Are Suunto computers really the best?
- Thread starter miketrance84
- Start date
Please register or login
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
- Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
- A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
- You can make this box go away
OH-JJ
Guest
OK What Tables are you diving? Almost sounds like Navy Tables. Which I would discourage most Non-Tec Divers from using, as they assume you have a chamber on site... but hey they won't bend 90 something percent of the divers.... Of course I believe that PDIC still uses them. (yes I have some cards with PDIC on them.)
I have used dive computers from 4 manufacturers for recreational diving: Uwatec, Suunto, Aeris and Oceanic. In reality Aeris and Oceanic are one for all intents and purposes.
IMHO and without trying to suggest any scientific survey here, I would ask the OP to answer the following questions:
1. Will you be travelling a lot or just dive locally or inside the US? If you are traveling I recommend you get a DC that is also a watch so you can leave your Rolex or whatever at home. The DC stays on your wrist and this is the best way to stop it being stolen or lost. If you are only an occasional local diver then you probably want to get a larger NON-WATCH DC.
2. Wrist mount or console mount? This is a personal choice you must make. It may link to (1) in that a console mounted DC makes stealing your whole reg set more attractive. At the end of the day it is what you are comfotable with.
3. What's your budget? I is always better to spend a bit more than having to upgrade later on.
4. Air/Nitrox?. This is a no brainer. Nobody uses and I don't even think manufactures air only DCs nowadays.
5. After sales service. The best after sales service is Oceanic and Aeris. Why? Because you can change the battery yourself (you don't have to send it in for a battery change, just make sure you do it nice and slow following the manual). Also they always will give you a solution unlike other brands.
6. Incorporated Compass. This is one of the nicer features on the D6/D9SuuntoS. It avoids you having to have a compass mounted on your console or an extra "piece" on your wrist. At the beginning it's difficult but you get used to it.
7. Going Pro? Most dive pros use a wrist mounted watch type DC. Effectively you see slightly more Suuntos than Oceanics and Aerises but that's mainly because Suunto has been around longer. On the Epic and the Atom you can dial in a conservative factor if you want it. You can set your Nitrox partial pressures. Gas switching. What I most like is the hard lock in for use with transmissors.
Let us know what you do buy at the end and how you get on with it.
IMHO and without trying to suggest any scientific survey here, I would ask the OP to answer the following questions:
1. Will you be travelling a lot or just dive locally or inside the US? If you are traveling I recommend you get a DC that is also a watch so you can leave your Rolex or whatever at home. The DC stays on your wrist and this is the best way to stop it being stolen or lost. If you are only an occasional local diver then you probably want to get a larger NON-WATCH DC.
2. Wrist mount or console mount? This is a personal choice you must make. It may link to (1) in that a console mounted DC makes stealing your whole reg set more attractive. At the end of the day it is what you are comfotable with.
3. What's your budget? I is always better to spend a bit more than having to upgrade later on.
4. Air/Nitrox?. This is a no brainer. Nobody uses and I don't even think manufactures air only DCs nowadays.
5. After sales service. The best after sales service is Oceanic and Aeris. Why? Because you can change the battery yourself (you don't have to send it in for a battery change, just make sure you do it nice and slow following the manual). Also they always will give you a solution unlike other brands.
6. Incorporated Compass. This is one of the nicer features on the D6/D9SuuntoS. It avoids you having to have a compass mounted on your console or an extra "piece" on your wrist. At the beginning it's difficult but you get used to it.
7. Going Pro? Most dive pros use a wrist mounted watch type DC. Effectively you see slightly more Suuntos than Oceanics and Aerises but that's mainly because Suunto has been around longer. On the Epic and the Atom you can dial in a conservative factor if you want it. You can set your Nitrox partial pressures. Gas switching. What I most like is the hard lock in for use with transmissors.
Let us know what you do buy at the end and how you get on with it.
widget
Contributor
I think Suunto is very innovative and certainly in touch with the current dive market. As they dont do clones like Pelagic and Seiko for example their line is clean and the brand well known and supported.
The various advantages / disadvantages are well discussed here, and as for them been "the best" - well, - I think we can all agree thats a sales pitch, but what we do know is they are well manufactured and generally good at what they do, they are well represented world wide if you travel, their replacement policy and back up is good and their dealer system sound - something you may not get with a clone computer from, say, one of the other manufacturers.
It boils down to personal preferance (as it dos in so many of lifes choices) but you could certainly do a lot worse than buying a Suunto.
The various advantages / disadvantages are well discussed here, and as for them been "the best" - well, - I think we can all agree thats a sales pitch, but what we do know is they are well manufactured and generally good at what they do, they are well represented world wide if you travel, their replacement policy and back up is good and their dealer system sound - something you may not get with a clone computer from, say, one of the other manufacturers.
It boils down to personal preferance (as it dos in so many of lifes choices) but you could certainly do a lot worse than buying a Suunto.
RonzoTheGreat
Contributor
suunto is no where even remotely close to the best ... for tech.
HBO MD
Contributor
The introduction, by Uwatec, of both work of breathing and cardiac work in evaluating DCS risk, makes this lates algorithm probably the most "physiological"on the market at present. As each of us vary in terms of fitness, vulnerability to injury etc, these variables are an excellent beginning to indirect measures of gas uptake (apart from the obvious : depth, time, tissue modelling etc).
As to conservatism, I have never considered this a negative feature : on the contrary I think it is very important. Nevertheless, the ability of the individual to tailor their level of conservatism is a bonus modern day devices allow.
I still recall working with divers who used the "Deco Brain". Nothing can replace experience and judgement ; computer or not.
Safe diving.
As to conservatism, I have never considered this a negative feature : on the contrary I think it is very important. Nevertheless, the ability of the individual to tailor their level of conservatism is a bonus modern day devices allow.
I still recall working with divers who used the "Deco Brain". Nothing can replace experience and judgement ; computer or not.
Safe diving.
I use the NOAA tables, plus Pyle stop and 3 minute safety stop.
The published NOAA tables are more aggressive than the scheduled depth limits listed in the back of my dive computer's manual, but obviously the extra stops are supposed to be giving me an added margin of safety, but the computer generally reckons them as deco time (so I usually end up adding another 3 minute safety stop at the end).
I am actually switching from my current computer (which works on a 12 tissue Haldane model) to a Suunto (which works on the RGB algorythm, which everyone tells me is more conservative (I will find out soon, because I inted to dive with both for a while)), so either I will get more frustrated or I will end up modifying my diving habits.
Either way, it has inspired me to book myself into a TDI deco procedures course. Better safe than sorry. Never gotten bent yet, but there is never a good time for the first time.
PS. Noting what you say about the US Navy Tables, I remember reading one of Gary Gentile's books and he said that the Navy tables put the "acceptable risk" of DCI at 2%. Gary's comment was: if that risk is acceptable to you, go ahead and use those tables right up to the edge.
Last edited:
