KISS - 'Classic' or Sport? Advice please.

[JohnD]

Sport or Classis? I am interested in going for a RB and have settled on a Megalodon (I will have to save more!) or a KISS. out of the KISS versions, which one would you recommend for recreational diving in a club structure. I like the size of these units, not too heavy or bulky. I am looking for help in learning about RBs (particularly KISS units) before training and buying one. help anyone?

[Woz]

You might want to have a shuftie round "rebreather world" where there are lots of people with various types of RB. The web address escapes me for the minute but I'm sure a quick search will pop it up.

[Mr T.]

I think Andy M and Turbanator are your first stops for the KISS gig mate - and Stuart Ford (schford) for the Meg.

Good luck and enjoy. Let us know which way you eventually jump.

[daz]

um.. and Zak (wreckweasel).

He dives one.

Daz

[Digger]

Personally, having spent very little time underwtaer on either, I would go for a KISS, purely because it's well made. I watched as Andy M held up the 3 displays and 3 bare wires from his Sport Kiss a couple of weeks ago. They seem to be from 2 completely different factories, they're chalk and cheese.

I quite like the KISS, you wouldn't get me diving a Sport.

Might be worth thinking about Meg and it's coming over for CE through Custom Divers soon so will be BSAC compatible - club structure? If you're diving within BSAC it will limit your choice a little to the mainstream units, but there's plenty to choose from now.

Basically you're looking at 2 units which work in 2 very very different ways, and you need to decide which of those suits you better. The Meg will be driven electronically and is a lot like the inspo in the way it uses a solenoid and fires when ppO2 drops, the KISS is a different game completely and will trickle feed O2 in at just below your metabolic rate to keep your O2 levels reasonable, and you just squirt a little more every now and again to keep it high. Try diving both, they're very different, and you'll see it once you've tried a couple.



Digs.

[NotDeadYet]

I could be wrong and I'm sure I will be coreected... the Sport Kiss is injection moulded whereas the Classic parts are machined. Don't really see the point of the Sport, naff scrubber design for one thing.

Running the KISS manually might sound a bit of a hassle, in reality it isn't. Set up and calibration is dead easy, the controller is reliable (if I can drive to work through Rusholme then I've got the co-ordination and awareness to drive a KISS) and topping the O2 up is very infrequent. Mine sits happily on setpoint for ever unless I change depth. You can also pull it apart and reassemble it with a handful of tools, it's all user serviceable, compact (I don't get the whole Sport KISS idea, the Classic is only 17kg empty) and AFAIK the waiting time for one is a lot less than the Sport. It is beautifully made as well.

[Andy M]

Originally Posted by Digger

I would go for a KISS, purely because it's well made. I watched as Andy M held up the 3 displays and 3 bare wires from his Sport Kiss a couple of weeks ago. They seem to be from 2 completely different factories, they're chalk and cheese.

Digger, The Classic KISS and the Sport KISS use exactly the same displays now. They moved to the injection moulded displays in March this year, but the glands are not good enough... Product development is ongoing. Getting some new displays from Jetsam. Thats what I like about the KISS, the aftersales service/support is excellent.

As far as I am concerned I prefer the Sport over the Classic, because I can pack my Sport Kiss in CABIN baggage. You cant do that with any other rebreather out there can you...

[Andy M]

Originally Posted by NotDeadYet

Don't really see the point of the Sport, naff scrubber design for one thing.

Care to qualify why you think the Sport has a naff scrubber design? It works...

[Janos]

Originally Posted by Andy M

As far as I am concerned I prefer the Sport over the Classic, because I can pack my Sport Kiss in CABIN baggage. You cant do that with any other rebreather out there can you...

Apart from the Meg, (Last photo down)

Mind you, my choice of rebreather changes daily but currently I'm leaning towards the Meg. Just because you can drive over it in a great big truck without damaging it and some of our trainees are like great big trucks in some ways... [1]

Janos

[1] - Not that I'm advocating teaching trainees on a RB before anyone picks me up on it...

[Andy M]

Originally Posted by Janos

Apart from the Meg

Sure, at almost three times the price!