Since those who do not know want to make an issue of me not being willing to waste my time talking about why elephants can't fly, I will waste all of your time with this one to get at those who keep recommending the Buddy Inspiration, and who apparently have an agenda with this thing and other shade tree rebreathers out there.

Who has the agenda?, who's project is sponsored by another rebreather manufacturer?

Besides all the failure modes common to all rebreathers, like if the mushrooms in the mouthpiece malfunction and take the diver hypercapnic or hypoxic right away, or a loop hose failure, etc, the Desperation has its own plethora of problems idiosyncratic to the unit. Other units have many of the same issues, and almost all of the civilian rebreathers are poor excuses for anything other than assisted suicide devices. In fact, most are merely copies of each other’s bad ideas, and most are poorly funded, poorly capitalized, poorly tested and otherwise poorly conceived wet dreams. The Halcyon is a clever device, made more clever by Reinhard Buchaly, but is still a dangerous piece of `kit`, whereas the Buddy is a dangerous piece of `shit`.

The Inspiration is tested to the ONLY government recognised standard for civilian rebreathers. A standard currently recognised by 25 countries and by NATO. The Inspiration passed, as did the Dreager, Azimuth and a few other minor units.  Some units have never been tested by ANY independant third parties to ANY standards. The Inspiration has had more money spent on it in testing by independent third parties than certain rebreathers have made in total profit!!

I will talk about the Inspiration Rebreather as it comes from the factory. There are many ways to modify the rebreather as one may observe on the Star Wars Bar Scene lists like `rebreather@nwdesigns.com` and is a complete topic onto itself. I will stick to the basics here and leave the `fix it at home` mods to the die hards on the other lists.

Yes, fortunately, those of us with free thinking brains realise that units as they come from the factory may not be perfect for the diving we do and we change them to fit. We don't believe that a single kit configuration is required or SAFE for ALL dives. Did you not ever alter any of your Open Circuit kit? (Like fitting springs to replace fin heel straps)

There is a small metal screw inside the oxygen sensor compartment, it is located directly across from sensor number two. Condensation often forms on this metal screw and will allow droplets to fall onto the oxygen sensors. This will happen particularly if the diver moves from side to side as in dumping gas from a drysuit or if they invert from horizontal for any reason.

Not unless the laws of physics differ at the WKPP. The 3 independent cells are at 90 degrees to each other. When in the diving position this means there is one vertical and two horizontal cells. The screw in question is at the base of the tube and hence water would have to flow up against gravity to get on any cell, and you'd have to be spun in a centrifuge to get water on all 3 faces. Also as ALL the cell faces have a hydrophobic membrane fitted that actively repels water this is just an absurd idea. It just doesn't happen. My screw is dry at the end of dives, as its small and in the main air stream it warms to ambient temperature very quickly and hence no condensation takes place on it

Condensation is inherently found within this area and will form on the oxygen sensors even without this metal catalyst. The O2 sensors are located on the inhalation side of the breathing loop, so you have warm gas that just went through the scrubbing process meeting with cooler gas that you will inhale thus the condensation forming on the cell faces. This condensation causes discrepancies/inaccuracies within the cell readings and they begin to VOTE trying to figure out which one is more than .2 bar out of line with the other. Cell warnings will manifest within this period of time and the diver will begin to get audible and visual alarms ...task loading increases.

All cells have hydrophobic membranes, water can NOT sit on their faces, it is actively shed. You also have 3 litres of air rushing past the sensors every breath to further assist run off, plus the configuration of the cells means that gravity is clearing them. This is a made up issue that just NEVER arises when diving. I have yet to have a cell warning during a dive!

Unless you have a dodgy cell you will NEVER see a 0.2 discrepancy on the inspiration cells, It holds set point much, much better than this. If you were right then every Inspiration diver would be getting "BEEP" cell warnings on every dive, doesn't happen. Personally I've NEVER had a cell warning!

