SUMMARY:- APD were the first to make the investment in development and manufacturing to transform the Closed Circuit rebreather from specialist/military equipment and make it available to you. The base design was so good it has stood the test of time, and due to ongoing development is still a great choice for anyone buying a rebreather. I love my
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DETAILED REVIEW
My buddy and I have dived inspirations for 10 years, working our way to trimix (mod 3), we occasionally do 70m dives but a lot are around 30m or less. What follows applies to XPD, EVP and EVO units, I have placed this review under XPD as that’s the best match for our units.
THE BAD BITS -- In summary, not much that’s wrong.
- The cases are week it splits around the bottom of the case where it stands on the ground. Shattering around bolts that connect to the harness is now less of a problem as APD supply reinforcements.
On the plus side you can buy one of the may aftermarket cases that fits your particular needs.
- If the cells or leads that connect to the oxygen cells corrode or otherwise fail they are not user replicable, APD replace them at a fair cost. It’s just the shipping cost and the time it takes that’s an issue, especially if you are in the middle of an expensive dive trip.
- Compared to other rebreathers the bail out valve (BOV) can be hard to operate, especially with one hand. APD have made some changes that improves this, they are happy to apply the changes to existing units if you pay for the BOV to be serviced. There is a technique to using the BOV, put you thumb on top of the leave by inserting it under your mask, then open or close it.
RELIABILITY -- In summary, Reliability is better than a lot of units. All rebreathers need you to carry spares; an oxygen cell, batteries, a few O-rings, plus any bits you can drop and lose. Do that and there is not much you can’t fix in time for the next dive provided you do all your pre-dive nice and early. Inspect the case for splits with a bit of luck you should have enough time to replace or repair before it becomes unusable (to strengthen or repair with fibre glass see https://sites.google.com/site/comeupslowly).
Any problem I had usually occurred during the pre-dive check or at the start of the dive, and I could abort before I had any great deco penalty. Here is a summary of problems I have had, remember this is over about 10 years of use.
- cell failures, this is likely with any rebreather, cells are now better quality so failures are more unusual. I would always aborted the dive and replace the cell ready for the next dive. Cells that were within warranty were promptly replaced free of charge. Keep an eye on the age of your cells and replace them as they reach 18months old, do linearity checks once you reach the bottom and on the 6m stop at the end of the dive to ensure cells can read high PO2 readings.
- cell leads / connectors - I have sent my unit back to APD twice for cell connectors / leads to be replaced, on one occasion I was using a cell beyond where it should have been replaced, it probably leaked and caused corrosion, my fault and a lesson learn.
- We have both had buttons replaced on our handset, the current handsets have a new type of button so should be more reliable.
- I lost all power to the unit as I reached about 40m, it recovered as I ascended and the pressure dropped. The batterys gave good voltage at the surface, I think they may have been counterfeit Duracell batteries and failed under pressure. I replaced them with ones from a different source and the unit worked fine. Take care where you buy batteries. This was not a fault with the rebreather.
GOOD BITS-- APD provide excellent service, their units that have been developed, improved, and proven over time, having a proven unit is very important as your life depends on it being reliable in all situations you might be exposed to.
- Perhaps the most important thing is the units are great fun to dive.
- integrated weights make for a comfortable back on long dives, the weights are very hard to ditch unless your arms have an extra elbow joint grafted into your arm or your quite tall. If you spend time in caves or wrecks see this as a bonus.
- The front mounted lungs work well in any attitude, rear ones felt strange lying on my back, but you don’t do that much on a dive. I have had a very quick try of other manufacturers rebreathers and did not find anything that was noticeably easier or more pleasant to breath from.
In comparison to others the unit felt stable in all attitudes, of course you need the correct weight and correctly distributed in trim pockets and integrated pouches.
- APD have achieved a great balance between automation and diver control, you get good information and alerts on the hand set, and it nags you to do the correct thing, but you decide. This lets you exploit things like manual control, and use as a pure oxygen rebreather to get you out of trouble.
- APD have an enviable track record of providing upgrades, all new enhancements have been available for old units; rear lungs, rechargeable battery, high visibility hand set with better buttons, colour heads up display, etc. admittedly some of these are expensive, but cheaper than buying a new unit. ADP have to be praised for issuing free software upgrades that improve the unit.
REAR OR FRONT COUNTER LUNGS?-- I have front mounted lungs, my buddy has rear. You can’t go wrong ether, its just personal preference.
- Some people find it hard to reach round front mounted lungs to the drysuit dump valve. An old-style Apex valve that sticks out a bit further from the dry suit can help, or move the dump valve to a better position.
- you can squash front mounted lungs to help do an effective dill flush.
- Its probably not significant enough to be a consideration but front mounted are better for trapping any water that’s in the loop, due to their position and size.
- A few people have told me the rear lungs make buoyancy control a bit easier, some people who swapped from front realised they were using the lungs for buoyancy due to the ease of dumping via the mouth / nose, and had to their adjust technique (a good thing to change?) for rear.
- The big plus for rear lungs is an uncluttered chest so you can attach / detach stages, cameras, etc.
Keith S. Read LessRead less about SUMMARY:- APD were the first to make
Inspiration Rebreathers are built on an individual customer specification. Build and delivery times will vary. For a more accurate timeframe, please contact our CCR sales team on: +44 (0)1326 561040
The Inspiration Rebreather started the CCR revolution over 20 years ago and the Inspiration XPD is based on the original spec – the larger unit with a longer duration scrubber and 3 litre cylinders - ideal for deeper, longer duration diving or a series of shorter repeat dives. The Inspiration XPD is the expedition divers rebreath
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