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On Thu, 12 Jan 1995, Mr I.M. Horsfall wrote: > Just a quick comment on Rod Farbs comparison of a BioMarine 155 to a > Cis-Lunar Mk5. > Rod implied that the Mk5 was overpriced and servicing too restrictive when > compared to his BioMarine. > He quoted aprice of $10,000 + $800 for training + mentioned that modifications Sorry. My unit was $8500 plus approx. $1400 to get the unit where I wanted it to be (including three new O2 sensors and a new battery plus 1 spare O2 sensor and three extra batteries. Then the $800 for training. Don't get me wrong, I'd buy a Cis-Lunar if the $ were there; it appears to be a superb unit. I question the viability of selling a very expensive high tech device to large numbers of modest income tech divers. The Cis-Linar, to me, is more of an expedition rebreather, where, when you get the photo or film contract, its cost becomes part of the price of doing business. For the average diver who wants to spend more time junking on a shipwreck or diving a cave system, an $18K rebreather that shuts down when it's time to go to the shop, I believe, has too great a cost:benefit ratio. If you have a way to recoup your investment doing work with the rebreather, then that is a diffent story. > had to be made (at what cost?). This compares to 8000 pounds (not a firm > price) which includes training, for a unit which to my mind needed no user > modification except perhaps the addition of OC bailout (who on this list > does not already own such equipment). Also, as far as I know, a BioMarine > can't be directly purchased here in the UK nor can the specific training > be done here. All this makes the cost of the two units very comparable, with > the Mk5 being the much more advanced machine. > > What about servicing? Every two years for a service doesn't sound too > bad to me (compare to sevicing of regs and tank inspection). The need > for minor field repairs and the ability of users to fix these themselves > is at the moment a bit of an unknown quantity, we will have to wait and > see. Having said this, much of the Mk4 looked like standard scuba gear > and simple plumbing, the clever bit being the computer control, which > after 25000 hrs operation should be fairly reliable. The idea of Cis-Lunar > checking up on you to see if you have been a good boy/girl may sound a > little over the top. > But rebreathers are new technology to the general > diving community to which Cis-Lunar (and Oceanic) are hoping to sell > relativelylarge numbers of units. If an incident occurs soon after > the introduction of these units it could have serious consequences to > these companies and there sales in the litigation society we live in. > Having Cis-Lunar looking over your shoulder to see what you are up to > may make people use their units with a little more caution. Believe me, the same things were said thirty years ago about OC scuba, which, by the way, proceeded in a rather Darwinian fashion for a while and still does to an extent in technical diving community today. I've been around diving for a long time and one thing I have gleaned over the years is that when you are dealing with equipment for the masses, keep it simple. The more that's there to screw up, will screw up eventually. I think of the Far Side cartoon of the rebreather diver into 20 minutes of a three hour decompression when his unit signals that its is shutting down for its two year maintenance check. Bummer. > > I'd love to talk to you about this a TEK but I'm not going so this > post will have to do. > > Ian H > -- > Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@opal.com'. > Send subscription/archive requests to `techdiver-request@opal.com'. >
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