The unit alarms if it senses a PO2 over 1.6, which is a good thing. Problem with this is that many of the divers will run 100% oxygen at 20 ft, which is a PO2 of 1.6, if they drop below the 20 ft they get an alarm, fair enough. If you have several Inspiration divers in close proximity with cell warning alarms, and high PO2 alarms it becomes very difficult to know if the alarm is coming from your unit or from another diver. Some will be able to assimilate this to being in an area where several cellular phones begin to ring and everyone pulls out their phone to see if it was theirs. Mix this with CCR divers using wrist computers that alarm and you really have an orchestra playing down there, so much for the peace and tranquility of `no bubbles`.

a) Most RB divers are quite capable of holding the correct depth at a stop and hence wont drop low enough to get O2 high warnings
b) There is a warning!, that's safer than OC where there isn't if you do the same trick and risk a tox
c) The warning is a single beep in this case, hardly intrusive, and is backed up by a written warning on the handset
d) What cell warnings, they just don't happen like you describe
e) I've never heard even a single alarm go off on a stop yet

Weight must be placed on the top of the rebreather in order to balance the trim. If divers put to much gas in the counter lungs the upper body is lifted and trim is then off center. Gas in a counter lung is just another source to administrate, along with drysuit, BCD, PO2 on handsets, pressure in O2 and DIL cylinders.

yes, ALL rebreathers have counter lungs, it's how they work, even your beloved RB-80, cant get round that, but you can use an auto dump so that it takes care of itself. Anyway, the counter lungs are sized for the user, your lungs should not be so big that they cause a problem. Trimming a unit is good, you still need to do that with a twinset and SS back plate. Of course another advantage of the lung placement on the Inspiration is that you still have a low Work of Breathing (WOB) at any attitude in the water. Some other badly designed units have the lungs placed so low that you can only breath if you are in a slightly heads up horizontal position. If you try and go vertical while waiting at the surface or while rescuing a buddy the WOB is extreme.

Many divers use the Inspiration to extend their times in open ocean, this in itself may pose problems. If the decompression gained by the increased bottom times is met with undesirable conditions such as rough seas it is not so easy to adjust buoyancy as with breathing open circuit. Many of the buoyancy characteristics involved with rebreathers require a longer learning curve and must be anticipated, if the diver is not up to par they are much less forgiving than OC. If the constant PO2 is increased or decreased too quickly due to unforeseen circumstances the diver could quickly become hypoxic/hyperoxic.

Many divers use twinsets to extend their times in open ocean, this in itself may pose problems (anyone with a brain cell plans their dives and allows for this). Changing buoyancy with a  rebreather is even easier than on OC, you still have your wing, your drysuit  AND the counterlungs. Changing the PO2??? you cant set a PO2 on the Inspiration that will let you become hypoxic/hyperoxic. This is only an issue on Semi closed rebreathers like the RB-80. George, your lack of CCR knowledge and ocean diving shows here

Mouthpiece does not have OC bailout built into it, bailout is a time of increased stress so it is pertinent the transition should be smooth without chance for a mistake. The bailout procedure on the factory unit uses a device called an Auto Air, this duals as a breathing device and BCD inflator. I couldn't imagine this being an effective tool for gas sharing,

Agreed wholeheartedly for once. MY Inspiration does have an OC bailout built in and I always dive with bailout fitted with OC regs for my buddies use. BUT again your lack of CCR understanding shows through, in all failure cases other than loop flood, you don't want to abandon the loop and in most cases the best alternate gas a buddy could provide for you is one with Inspiration whip on it so that you can plug it into your loop and breath it via the rebreather, getting the massive gas extension. As usual plan the dive and the bailout requirements, these rules apply for all diver OC or CC

nor proper bail out for the user either, as the CCR mouthpiece has to be effectively closed before the transition to OC bailout is performed or it will flood the breathing loop making the diver negatively buoyant. Bail out should be in the form of a combination unit on the mouthpiece to facilitate safe transition.

Mine is, and this option is open to all Inspiration owners. Yes, it should be factory fitted. ALL rebreathers need their loop to be closed before removal from the mouth

If the O-ring on top of the cartridge lid is dirty or not aligned properly CO2 will take the path of least resistance and bypass the carbon dioxide scrubber therefore breathed back into the loop. Hypercapnia begins and the diver is faced with another problem to solve.

That's what pre-dive checks and a pre-breathe are for. Neglect them at your peril. Yes, this is the weakest design point of the inspiration and is a single point of failure. ALL rebreathers have weak points, for example the RB-80 has 3 single points of failure, the small internal bellows, The OPV valve and the plate that moves up and down being jammed by debris. All should be noticed by pre-dive checks

As the diver descends they must equalize the counter lungs, if this procedure is not adhered to and they begin an uncontrolled descent the lungs collapse and the diver is not able to breath, an automatic diluent add is an aftermarket product which does combat this. But since we are talking factory here the diver is faced with equalizing counter lungs, ears, sinuses, mask drysuit, BCD, monitoring PO2 on handsets, buddy position, light and depth in the water column. It has been mentioned before that this is `a busy time`.

ADV valve is standard item now. It wasn't for a while. Its a task load time for about the first 5 dives you do on the unit until you learn how to dive it, then its an automatic response and you don't even notice it any more. George your lack of Inspiration training is showing

Inspiration does not have SS backplate and utilizes many plastic fastex clips, which some view as failure points. There are seven quick releases on the soft harness including the crotch strap and handset clips. The clips that hold the yellow casing lid on the unit break frequently so spares are required as well.

Never seen a cover clip break yet, and as you have 4 fitted, the failure of one is not exactly a problem. As for the plastic bits on the harness, well Buddy have been making UK market BC's/ABLJ's/Stabs etc for many years, all with these same fasteners. Buddy have a great reputation for durability for club abuse in the not so good UK conditions. You wont see these breaking. The Inspiration uses a standard spaced 2 bolt mount system so you can put whatever backplate and harness you like on it. You've got to remember that in the UK EVERYONE uses a drysuit with lots of of underwear, you have to have adjustable shoulder straps or you just cant get in or out of the unit. On the inspiration the shoulder straps also hold the counter lungs on, so you need releases on the straps to be able to remove the lungs for cleaning/disinfecting etc

Often difficult to transport with Sofnolime, if you do not have an MSDS on your person you will be declined, even if you do have the Material Safety Data Sheet on hand and the handler does not feel comfortable with the issue they will not let the scrubber material on the plane. Most Inspiration divers seek out `Inspiration friendly dive Centers` so they are able to obtain the wide array of parts required to service and maintain.

True for all rebreathers. Yes, its nice to know you are going to a place where the Sofno is on tap. Dont OC divers rent weights and tanks at their destinations rather than ship them?

The oxygen sensors are proprietary to the Inspiration, which limits the diversity on this product. Many of the CCR's will allow various types of sensors to be used but not so the case with Inspiration's and it is strongly voiced by Martin Parker. Patrick Duffy with Oxycheq in the US sells similar sensors and says there is absolutely no difference between the Teledyne's he sells and the Inspiration sensors.

The Inspiration was CE certified and tested with one make of Cell, which was designed for it, so to use any other cell invalidates this testing and the warranty. There are 2 other cells that fit and work, use them at your own risk. The R22D's that Oxycheque sell and the R22-Bud2 that the Inspiration uses are similar, but ARE NOT identical (I've cut both open), both work fine though

Scrubber canister is small (2.45 Kg of 8-12 mesh, 797 diving grade sofnolime) and does not facilitate the use many of the mixed gas Inspiration divers put it through. At depth CO2 breakthrough is rapid even with a resting diver, if breathing resistance is elevated the scrubber is near void. With increased CO2 build up the diver is of course exposing oneself to further malady. Diving high helium concentrations assist with this problem as it is less dense than air, easier to breath therefore less CO2 buildup and the scrubber should last longer but it is playing on the edge. High PPN2 should be ultimately avoided.

