tmassey
Contributor
tl;dr: Is the Apollo AV-1 DSV a good intro 'learning' scooter for someone with almost no DPV experience? Will the skills gained -- not the scooter itself -- eventually translate toward technical/cave DPV usage? And what is a good price for one?
I have the opportunity to buy an Apollo AV-1 for $400. It has a newish battery and the seller had used it that morning. This was a random unsolicited offer, and I'm not at all familiar with this machine. After some research, I can't really tell if this will be useful to me, so I'm hoping you might be able to help me.
I'm a technical diver who enjoys shipwrecks and caves. I am DPV certified (SDI Rec and TDI Tech), though I have only used a single DPV (a Piranha P2) and only during my class weekend. My long-term goal is to be able to drive a scooter in caves.
Right now, I actually am interested in buying a low-cost scooter purely as a learning tool. A scooter that will never see an overhead, but that will allow me to work on the basics of DPV and to grow my skills. My target use would be local lakes or quarries in completely non-overhead environments, focusing on gaining basic competency. But I want the skills I learn on the beginner scooter to at least mostly translate to larger and more capable scooters.
My only real requirement is that such a scooter be able to teach me skills that will translate into the future. The question is, will the Apollo AV-1 do this?
I'm most worried about the obvious difference: The AV-1 is two-handed, with no tow strap. A technical DPV is single-handed with a tow strap. Without any experience, that seems to be a pretty significant difference. Does that prevent the Apollo from being a productive learning tool? I definitely don't want to buy something that doesn't actually contribute to moving in the direction of a technical scooter.
Finally, one other thing: what is a good price for an AV-1? And are there any specific things to examine before buying one?
To address a couple of other possibilities which I'm sure will come up: yes, I do know about the BlackTip. But with recent price increases, you're looking at $2500 for even a BlackTip Travel with batteries/charger. There's no question about its capabilities as a learning tool, but it's way too much for me to spend at a time when I'm years away from actually needing an overhead-capable DPV, and by the time I do get there I may actually want something beyond the BlackTip -- or newer models may have better capabilities. It's amazing how much DPV's have grown in the last 5 or so years, and batteries keep getting better.
Another alternative would be to find a used tech-style DPV. The problem there is that you rarely see one of those for under $1000, and when you do they almost always have difficulties of their own, such as dead batteries. By the time you get them back in shape, you're easily more than halfway to the price of a brand new BlackTip yet still with older motors, controllers, etc. That doesn't seem to make these a great value.
There's no question the appeal of the AV-1 is that it's $400 and it's ready to run, such as it is. But if it won't help me learn the skills I will need in the future, it's a waste of money at nearly any price. So will this help me learn the skills I need?
And I guess one more thought: is there a practical way to convert it to single-hand use? I was inspired by stumbling across a single-grip conversion kit for a different scooter (Single Grip Rail Kit). Turns out there might be a way with the AV-1: https://www.apollomilitary.com/products/av-2-tech-arm Does anyone have any experience with such an idea?
Thank you all very much for your time! I appreciate your help.
I have the opportunity to buy an Apollo AV-1 for $400. It has a newish battery and the seller had used it that morning. This was a random unsolicited offer, and I'm not at all familiar with this machine. After some research, I can't really tell if this will be useful to me, so I'm hoping you might be able to help me.
I'm a technical diver who enjoys shipwrecks and caves. I am DPV certified (SDI Rec and TDI Tech), though I have only used a single DPV (a Piranha P2) and only during my class weekend. My long-term goal is to be able to drive a scooter in caves.
Right now, I actually am interested in buying a low-cost scooter purely as a learning tool. A scooter that will never see an overhead, but that will allow me to work on the basics of DPV and to grow my skills. My target use would be local lakes or quarries in completely non-overhead environments, focusing on gaining basic competency. But I want the skills I learn on the beginner scooter to at least mostly translate to larger and more capable scooters.
My only real requirement is that such a scooter be able to teach me skills that will translate into the future. The question is, will the Apollo AV-1 do this?
I'm most worried about the obvious difference: The AV-1 is two-handed, with no tow strap. A technical DPV is single-handed with a tow strap. Without any experience, that seems to be a pretty significant difference. Does that prevent the Apollo from being a productive learning tool? I definitely don't want to buy something that doesn't actually contribute to moving in the direction of a technical scooter.
Finally, one other thing: what is a good price for an AV-1? And are there any specific things to examine before buying one?
To address a couple of other possibilities which I'm sure will come up: yes, I do know about the BlackTip. But with recent price increases, you're looking at $2500 for even a BlackTip Travel with batteries/charger. There's no question about its capabilities as a learning tool, but it's way too much for me to spend at a time when I'm years away from actually needing an overhead-capable DPV, and by the time I do get there I may actually want something beyond the BlackTip -- or newer models may have better capabilities. It's amazing how much DPV's have grown in the last 5 or so years, and batteries keep getting better.
Another alternative would be to find a used tech-style DPV. The problem there is that you rarely see one of those for under $1000, and when you do they almost always have difficulties of their own, such as dead batteries. By the time you get them back in shape, you're easily more than halfway to the price of a brand new BlackTip yet still with older motors, controllers, etc. That doesn't seem to make these a great value.
There's no question the appeal of the AV-1 is that it's $400 and it's ready to run, such as it is. But if it won't help me learn the skills I will need in the future, it's a waste of money at nearly any price. So will this help me learn the skills I need?
And I guess one more thought: is there a practical way to convert it to single-hand use? I was inspired by stumbling across a single-grip conversion kit for a different scooter (Single Grip Rail Kit). Turns out there might be a way with the AV-1: https://www.apollomilitary.com/products/av-2-tech-arm Does anyone have any experience with such an idea?
Thank you all very much for your time! I appreciate your help.