Appreciate any advice on 1st Dive Computer

[Babbolz]

Hello everybody!

This is my first post and I sure am glad to have found this diving community!

So am new to diving and of course like many of you..in love with it! I have 20 logged (SSI) dives and am planning on completing this summer the Deep Dive and the Stress&Rescue, along with the first 2 Freediving levels.

So I have been looking for a whole month on a good first dive computer. My research has led me to:

• Mares Smart
• Oceanic Geo 2.0

My criteria are basically:

• a price range of 250-350 Euros/300-400 USD
• and an extra mode dedicated to freediving

ANY advice on helping me choose between them would be greatly appreciated!!

P.s. sorry for the long post

 

[t-mac]

Both fine computers. Probably the biggest difference will be menu structure. I find Mares more intuitive. That said I dive Oceanic at the moment. Only really matters the first time you pick it up. Good diving!

Tom

 

[Babbolz]

Both fine computers. Probably the biggest difference will be menu structure. I find Mares more intuitive. That said I dive Oceanic at the moment. Only really matters the first time you pick it up. Good diving!

Tom

Thank you very much for your reply Tom!

A quick question: Do you find one of the two brands to be generally more reliable, in regard to the dive computers?

 

[dmaziuk]

• Mares Smart
• Oceanic Geo 2.0

ICBW, but I believe Geo has a wet USB port for PC uplink while Mares has an IR eye. Infrared is unavailable on current windows 10 and I'm not too optimistic about future support -- though apparently microsoft promised to re-add it in the next lose'10 update. Even if IR is supported, USB is a less limiting option.

Though if I were in .de and looking at paying MSRP on those, I'd seriously consider saving up another hundred or so and buying an ostc sport. Especially considering that PC uplink cable is about $90 for either of those 2.

PS. Looking at your post again, if you can get either for 200EUR, then of course it's not "another hundred or so" for the ostc...

 

[Babbolz]

ICBW, but I believe Geo has a wet USB port for PC uplink while Mares has an IR eye. Infrared is unavailable on current windows 10 and I'm not too optimistic about future support -- though apparently microsoft promised to re-add it in the next lose'10 update. Even if IR is supported, USB is a less limiting option.

Though if I were in .de and looking at paying MSRP on those, I'd seriously consider saving up another hundred or so and buying an ostc sport. Especially considering that PC uplink cable is about $90 for either of those 2.

PS. Looking at your post again, if you can get either for 200EUR, then of course it's not "another hundred or so" for the ostc...

Indeed it is substantially more expensive! Thank you for the advice dmaziuk and the new consideration. I hadn't previously given any thought to the connectivity issues to be honest. But I don't think that I will be uploading any dive logs, so that isn't my priority really.

Other than that, have you heard or have any experience with any of those two computers? Or any other one with a freedive mode and in that price range?

 

[dmaziuk]

I hadn't previously given any thought to the connectivity issues to be honest. But I don't think that I will be uploading any dive logs, so that isn't my priority really.

It's a handy way to log dives. But then I'm a computer geek, so...

Other than that, have you heard or have any experience with any of those two computers? Or any other one with a freedive mode and in that price range?

No, sorry. Geo 2 seems to be more popular with people here, but that may be because smart is newer and there aren't as many users yet.

 

[stuartv]

This thread might help you:

So you want to buy a new computer?

 

[scubadada]

I've had a Geo 2 for 4 1/2 years, more than 500 dives. Entirely reliable, no problems, a cinch to change batteries. I dive the DSAT decompression algorithm to match my VT 3 primary computer, the Geo 2 is dual algorithm and also has the Buhlmann ZHL-16C variant, PZ+. I prefer these algorithms over the Mares proprietary RGBM, a personal choice.

 

[t-mac]

I don't think you will have reliability issues with either. I have a Mares and 4 different Oceanics and they are all reliable. I had a minor firmware issue with a VT4. Like scubadada, I like the dual algorithm of the Oceanics. The RGBM used by Mares in my experience is reasonable and not, for example, crazy conservative so you are ending dives for your buddies. I'm not sure I would make my decision based on the algorithm in this case, but perhaps it is important to you.

 

[Littlerayray]

From what I read the smart you can't switch gases during your dive only on surface
I would go with the geo myself