Scrubber size is fine and it lasts as long as the NOAA 3 hour exposure to 1.3 bar PO2 allowed. The limitations and durations of the scrubber are well documented and easy to understand. Not all divers want to throw 10 hours of sofno away after a 3 hour dive!!! Do you understand how a scrubber works? DERA (UK military test house) have stated that the Inspiration scrubber is the most efficient they have ever tested. Bigger scrubbers mean more Work of Breathing. Not everyone spends 12 hours on dives like you. The Inspiration Scrubber is the most tested scrubber on the market and its usage figures are well tested to ensure it always performs to this level. I can mention other RB scrubber that have NEVER been independently tested to a recognised standard and are rated at extremely long durations just cos one owner managed to do this once. Duration by guesswork or duration based on independent testing to internationally recognised government levels. You choose

If counter lungs are not situated adequately they will float above the divers shoulders and increase breathing resistance. It is taught in the basic course to watch for this ... But they are clipped down with fastex buckles which as we know do fail on occasion. With the diver already quite task loaded on the CCR it is easy not to notice the lung has crept up, CO2 will then increase from breathing resistance.

True, but you should be checking this in the predive checks, even if the fastex's were to fail, the harness would hold the lungs in position as they are fixed at 3 points each. At least the lungs on the Inspiration work in ALL positions (part of CE test), unlike certain rebreathers that have the lungs at the wearers bum and only work when horizontal. Only people who don't assemble their unit correctly, or have their harness too loose and who don't do pre-dive checks should get this problem

The LP hoses which feed the diluent and the oxygen inlets on the counter lungs use a different end than the BCD inflator. The BCD is inflated with Diluent gas, the same which you are adding into the counter lung, there is no sound reason not to have the same end on this for diversity. The reason the end is different on the BCD inflator is to supply a greater amount of gas to the Auto Air regulator used as a bailout/inflation device. This Auto Air is prone to free flow situations and can dump the diluent gas if not tended to quick enough. Most Inspirations divers discard this Auto Air early into their CCR career.

mmm you say there is no reason for a different fitting and then go on to give the reason in the very same sentence!!!!. Yes, I think the auto air is crap too and I replaced it. The statistics are 27% of Inspiration users have had a Auto Air Free flow and 43% of users have replaced it. Don't OC regulators free flow as well?

If both handsets shut off in the water the diver is faced with a series of questions in order to `reboot` the system. One of the questions ask if you would like to calibrate `yes or no` if the diver is stressed and chooses `yes` they will effectively be adding 100% oxygen into the breathing loop no matter what depth they are at in the water column.

a) Why would both handsets shut off in the water? They are completely independent
b) Handsets since 1999 will not allow calibration underwater
c) Calibration underwater is perfectly possible and safe on the older units as long as you tell the unit the correct O2 percent (ie 200 at 10m)
d) To get it to calibrate requires a minimum of 4 slider presses, in the correct order

I would have said this was a non issue, but for the fact that one idiot did it!!!

If the battery is low it will not supply enough EMF for the oxygen solenoid to open the valve and add life sustaining gas.

Well before the battery is too low to do this, the unit will give battery warnings and the slave will take over, you also have the option to manually fly the unit. A non issue. PS the battery warning is designed to sound and display while there is a minimum of 10 hours power in the unit. More than enough to finish the dive safely. Oh and of course did I mention there is a slave controller with a separate and independent battery that can take over the primary anyway

The control handsets are secured to the canister via rubber hose, the wiring is run through this conduit down to the electronic handsets that are monitoring the dynamics of the oxygen sensors. These rubber conduits enter into the scrubber/O2 sensor compartment where it is humid and if not perfectly sealed will allow condensation to migrate into the hose and wreak havoc with the electronics in the handsets. Many electronic problems with the handsets have involved this scenario.

What electrical problems with the handsets, all the internals are sealed in resin, water cant get in unless you physically damage the units

See Mike Pizzios complaints on techdiver, see the archives of techdiver for info on the Desperation, see the UK coroner for what the bottom line on this thing is. My take? `needs to be sold with a shovel`.

See lots of people who are not rebreather divers nor rebreather trained make arses of themselves commenting on things they do not understand