SCBA

[SparkyFFD]

Our Dept. is currently looking at purchasing new SCBA.The three we are looking at are Survivair, Scott and MSA. I would like to hear your experiences either good or bad on all of these units.

[Staylow]

I have predominantly used the Scotts. I have found them to be more durable and more user friendly than other scbas. They don't breakdown often(and this after the worst abuse possible), and they are very easy to operate. We beat them to hell and they still work as expected.

Good Luck.

[6873]

Try contacting each dealer they should have demo packs for you to try. The Survivair and Scott 50 are about even but I have seen that with Surviviar you can receive either one free cylinder or 2 facepieces with each pack you buy.

[SparkyFFD]

My mistake, I should have stated in my original post that we do have demo units that we are trying out and have heard of the extra bottle deal. but what I'm looking for is what these units are like in the field, the pro's and con's on how they work.

[Drewbo]

I really like the new generation MSA. They are now the space cadet type like scotts. Get it with the dragonfly in line alarm, like the SURVIVAIR, indeglow backlight pressure guage and a less anoying (yet still loud and effective) motion/heat alarm. I've used both the old and new MSA hard and liked them better than SCOTTS and SURVIVAIR. And they now come with a light true 30 minute pack. They are much easier to use than SURVIVAIR and you get a better vision through the mask than Scotts. At least that is my opinion.

Take Care

------------------
*************************
* God Looked down and
* saw this was bad, it
* was bad, it was Drew
*************************

[FFD793]

We have used MSA for the past 20 yrs with very few problems.

[Tindog18]

WE use Scott 2.2 in our dept. Like in a previous reply, they take a beating like no other pack I've seen. Very user friendly And it seems that the face piece to bottle bulkiness is less than with other packs. I personally have not used the new 4.5's yet but a paid guy in our vol. dept swears by them. Best of luck, and look into your local government there could br funds available to help you purchase much needed valuable equipment

[HarleyGump]

Try the new MSAs out . Very comfortable with no mask fogging (on or off air) which might be a consideration in your area. It seems to me Scott has become complacent because others have improved there backframes (ISI, MSA, Drager) and Scott still has the same cluttered rack. Try out the voice amp on the new MSAs as well. They work extremely well!

Opinions are like ***holes- everybody's got one.

[LisbonTrainingOfficr]

Scott 2.2 good to go!!!
Stay safe

[johnusn971]

Don't even look at anything called an OBA. This Decomm-ing ship has them. I espically like the package they come in. "Danger- Not for firefighting use."

Granted they are, oh, only 50 years old, but the Navy still uses them.

Doc DC3

[tlfd600]

My department mainly uses older MSA sets, these are very dependable, but not my favorite. My favorite ones are Scott, I like the twist off regulater and with the composite bottle they are real light, don't know if they make steel bottles anymore. If they do sell steel bottles they suck, way too heavy.

[Captain Gonzo]

One word, SparkyFFD...Scott!

My department has the 4.5's. They are lightweight, comfortable to wear and can take a lot of abuse.

------------------
Firefighters: rising under adverse conditions to accept the challenge!
Captain Gonzo

[DFD420]

All we use is the Scott. the new 50's are great. lightweight bottle and comfortable straps. The new facepeice comes ina comfort seal that works great and you can get an anti-fog lens. They take a beating and never stop. And they have been around the longest.