dolesorchard
Contributor
Getting an enriched air certification and will be buying a new computer. Is it worth the extra money for air integration, or is it just something else to fail?
Air integration
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Every piece of gear is "something else to fail" at some point. And at that point, that failure is only a problem if you're inappropriately relying on that piece of gear to replace skill or your brain. As long as you're not doing that, such a failure is merely a nuisance.
That having been said...
When you say "air integrated" are you talking about hose or wireless?
That having been said...
When you say "air integrated" are you talking about hose or wireless?
IMO save your money and skip integration. Hosed or hoseless each offer more failure points. All of the integration you should need is between your ears.
Pete
PS, HI! I didn't notice it was you when responding.
Pete
PS, HI! I didn't notice it was you when responding.
a22shady
Contributor
I like the AI. My G/F has been diving with a wrist computer non AI and has a PSI guage recently did a dive with an AI computer and liked it alot. Now we are planning on getting her one that is AI as she said it also made her feel more relaxed that everything was in front of her. She still does dive with her PSI guage just as a back-up in case something should happen with transmitter and will be bringing along her old computer just incase somehting happen to primary.
vladimir
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In the 4 years that I've owned it, my wireless gas-integrated computer has never had a transmission lapse that I've noticed, so the technology can be quite reliable, but others have had less-satisfactory experiences. It's a pretty cool feature but, in my opinion, more of a convenience than anything else. If cost is a factor, I'd skip it.
Scott L
Contributor
Photographers and hunters benefit most it seems. The Suunto Vytec wireless AI is a wise choice IMO as it can be for rec and tec diving (gauge mode). I like AI for rec as it nice to glace at forearm for all information is the throes of battle of spreafishing...
R
redacted
Guest
I tried AI and decided the extra information and the little reduction in gear just was not worth the price. I carry 2 SPGs and 2 inexpensive nitrox computers whenever I go diving. In about 10 years and 700 dives, I have yet to have to resort to a backup. (But I have loaned them to other divers who ran into problems.)
I'm no authority on the matter, but I have heard some photogs have trouble where the strobes firing will cause a wireless AI to temporarily lose sync, happening often enough to be annoying, if not exactly problematic. Recently this problem has apparently shown up with the Galileo Luna, for example.
Anyway, for this and other reasons I selected a hosed (i.e. non-wireless) air-integrated computer (the Sherwood Wisdom 2, which I have been happy with and could recommend - but others are good, too).
Anyway, to the OP: One way or another you need a pressure gauge. An air-integrated computer has the advantage of not just operating as a gauge, but actually incorporating your gas utilization into its calculations. But they do cost more.
I like AI but have back-up gauges. AS FritzCat said, I have experienced problems with losing synch with my newest computer (Galileo) so a work around is to only turn on strobe when actually photoing.
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