I’ve read it all and still need opinions on computers

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get the shearwater peregrine, could be the last dive computer you need to buy (unless if you decide to spend more money on AI later on or upgrade to a perdix/teric for trimix/ccr). i have 2 air integrated oceanic VT computers and don't use either since I got a petrel. the screen and interface is just that much better.
Just researched the peregrine, looks awesome but looks too big to be an all day wearer.
 
yes, it is not intended as a watch. if you want a smartwatch/fitness tracker that doubles as a dive computer, the garmin descent does well.

will add that the oceanic atom (which the aqualung watches are derived from) is not a great everyday watch either. i vastly prefer a seiko/orient dive watch as an actual everyday wearer or a garmin venu/apple watch for a smartwatch/fitness tracker.
 
I have a Geo2 and a Teric, both are way too big to wear as a daily watch. Why not wear a watch, if that is what you do? Wear a dive computer when that is most appropriate.
 
I know the difference between China and Taiwan. I read somewhere earlier today that the mission one is designed in Taiwan and built in China (PRC) I cannot confirm this though as I never put my eyes on the product to see where it is actually made.
Your not made in China requirement might need to incorporate a bit more nuance. You may find that a great many products labeled "Made in USA" in fact have significant inputs from China- particularly for PCB assembly or plastic molded parts. The label is supposed to indicate where the most value is added, but that is a pretty fuzzy determination.

Conversely, some products seen as "Made in China" may have only a trivial % of their value added there. An economic study of the iPhone a few years back showed that a relatively small % of the value actually traced to the Chinese final assembly. I'm not sure if that still applies to current models, but the general principle remains.

When we produced the Cobalt computer for Atomic, we made a deliberate choice to use a local company to assemble the circuit boards- because that gave us better control over production and the ability to quickly troubleshoot any problems without traveling across the globe. The norm in the industry was (and is) to have PCB's made and assembled overseas, and this is particularly true for higher volume/ bigger name manufacturers. We felt the added cost of local production was more than offset by the benefits gained.

Of course, even when assembling PCB's in Seattle, individual components came from many countries- Switzerland, Japan, Taiwan, and China among them. Any halfway complex product is likely to have worldwide inputs. Electronic component production is global, though very little of it is in the US. That is largely a result of the political decision not to have an industrial policy that supported US based manufacturing ("free markets"), and the laissez-faire economic policies of the 1980's, which resulted in electronics manufacturing heading to the lowest cost locations. We lost much of the infrastructure necessary for component manufacturing, and have not kept up. That horse left the barn decades ago.

We are seeing that newer manufacturing methodologies are enabling more manufacturing to be done both locally and economically.

Not much point in this post, other than to say the "Made in _____" label may not always mean quite what you think. Like many things, it's complicated.

-Ron
 
Your not made in China requirement might need to incorporate a bit more nuance. You may find that a great many products labeled "Made in USA" in fact have significant inputs from China- particularly for PCB assembly or plastic molded parts. The label is supposed to indicate where the most value is added, but that is a pretty fuzzy determination.

Conversely, some products seen as "Made in China" may have only a trivial % of their value added there. An economic study of the iPhone a few years back showed that a relatively small % of the value actually traced to the Chinese final assembly. I'm not sure if that still applies to current models, but the general principle remains.

When we produced the Cobalt computer for Atomic, we made a deliberate choice to use a local company to assemble the circuit boards- because that gave us better control over production and the ability to quickly troubleshoot any problems without traveling across the globe. The norm in the industry was (and is) to have PCB's made and assembled overseas, and this is particularly true for higher volume/ bigger name manufacturers. We felt the added cost of local production was more than offset by the benefits gained.

Of course, even when assembling PCB's in Seattle, individual components came from many countries- Switzerland, Japan, Taiwan, and China among them. Any halfway complex product is likely to have worldwide inputs. Electronic component production is global, though very little of it is in the US. That is largely a result of the political decision not to have an industrial policy that supported US based manufacturing ("free markets"), and the laissez-faire economic policies of the 1980's, which resulted in electronics manufacturing heading to the lowest cost locations. We lost much of the infrastructure necessary for component manufacturing, and have not kept up. That horse left the barn decades ago.

We are seeing that newer manufacturing methodologies are enabling more manufacturing to be done both locally and economically.

Not much point in this post, other than to say the "Made in _____" label may not always mean quite what you think. Like many things, it's complicated.

-Ron
Interesting post. Thanks.
The OP is certainly welcome to take anything related to China off his personal diving inventory, but he need to understand the consequences of that action, namely he will be spending more and will have less choice.
 
Your not made in China requirement might need to incorporate a bit more nuance. You may find that a great many products labeled "Made in USA" in fact have significant inputs from China- particularly for PCB assembly or plastic molded parts. The label is supposed to indicate where the most value is added, but that is a pretty fuzzy determination.

Conversely, some products seen as "Made in China" may have only a trivial % of their value added there. An economic study of the iPhone a few years back showed that a relatively small % of the value actually traced to the Chinese final assembly. I'm not sure if that still applies to current models, but the general principle remains.

When we produced the Cobalt computer for Atomic, we made a deliberate choice to use a local company to assemble the circuit boards- because that gave us better control over production and the ability to quickly troubleshoot any problems without traveling across the globe. The norm in the industry was (and is) to have PCB's made and assembled overseas, and this is particularly true for higher volume/ bigger name manufacturers. We felt the added cost of local production was more than offset by the benefits gained.

Of course, even when assembling PCB's in Seattle, individual components came from many countries- Switzerland, Japan, Taiwan, and China among them. Any halfway complex product is likely to have worldwide inputs. Electronic component production is global, though very little of it is in the US. That is largely a result of the political decision not to have an industrial policy that supported US based manufacturing ("free markets"), and the laissez-faire economic policies of the 1980's, which resulted in electronics manufacturing heading to the lowest cost locations. We lost much of the infrastructure necessary for component manufacturing, and have not kept up. That horse left the barn decades ago.

We are seeing that newer manufacturing methodologies are enabling more manufacturing to be done both locally and economically.

Not much point in this post, other than to say the "Made in _____" label may not always mean quite what you think. Like many things, it's complicated.
Good insight and your explanation of “ made in America” is a result of globalization among other things. I buy a lot of power tools and many times it’s “ made in America “( of imported materials) I know what that means. All things being equal, I still try and do my best at avoiding any Chinese products. Mexico, Egypt, India, Timbuktu I don’t care, just not China. It does sometimes put me in box,but whatever. They say “vote with your dollar” that’s what I try and do.
-Ron
 
Your not made in China requirement might need to incorporate a bit more nuance. You may find that a great many products labeled "Made in USA" in fact have significant inputs from China- particularly for PCB assembly or plastic molded parts. The label is supposed to indicate where the most value is added, but that is a pretty fuzzy determination.

Conversely, some products seen as "Made in China" may have only a trivial % of their value added there. An economic study of the iPhone a few years back showed that a relatively small % of the value actually traced to the Chinese final assembly. I'm not sure if that still applies to current models, but the general principle remains.

When we produced the Cobalt computer for Atomic, we made a deliberate choice to use a local company to assemble the circuit boards- because that gave us better control over production and the ability to quickly troubleshoot any problems without traveling across the globe. The norm in the industry was (and is) to have PCB's made and assembled overseas, and this is particularly true for higher volume/ bigger name manufacturers. We felt the added cost of local production was more than offset by the benefits gained.

Of course, even when assembling PCB's in Seattle, individual components came from many countries- Switzerland, Japan, Taiwan, and China among them. Any halfway complex product is likely to have worldwide inputs. Electronic component production is global, though very little of it is in the US. That is largely a result of the political decision not to have an industrial policy that supported US based manufacturing ("free markets"), and the laissez-faire economic policies of the 1980's, which resulted in electronics manufacturing heading to the lowest cost locations. We lost much of the infrastructure necessary for component manufacturing, and have not kept up. That horse left the barn decades ago.

We are seeing that newer manufacturing methodologies are enabling more manufacturing to be done both locally and economically.

Not much point in this post, other than to say the "Made in _____" label may not always mean quite what you think. Like many things, it's complicated.

-Ron
Had a lengthy reply, don’t know why it didn’t post. Maybe China is censoring me! Anyway, good insight on your part and much of what you describe is the result of globalization. If it’s made in Egypt, Mexico, India,ect.... I don’t care. As long as it’s not China. I adhere to the “vote with your dollar” and that’s what I always try and do.
 
I will add, many times in my life I have bought a Chinese product only to have it fail, or break due to poor craftsmanship. Then I have to buy the same product twice or more. How much did o really save in the end?
 
I will add, many times in my life I have bought a Chinese product only to have it fail, or break due to poor craftsmanship. Then I have to buy the same product twice or more. How much did o really save in the end?
Do you have an iPhone?
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

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