007, 17:33

Glad to see some more Prism divers out there. I think most of us change the harness so we can sling, or sidemount the bailouts.

***caveseeker7*** · 22nd January 2007, 20:10

Congrats, Ken. Fun visiting SMI, isn't it.

Quote: (Originally Posted by Lake_Tahoe_Diver)

I think most of us change the harness so we can sling, or sidemount the bailouts.

Just out of curiousity, do most of you dive the PRISM without cowling?

DaveC · 22nd January 2007, 20:47

Quote: (Originally Posted by caveseeker7)

Just out of curiousity, do most of you dive the PRISM without cowling?

Never dive without it. As most of the dives I do up here are around wrecks and inside, I'm always nervious about hitting the head. The cowling takes the hit before the head does.

silent running · 23rd January 2007, 08:30

Glad to see you on Rebreather World Ken, congrats to you and your buddies. Here's to lots of happy, easy diving!

And don't hesitate to ask for advice/answers for any problems you come across. I was talking with Sharon recently and she reminded me of some divers who have gone through the same kinds of growing pains I'm going through now and who have a wealth of experince/info. The Prism has been around for a good while so there's lots of experience out there from which to draw... -Andy

Chris · 23rd January 2007, 09:53

Quote: (Originally Posted by DaveC)

Never dive without it. As most of the dives I do up here are around wrecks and inside, I'm always nervious about hitting the head. The cowling takes the hit before the head does.

Agree
NEVER dive without the cowling, in fact I would go further to say never take the unit out of the house without the cowling on. It should be standard with the PRISM and not an optional extra.

You didnt happen to see any spare secondaries laying around at SMI did you

, I know some of the boys down here would give their left testicle for one at the moment.

Cheers
Chriso

**DeepBlueInnovation** · 23rd January 2007, 22:43

Quote: (Originally Posted by Chris)

You didnt happen to see any spare secondaries laying around at SMI did you

, I know some of the boys down here would give their left testicle for one at the moment.

Err, no. Already traded that one to get the unit

However I can still offer my first-born child...

21st January 2007, 22:16	#1 (permalink)
Ken West New Member Current Rebreather/s: Prism Topaz Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 23	New PRISM After a much anticipation we were informed that our brand new shiny rebreathers were ready for shipping. Since the weather in Canada pretty much sucks this time of year, we decided we would drive down to Tennesse to meet the nice people at Steam Machines and pick up our PRISMs. We left dreadful weather behind, missed an ice storm by a matter of hours and arrived in Lebanon Tennesse the following morning at about 4:00am. Perfect, we had lots of time to find SMI, go have breakfast and return at a more appropriate hour. At about 8:30 in the morning we couldn't wait any longer and made our way back to Steam Machines. Sharon and Peter met us on a cold and drizzly morning. She had coffee on and we spent alot of time enjoying the hospitality of their home before starting off on a tour of the SMI facility. Its a rather interesting contrast. SMI is nestled in the hills of Tennesse on an old tobacco farm. It is very rustic looking and very scenic. The new facility hides inside of an old barn. I was really rather suprised to open the door and see a brightly lit modern facility inside. Our machines were all out on a work bench ready for our inspection. Peter and Sharon were very generous with their time as we asked them a million questions about the processes they used to build the machines and questions about the machines themselves. Peter shared alot of his insight and walked us through some of the finer points of his design. He also shared some of his storys about rebreather diving adventures and near misses. By the time the tour was over and our machines were packed and ready to go we had gained a greater knowledge of machines and started to develop a relationship with Peter and Sharon. We loaded the machines in the tech van (which was notably absent of technical diving gear considering our next stop was northern Florida) and prepared to set out on phase two of our journey. Next stop was Cave Excursions for fills and then on to Orange Grove Sink in the Peacock State Park. We spent the next three days diving our new machines and trying to improve our skill sets. The dives actually went really well. My machine performed without any hiccups whatsoever. I flew it computer on for the first half of each dive and computer off for the second half of each dive. I practiced all of the skills that I was taught in my CCR course and worked on achieving the same bouyancy control that I have on open circiut (didn't quite get there...). On the third day in Florida we headed down to Troy Springs for a little change of scenery and met some guys doing an Optima CCR course with John Jones. It turned out to be a great day. Vis was fantastic and we had a great time watching the Optima divers go through their skills. It was the first time I've seen six rebreathers in the same spot before. At home they are still abit of a novelty. Through the course of the three days we came up with a whole new list of questions for Sharon and Peter so we decided to stop at SMI on the way home. Once again we were greeted with smiles and fresh coffee. One of the machines had an issue with a hose and one machine had an issue with an intermittent reed switch. It took no time at all to correct the problems and we were once again on our way home. I have to say that I am very happy with my unit. The decision to buy one was not an easy one and I was very concerned about support for the machine since the PRISM Topaz is still pretty rare in Canada. After meeting with Sharon and Peter I no longer have any concerns about product support. They were fantastic to deal with and went way beyond my expectations. They spent an extrodinary amount of time answering our questions. Sharon even put together a save a dive kit for us and had it ready to go when we arrived. Should be a great year of diving ! I have already started to customize the harness a little to make it easier to carry my bailout bottle, can light etc., installed a dump valve in the bottom right corner of the wing to help with horizontal ascents and look forward to trying out some of the things i've read about on the forum over the last eight months. Ken West
(Offline)

