I second this. only after prying Richard for answers that were missing from the instructions, such as waiting a few minutes to purge residual oxygen from the device, attaching a second canister when the first one fills the reservoir bag, making sure it's placed correctly inside the tote bag, and so many other small details that should have been glossed over are apparently crucial to use of the device. this thread has been ongoing for such a long time and it seems more people are frustrated than ever with the fact that THREE of these devices have been brought to market but none of them seem to work properly. it cost over $500 between the device, shipping, and the now six canisters of nitrogen I've had to purchase in order for the device to work as intended. this isn't okay. they're taking advantage of people who are already on edge from the constant pain of life. no one should prey on the sick and vulnerable. at this point I'm disgusted. literal months of my life have been poured into making this thread as informative as possible and I'm exhausted as we all are. there's no reason things should be this difficult.
@BlueMouse when you get the ability to can you send me a message? I'd like to discuss what exactly happened when you tried to use it so we can compare our experiences. wondering if they were similar in any way.
I will be glad to msg you, when I get the ability to do so.
But, in the meantime - we can discuss publicly, so all can learn.
I emailed Richard, regarding the issues you had, as I was reading about them on this forum. He suggested the following:
lay the ReBreather out on a table or counter as shown in the illustration and unfold the Reservoir Bag. Remove the Black Vinyl Cap and blow into the ReBreather. This will allow you to fully inflate the Reservoir Bag (and to verify that the Pressure Relief Valve is working). Even when you stop exhaling into the device, the Reservoir Bag does not collapse. It no longer looks like a filled balloon, but it generally does NOT return to a flat position. Now, re-inflate the Reservoir Bag and immediately place your hand over the opening into which you have been blowing (re-sealing the ReBreather from the outside atmosphere). This is the equivalent of joining the Face Mask to the ReBreather during use of the device. You will notice that the Reservoir Bag will not deflate.
Now, to complete the demonstration, flip the ReBreather over so that the Reservoir Bag is resting against the surface of the counter or table with the weight of the ReBreather components pressing down on the Reservoir Bag. Repeat the inflation process, and once the bag is fully inflated stop blowing into the device and allow the inlet port to be exposed to the atmosphere. Observe what happens to the Reservoir Bag. (I'm just visualizing this experiment. When you actually do it, count the number of seconds before the Reservoir Bag is deflated. Let me know what you observe.)
I did as instructed above, and the bag remained inflated when filled with just air that I blew into it. So I know the connections are tight.
After that test, I deflated the bag flat.
I took my time putting on the face mask, and had a tight seal. I am female, so no beard or stubble to worry about.
I used 2 nitrogen canisters, that I purchased online. The bag was fully inflated. I mentally counted to five, exhaled all the air out of my lungs. I quickly removed the black vinyl cap and attached the mask. I took a nice deep breath and the air felt a bit cool, which made me think I was breathing nitrogen. I closed my eyes and took another deep breath.
After my 4th breath, I realized I was still hearing the tv in the background. On the fifth breath, I opened my eyes and saw that the bag was just about nearly empty, and I was clearly
awake and alert.
So I believe that my 1st breath was Nitrogen, but not sure about the rest.
I laid there on the bed, stunned for a few minutes. Then cursed my luck and packed up.
I had booked a hotel room for privacy and so as to spare my family the trauma of finding me at home.
So not only am I out the money for the rebreather and nitrogen, but also spent money on a hotel room, that I used for just a few hours.
To say that I am disappointed and upset is an understatement.
I emailed Richard from the hotel yesterday and have not heard back yet.