Any equipment buying regrets ?

[happy-diver]

That I didn't buy it sooner, or sold it, or that I didn't buy it later so I wouldn't sell it

 

[Zef]

...Why do all the really experienced/technical divers have brass and glass then? Who needs a boot anyway? They do nothing.

How are you judging/defining "really experienced/technical" divers?

First - just because somone is a "technical" diver does not mean they are "really experienced", just the same as someone who is not a "technical" diver does not mean they are lacking experience.

Second - there are lots of tech divers that subscribe to a theory of uniformity and purchase gear or style of gear based on the dictates of the organization they are certified under...so don't assume that the gear a tech diver is using is based on personal choice as it may have been impressed on them during their training to purchase certain gear and they just have not changed it because it still functions and they don't need to lay out cash for something else at the moment.

Third - gear purchases and use are personal choice. One should seek advice from those they believe are more experienced, but they should NOT blindly follow that advice or blindly copy equipment choices...one should think through the decision for every piece of kit they plan to buy and have solid personal reasons for it. Basically one should not just buy a specific piece of kit because someone else is using it....

....I see new divers in one of the clubs I am a member of buying the same dive computer that their instructor uses (also in the club). When they are asked why they bought that computer they typically respond along the lines of "well if so-and-so instructor is using it then it must be good and if it is good enough for him then it is good enough for me"....the problem with this is that the instructor they are referring to is cheap as hell...the kind of guy that will remove a leaking SPG and clean the less than $0.05 o-rings instead of replacing them to stop a leak. He dives the computer he uses because he got a good deal on it a bunch of years ago (early model Suunto Vyper) and it still works so he has not had a need to replace it. What he does not tell his students is that Suunto had issues with the sensors, or that the any Vyper that they are purchasing is old stock because it was replaced by the Vyper Novo. But his students idolize him until they gain enough experience to see their mistake.

So don't be surprised that folks here may raise an eye brow to your comment "Why do all the really experienced/technical divers....", because not all the really experienced/technical divers do.

-Z

 

[NAUI Wowie]

Suunto zoop novo. This computer is almost impossible to navigate. i will read the manual three times and with 25 tries get it set up. then when i want to change a setting a month later i have to try twenty times again. I hate it.

and its cheap which should be good right ? but what no one tells you is that you want air integrated...doesnt do that.... you want easy to navigate.....you want something to last many years but if in a couple few years you want to do tec diving etc you are out of luck.

just hate this computer. if id have known WHAT i could upgrade to before i made my first purchase id have done it. The LDS i bought it at gave me no advice at all on dive computers. another in my area gave me alot of info later and it was all good. guess where i spend most of my money now.

never buy a suunto zoop novo

 

[Scubagaskets]

Suunto zoop novo. This computer is almost impossible to navigate. i will read the manual three times and with 25 tries get it set up. then when i want to change a setting a month later i have to try twenty times again. I hate it.

and its cheap which should be good right ? but what no one tells you is that you want air integrated...doesnt do that.... you want easy to navigate.....you want something to last many years but if in a couple few years you want to do tec diving etc you are out of luck.

just hate this computer. if id have known WHAT i could upgrade to before i made my first purchase id have done it. The LDS i bought it at gave me no advice at all on dive computers. another in my area gave me alot of info later and it was all good. guess where i spend most of my money now.

never buy a suunto zoop novo

Diving Computers O-rings -Scubagaskets scuba o-ring provider

 

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

Sherwood Kinesis fins. Total junk.
Othree Ri 2100 drysuit. Bad custom fit performed by an overseas company that was not close enough to fit it. Suit was great.

 

[Zef]

Suunto zoop novo. This computer is almost impossible to navigate. i will read the manual three times and with 25 tries get it set up. then when i want to change a setting a month later i have to try twenty times again. I hate it.

and its cheap which should be good right ? but what no one tells you is that you want air integrated...doesnt do that.... you want easy to navigate.....you want something to last many years but if in a couple few years you want to do tec diving etc you are out of luck.

just hate this computer. if id have known WHAT i could upgrade to before i made my first purchase id have done it. The LDS i bought it at gave me no advice at all on dive computers. another in my area gave me alot of info later and it was all good. guess where i spend most of my money now.

never buy a suunto zoop novo

I don't think the vast majority of people getting certified to dive out there have any intention of going "tech" and those that do are the exception not the rule. Also, the majority of shops have not really adopted the paradigm that tech diving has gone mainstream, probably because, despite its increased popularity, it hasn't.

Shops cater to what contributes to their bottom line, and for the most part that is equipment for recreational level diving not slow moving stock to support the occasional tech diver's whims. Tech divers also tend to be a bit more discerning about what equipment they purchase and typically know what they want and don't "need" to handle the equipment in a shop prior to purchasing as a condition of sale so they are much more likely to shop for the best deal online and just skip the shop experience all together.

Now I know I am making some generalizations here.

It would also be a mistake to think that the staff at all dive shops do a lot of diving...while you are out blowing bubbles they are doing inventories, filling tanks, servicing equipment, and sweeping floors in addition to helping customers. When they are not at the shop they are not necessarily diving either as they have life priorities that need to be attended to. What this means is that a shop's staff may know little if anything about products that they do not sell, so one should not expect them to steer one towards a tech oriented computer that they don't sell because less than 1% of the clientele coming through their door is interested in that. They may not know all the features of the stuff they do sell as well. It is sad, but that has become the nature of retail.

I agree, the user interface of Suunto computers can be confusing and is not intuitive. I have 3 Suunto Vypers, 1 Vyper 2, and 1 Vyper Air in my household, and I dive with plenty of folks that have ghekkos and zoops (older ones)...For those that have a "set it and forget it" mentality/style of divining these tend to work out well. I do like the user interface of hte Vyper 2 and Vyper Air much better than the Vyper, Zoop, and Ghekko, and I tend to not have problems but I am one of those who actually read/study the owners manual. I have little experience with the Novo series of computer but from what I have seen I would not spend my money on them.

-Z

 

[soonerwink]

Atomic Cobalt computer, very easy to operate and get through menu, and I loved it when it worked. I sent it back to Atomic 3 times to be repaired and twice they even sent me a new one. Just could not count on it to work consistently. Their customer service was great though.

 

[EireDiver606]

How are you judging/defining "really experienced/technical" divers?

First - just because somone is a "technical" diver does not mean they are "really experienced", just the same as someone who is not a "technical" diver does not mean they are lacking experience.

Second - there are lots of tech divers that subscribe to a theory of uniformity and purchase gear or style of gear based on the dictates of the organization they are certified under...so don't assume that the gear a tech diver is using is based on personal choice as it may have been impressed on them during their training to purchase certain gear and they just have not changed it because it still functions and they don't need to lay out cash for something else at the moment.

Third - gear purchases and use are personal choice. One should seek advice from those they believe are more experienced, but they should NOT blindly follow that advice or blindly copy equipment choices...one should think through the decision for every piece of kit they plan to buy and have solid personal reasons for it. Basically one should not just buy a specific piece of kit because someone else is using it....

....I see new divers in one of the clubs I am a member of buying the same dive computer that their instructor uses (also in the club). When they are asked why they bought that computer they typically respond along the lines of "well if so-and-so instructor is using it then it must be good and if it is good enough for him then it is good enough for me"....the problem with this is that the instructor they are referring to is cheap as hell...the kind of guy that will remove a leaking SPG and clean the less than $0.05 o-rings instead of replacing them to stop a leak. He dives the computer he uses because he got a good deal on it a bunch of years ago (early model Suunto Vyper) and it still works so he has not had a need to replace it. What he does not tell his students is that Suunto had issues with the sensors, or that the any Vyper that they are purchasing is old stock because it was replaced by the Vyper Novo. But his students idolize him until they gain enough experience to see their mistake.

So don't be surprised that folks here may raise an eye brow to your comment "Why do all the really experienced/technical divers....", because not all the really experienced/technical divers do.

-Z

You just overthought that reply so much.

You know what I mean when I say that. SBers are always so difficult.
It’s a fact, the explorers of the diving don’t use plastic consoles that drag through the dirt. They use brass and glass.

 

[scubafanatic]

Atomic Cobalt computer, very easy to operate and get through menu, and I loved it when it worked. I sent it back to Atomic 3 times to be repaired and twice they even sent me a new one. Just could not count on it to work consistently. Their customer service was great though.

Agreed, I bought 2 in 2010 and now have $ 2500 in paperweights, beautiful WHEN THEY ACTUALLY WORK , but in reality too buggy and fragile for the real world, I love all my other Atomic stuff, but Cobalt was/is a disaster, I'm happily using Shearwater Perdixes these days!

 

[NAUI Wowie]

I don't think the vast majority of people getting certified to dive out there have any intention of going "tech" and those that do are the exception not the rule. Also, the majority of shops have not really adopted the paradigm that tech diving has gone mainstream, probably because, despite its increased popularity, it hasn't.

Shops cater to what contributes to their bottom line, and for the most part that is equipment for recreational level diving not slow moving stock to support the occasional tech diver's whims. Tech divers also tend to be a bit more discerning about what equipment they purchase and typically know what they want and don't "need" to handle the equipment in a shop prior to purchasing as a condition of sale so they are much more likely to shop for the best deal online and just skip the shop experience all together.

Now I know I am making some generalizations here.

It would also be a mistake to think that the staff at all dive shops do a lot of diving...while you are out blowing bubbles they are doing inventories, filling tanks, servicing equipment, and sweeping floors in addition to helping customers. When they are not at the shop they are not necessarily diving either as they have life priorities that need to be attended to. What this means is that a shop's staff may know little if anything about products that they do not sell, so one should not expect them to steer one towards a tech oriented computer that they don't sell because less than 1% of the clientele coming through their door is interested in that. They may not know all the features of the stuff they do sell as well. It is sad, but that has become the nature of retail.

I agree, the user interface of Suunto computers can be confusing and is not intuitive. I have 3 Suunto Vypers, 1 Vyper 2, and 1 Vyper Air in my household, and I dive with plenty of folks that have ghekkos and zoops (older ones)...For those that have a "set it and forget it" mentality/style of divining these tend to work out well. I do like the user interface of hte Vyper 2 and Vyper Air much better than the Vyper, Zoop, and Ghekko, and I tend to not have problems but I am one of those who actually read/study the owners manual. I have little experience with the Novo series of computer but from what I have seen I would not spend my money on them.

-Z

Theres a whole LOT of tec talk in your reply. I shouldnt have mentioned that word at all as it had nothing to do with my point. My point was just that the zoop is a pita to even just switch between air and nitrox. I hate trying to navigate it. It also doesnt support Air Integration which I think nowadays is a great feature to have on dive computers for rec divers. As for tec I may never get into any tech diving. Wreck diving possibly....maybe that is also tec diving im not sure.

But I feel if a diver is looking at dive computers that the sales employees should all be experienced divers and knowledgeable about all the products. I worked in the auto industry for years in sales and even a basic job like car sales I was required to know all the tech features of the trucks, sports cars, heavy duty trucks, suvs, electric cars, basically anything a customer came in and hit me with I needed the answer. And thats just for car sales where a salesman just needs a pulse to get hired, literally.

With scuba where the gear keeps you alive I would think most salespeople should be studying all the time. Funny thing though the person that sold me my first dive computer was diving for over 30 years I found out and didnt try to sell me anything or talk about any features on any computer. And she had been working there many years as she had shown me snorkeling gear years before.

I tried another LDS and had the opposite scenario and bought a ton of great gear there much later.