BeefSupreme
New
Hi all,
Another computer thread because I could not find all the information in previous threads... I am looking to replace my wife's Suunto Gekko because its pressure sensor developed a vivid imagination - after just 30 dives... My other computer is a 17 year old Vyper. But after the Gekko experience, I would prefer to give another manufacturer a try.
I have not followed the market for the last ten+ years. It looks like you get a lot more bang for the buck now at the low end, with support for multiple EAN mixes, logbook download, free dive and gauge mode, and user-replaceable or rechargeable batteries being the standard. In the $250 and up range, a lot have digital compasses as well.
I could get the Mares Matrix for around $280 or the Aqualung I450T for around $350. Both include a USB cable. $400 is the limit which I could justify, given that the computer would likely go on fewer than 20 dives per year. So no Shearwater, I am afraid. Do any of you have first-hand experience with both atrix and I450T?
How do the compasses compare? We might need a compass on maybe 10% of our dives, so if I could just not pack the mechanical one at all, that would be a benefit. But that only works if the digital compass in the computer actually works.
How do the deco algorithms compare? Is Mares RGBM as conservative as Suunto's implementation? I read a thread from 2003 where Bruce Wienke distinguished between the "rec RGBM" and "real RGBM" implementations of the time, but I don't know how much has changed since then.
It is unlikely that I will ever purchase the AI transmitter for the I450T, so that feature is irrelevant in our case.
It would be even better if the DC had Bluetooth connectivity so I can download the logbook to my phone, but apparently no watch-size computer in that price range seems to have that feature - if I overlooked any, I'd be thankful for a comment! Abandoning the watch size, there is the Scubapro Aladin Sport Matrix which apparently ticks all the boxes, but I really dislike the design of the thing... Then there is the Deepblu Cosmiq+ for about $385, but currently unavailable and with a need to charge it almost every day.
Looking forward to your suggestions! Cheers
Another computer thread because I could not find all the information in previous threads... I am looking to replace my wife's Suunto Gekko because its pressure sensor developed a vivid imagination - after just 30 dives... My other computer is a 17 year old Vyper. But after the Gekko experience, I would prefer to give another manufacturer a try.
I have not followed the market for the last ten+ years. It looks like you get a lot more bang for the buck now at the low end, with support for multiple EAN mixes, logbook download, free dive and gauge mode, and user-replaceable or rechargeable batteries being the standard. In the $250 and up range, a lot have digital compasses as well.
I could get the Mares Matrix for around $280 or the Aqualung I450T for around $350. Both include a USB cable. $400 is the limit which I could justify, given that the computer would likely go on fewer than 20 dives per year. So no Shearwater, I am afraid. Do any of you have first-hand experience with both atrix and I450T?
How do the compasses compare? We might need a compass on maybe 10% of our dives, so if I could just not pack the mechanical one at all, that would be a benefit. But that only works if the digital compass in the computer actually works.
How do the deco algorithms compare? Is Mares RGBM as conservative as Suunto's implementation? I read a thread from 2003 where Bruce Wienke distinguished between the "rec RGBM" and "real RGBM" implementations of the time, but I don't know how much has changed since then.
It is unlikely that I will ever purchase the AI transmitter for the I450T, so that feature is irrelevant in our case.
It would be even better if the DC had Bluetooth connectivity so I can download the logbook to my phone, but apparently no watch-size computer in that price range seems to have that feature - if I overlooked any, I'd be thankful for a comment! Abandoning the watch size, there is the Scubapro Aladin Sport Matrix which apparently ticks all the boxes, but I really dislike the design of the thing... Then there is the Deepblu Cosmiq+ for about $385, but currently unavailable and with a need to charge it almost every day.
Looking forward to your suggestions! Cheers