22nd January 2007, 01:53	#2 (permalink)
Frank New Member Current Rebreather/s: Prism Topaz Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Canada Posts: 7	Re: New PRISM Congrats for your new units!!! More and more Prisms are making their way to Canada Only two units in Québec!!! Regards François Perron
(Offline)

22nd January 2007, 03:31	#3 (permalink)
jstovall Supporting Member Current Rebreather/s: Prism Topaz Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: New Braunfels, TX Posts: 55	Re: New PRISM Congrats Ken +1, I am glad to see another happy PRISM diver. I have had the pleasure of talking with Sharon and Jan over the phone, but have never met these wonderful people. I have enjoyed my PRISM the short time I have on it, and like to hear other begining ccr divers and experiences on the unit. I think the PRISM is an awsome and comfortable e/mCCR. Enjoy her, I know I do.
(Offline)

22nd January 2007, 10:47	#4 (permalink)
DaveC New Member Current Rebreather/s: Sport Kiss Classic Kiss Other Rebreather/s: Prism Topaz Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Ontario. Canada Posts: 192	Re: New PRISM Congrats Ken, sounds like you had a fun trip, both picking up the units and diving down in Florida. I was talking to Sharon and heard you were there and got the van stuck. Look forward to hooking up with you guys and doing some dives. __________________ Dave Any day in the water is better then any day in the office.
(Offline)

22nd January 2007, 17:33	#5 (permalink)
Lake_Tahoe_Diver Enjoying the silence Current Rebreather/s: Prism Topaz Sport Kiss Other Rebreather/s: Not Bought Yet Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Reno, Nv. (Lake Tahoe) Posts: 187	Re: New PRISM Glad to see some more Prism divers out there. I think most of us change the harness so we can sling, or sidemount the bailouts. __________________ Scuba Diving,the only sport where it is good to be in over your head....
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22nd January 2007, 20:10	#6 (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: 5,496	Congrats, Ken. Fun visiting SMI, isn't it. Quote: (Originally Posted by Lake_Tahoe_Diver) I think most of us change the harness so we can sling, or sidemount the bailouts. Just out of curiousity, do most of you dive the PRISM without cowling? __________________ Cheers Stefan "Political Correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end.!"
(Offline)

22nd January 2007, 20:47	#7 (permalink)
DaveC New Member Current Rebreather/s: Sport Kiss Classic Kiss Other Rebreather/s: Prism Topaz Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Ontario. Canada Posts: 192	Re: New PRISM Quote: (Originally Posted by caveseeker7) Just out of curiousity, do most of you dive the PRISM without cowling? Never dive without it. As most of the dives I do up here are around wrecks and inside, I'm always nervious about hitting the head. The cowling takes the hit before the head does. __________________ Dave Any day in the water is better then any day in the office.
(Offline)

23rd January 2007, 08:30	#8 (permalink)
silent running Mature mouth breather Current Rebreather/s: Prism Topaz Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: U.S.A. Brooklyn, New York Posts: 1,836	Re: New PRISM Glad to see you on Rebreather World Ken, congrats to you and your buddies. Here's to lots of happy, easy diving! And don't hesitate to ask for advice/answers for any problems you come across. I was talking with Sharon recently and she reminded me of some divers who have gone through the same kinds of growing pains I'm going through now and who have a wealth of experince/info. The Prism has been around for a good while so there's lots of experience out there from which to draw... -Andy
(Offline)

23rd January 2007, 09:53	#9 (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: 609	Re: New PRISM Quote: (Originally Posted by DaveC) Never dive without it. As most of the dives I do up here are around wrecks and inside, I'm always nervious about hitting the head. The cowling takes the hit before the head does. Agree NEVER dive without the cowling, in fact I would go further to say never take the unit out of the house without the cowling on. It should be standard with the PRISM and not an optional extra. You didnt happen to see any spare secondaries laying around at SMI did you , I know some of the boys down here would give their left testicle for one at the moment. Cheers Chriso __________________ Megalodon Sorb and Sensors whilst in Australia www.divetub.com.au Diving & Photography @ www.uwphotog.com
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23rd January 2007, 22:43	#10 (permalink)
DeepBlueInnovation Learning to Kiss Current Rebreather/s: Not Bought Yet Other Rebreather/s: Prism Topaz Not Bought Yet Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 362	Re: New PRISM Quote: (Originally Posted by Chris) You didnt happen to see any spare secondaries laying around at SMI did you , I know some of the boys down here would give their left testicle for one at the moment. Err, no. Already traded that one to get the unit However I can still offer my first-born child...
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