Aqualung Aquasense announced (aquanounced?)

[Umuntu]

Judging by the small size of that second stage, it’s likely to have poor breathing performance.

Also, this looks like a pure “recreational” product. Given all the multiple potential failure issues already highlighted, this is unlikely to appeal to the DIR tech diving community.

 

[rhwestfall]

Also, this looks like a pure “recreational” product. Given all the multiple potential failure issues already highlighted, this is unlikely to appeal to the DIR tech diving community.

especially with all of the proprietary parts.

 

[schuylerclark]

@schuylerclark I mean, all of this really comes down to what the aquasense actually does. Unless I missed an announcement, once you strip away the buzzwords, corporate BS and vague allusions to cutting edge tech and features like AI, we're left with...not a whole lot of…

I totally agree. Most of this is just speculation until there’s more info. I tend to think this is going to go over like a lead balloon, but there’s always a possibility that it goes over like a Led Zeppelin. Time will tell.

If I had to bet, this is likely just an attempt to drive up interest in the company for a potential sale, or PE’s stripping of value before tanking it all and abandoning ship.

 

[SouthernSharktoothDiver]

@schuylerclark I don't know. Even assuming it has no features worth mentioning (which is not guaranteed, it might have something cool), they might be aiming for a similar effect to the scubapro titanium regs. Best I can tell, titanium is worse by almost every metric in return for being slightly lightly, yet people pay hundreds more for it because titanium is the big thing. AI, integrated bluetooth/electronics, "smart" technology in otherwise dumb objects, these are big fads right now, so, as others on this thread have suggested, they might just be betting people will pay too much for the "complete aquasense package," with smart reg, smart computer, smart BCD, and smart fins.

 

[-JD-]

@schuylerclark I don't know. Even assuming it has no features worth mentioning (which is not guaranteed, it might have something cool), they might be aiming for a similar effect to the scubapro titanium regs. Best I can tell, titanium is worse by almost every metric in return for being slightly lightly, yet people pay hundreds more for it because titanium is the big thing. AI, integrated bluetooth/electronics, "smart" technology in otherwise dumb objects, these are big fads right now, so, as others on this thread have suggested, they might just be betting people will pay too much for the "complete aquasense package," with smart reg, smart computer, smart BCD, and smart fins.

You seem to be neglecting the excellent corrosion resistance of Ti.

For 1st stages, low-mass can be desirable for travel. In a "modern" second stage, the metal barrel is a de minimis factor in overall weight.

Excellent corrosion resistance is highly valuable for both, but especially for the 2nd stage where the operational surfaces are exposed to the water. Atomic uses Ti components even in their 2nds that are matched with their base-level chromed-brass 1sts.

 

[Rick Brant]

The "45000 hours of development" is a strange statement. I almost wonder if this was actually developed by some other entity and AL simply paid them for that amount of development. Maybe some sort of PE magic trick to shift some money from one entity to another? It does not look like anything a dive company would design.

 

[Anish]

I don't pretend to know much about business, but it seems to me that AL should be focusing on reducing its number of SKUs, jettisoning some of its product lines, and streamlining their business model.

Wouldn't that play exactly into the fears that the products will not be supported in the future? If they need to build confidence in the brand, then a sexy new product is a good way to do it.

 

[Jai Bar]

The "45000 hours of development" is a strange statement. I almost wonder if this was actually developed by some other entity and AL simply paid them for that amount of development. Maybe some sort of PE magic trick to shift some money from one entity to another? It does not look like anything a dive company would design.

Or a team of ten people working on it full time for about two years?

 

[Umuntu]

I don't pretend to know much about business, but it seems to me that AL should be focusing on reducing its number of SKUs, jettisoning some of its product lines, and streamlining their business model.

That appears to be exactly what they are doing. They shut down the low price, low margin US Divers snorkelling division. They shut down the high cost, high tax Vista, CA head office and they appear to be centralising their R&D in a lower cost location than the USA, i.e. France.

In the past, there were two R&D locations, one in the US and one in France. You could tell where a regulator/part had been developed by the type of O-ring used. The French engineers always used metric O-rings.

 

[kdlv]

I wouldn’t consider France a lower cost location at all. This is probably the most expensive country in Europe to operate business.