Is Suunto really that bad

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The layout seems simalar to my luna. The compass looks nice aswell.
When you are diving with the compass on, what dive information can you see?
 
Great photos of the Cobalt, thanks!
 
I have dived the Atomic Cobalt computer, its a great little PDC... I'm not big into hosed computers (I prefer the wrist), but its got a beautiful screen and a ton of nice features... The algorithm, when set on the most liberal, is just a hair more conservative than the Oceanics algorithm used in my Geo (1)... 1st dive was pretty much the same, but the consecutive dives got just a little less time... I did 4 dives in a day on it, and it worked beautifully... Atomic is not a company to risk their reputation without a fully tested, fully functional computer, IMO, at least...
IMO, it needs to be more than just another pretty dive computer. What's the algorithm based on? Who designed it? With what parameters? How much is science (and which science?) and how much is placating their legal team? What are the "penalty factors"? Can it be validated against an existing algorithm with a dive planner? Is it an NDL computer or does function for deco diving (IOW does it penalize a user for a deco dive)? Will it lock out a diver?

Maybe I'm naturally tainted against blindly trusting technology, but I wouldn't be willing to give a new PDC a clean bill of health until its been out in the wild for a period of time. Beta testing is great, but it is notorious for missing combinations of factors that only seem to appear in the real world.

Not that it matters; I'd never use a computer that I couldn't wear on my wrist.
here are a couple pics of it - it is of their own creation, and not farmed out, at all... (they have a rep for making most, if not all of their own parts, even down to the titanium pieces on their regs)
We'll have to agree to disagree, as I consider their titanium regs the height of needless scuba gimmickry -- which every manufacture beyond a certain size seems to occasionally succumb to.

Maybe they do manufacture these all in-house, but in that case they either hired out engineers from another manufacturer or they developed it from scratch, and the "from scratch" approach tends to be a very bug-prone process.
 
IMO, it needs to be more than just another pretty dive computer. What's the algorithm based on? Who designed it? With what parameters? How much is science (and which science?) and how much is placating their legal team? What are the "penalty factors"? Can it be validated against an existing algorithm with a dive planner? Is it an NDL computer or does function for deco diving (IOW does it penalize a user for a deco dive)? Will it lock out a diver?

Maybe I'm naturally tainted against blindly trusting technology, but I wouldn't be willing to give a new PDC a clean bill of health until its been out in the wild for a period of time. Beta testing is great, but it is notorious for missing combinations of factors that only seem to appear in the real world.

Not that it matters; I'd never use a computer that I couldn't wear on my wrist.

We'll have to agree to disagree, as I consider their titanium regs the height of needless scuba gimmickry -- which every manufacture beyond a certain size seems to occasionally succumb to.

Maybe they do manufacture these all in-house, but in that case they either hired out engineers from another manufacturer or they developed it from scratch, and the "from scratch" approach tends to be a very bug-prone process.

This is all Atomics doings... The models are based on the works of Wienke, and thats all I know from a deco theory standpoint. They are more conservative than the standard Pelagic model, but not by a whole lot... It can be used for decompression diving, and it does not lock out, no matter what. It will keep recalculating stops all the way to the surface... Now, that being said, I did not do any decompression dives with it, but I did push the NDL's with it and it acted exactly as I expected it to, so some of that info is from our rep at Atomic...

I agree with you on the wrist mounted part - if I can't wear it on my wrist, I'm not gonna use it - it is way more convenient on the wrist, but, at the same time, I do know that there are many out there that prefer it on the hose...


To answer some other questions regarding this guy:

The picture of the screen that shows the compass (3rd pic) is exactly as it looks underwater with air pressure and depths filled in instead of zeros of course...

No one sells the Cobalt yet, I believe - look for it from your local Atomic dealer soon Atomic Aquatics - Before Atomic Aquatics, there was no "best' in scuba diving

PS - their titanium regs are amazing - they will never corrode, are exceptionally strong, and of a very good design (take one apart some time and you will see a few key features that other manufacturers don't do that give them their extended usage before service times) that being said, again, I wouldn't want a titanium reg as it doesn't get along with high O2 content they are also very pricey, but, to each their own
 
3 Suunto Dive Profiles

As an example, here are my three dives on August 13th. You can see the tissue loading at the start and end of each dive. Surface interval was over 50 minutes before 2nd and 3rd dives. Nitrox was 36%. Two of the other divers had at least 5 to 10 minutes more bottom time on their 2nd and 3rd dives but I don't know their ascent profiles. My Mosquito was computing the % of tissue loading continuously and, of course, I followed it to stay out of deco. Would I argue with Suunto's RGBM algorithm (also now used by Uwatec, Scuba Pro, Mares & Others) and/or switch to Oceanic's more liberal model in order to gain more bottom time? The other two divers don't buy into the RGBM model nor the benefits of deep stops as suggested by Suunto. I do. Each diver ultimately must decide where the risk/reward balance lies:

Dive1.jpg

Dive2.jpg

Dive3.jpg
 
According to my training and understanding, deep stops are critical more at tech diving depths vs. recreational depths and runtimes. At which point you'd probably be cutting tables as part of your dive plan.

That said, I'm very curious as to your source for the following:
Would I argue with Suunto's RGBM algorithm (also now used by Uwatec, Scuba Pro, Mares & Others) <snip>...
I know for a fact that my Uwatec uses a modified Buhlmann model because I wouldn't dive it otherwise.

ALADIN TEC 2G / Technical / Algorithm:
  • Bühlmann ZH-L8 ADT MB PMG (Adaptive Microbubble Predictive Multi-Gas).
Source (scubapro.com)

A brief search of Teh Interwebz backs me up: http://lmgtfy.com/?q=RGBM+site:Scubapro.com

Not that it matters much, my dive plan is in my primary computer (my brain) before I ever hit the water.

FWIW, Bruce Wienke can bask all he wants in his RGBM model fame without my money, thankyouverymuch. :eyebrow: Enough people worship the ground he walks on -- without me being in their way. :rofl3:

Each diver ultimately must decide where the risk/reward balance lies:
QFT. :D
 
Their algorithms may not be completely identical but, clearly, Uwatech's "modified" Buhlmann which added considerations and provisions for the existence of micro bubbles (hence the new designation letters MB) was a nod to those who developed the RGBM and an acceptance of the need to do so. . . where they had not done so previously. Regardless of your personal feelings for the developers of RGBM, the existence of micro bubbles and the need to provide for them in form of adaptations to dive computer algorithms was an important advancement - one which has been recognized by Uwatech and many others. It's a good thing.
 
No one sells the Cobalt yet, I believe - look for it from your local Atomic dealer soon...

Thank you so much for that info and the pics! Now I know what my next computer will be - and I actually prefer non-hoseless AI consoles just like the form factor shown.

I would presume Atomic won't release it until "it's done" and that the hardware and firmware will be first-rate. I will also want to see the PC dive log software package that I presume they will be bundling, however.
 

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