bottom timer or computer?

[steel]

i know, this has been cover before...
it's just a question of my first buy - uwatec bottom timer or
vyper, that is twice the price. i read some dir stuff on i-net and liked that but i'm not sure if it'll work for me since i'm still the beginner.
thanks

 

[jamiei]

in my opinion, the vyper is your best buy. Its more expensive initially, but you get a lot more for your money and it will last you many, many years. With the bottom timer, I'm sure you would want to upgrade sooner or later. Just my opinion of what I would do if it were me. Of course, if you can't afford the vyper right now, I would say to save your money up for it and use a waterproof watch as a bottom timer and get cozy with your tables for now.

 

[the_kuang]

I agree with the previous comment. There's not much difference between a bottom timer and using a waterproof watch.

I know there are a fair number of people who do not like using computers, but I dive with a Vyper and absolutely love it. You can buy the Vyper on Leisure Pro for about 315 + shipping. I bought mine from a dealer on E-Bay for 295 brand new (the 295 included overnight shipping). I just throw out those numbers in case you were basing your decision on the $500 a number of LDS, at least my LDS, charges.

 

[Mverick]

Well it depends on you,

Do you want to learn how to use tables. Or if you flood your computer do you want to wonder how long to stay under?

If you buy a bottom timer. It isn't a waste of money. I have one and computers also. Guess what goes on every dive. The bottom timer. That way if the Computer cracks up. I still have a idea when I can dive again. If I didn't take it. I'd be done diving for the day.

You should really learn your tables so you know them. So when you're diving you know what's happening. If you get the computer and let it do all the calculations. You'll never learn your tables.

Get the bottom timer.

Even for Recreational diving it's all you need. A computer is nice. But if you're new. You don't need to be deco diving anyway. And later you'll want a nitrox computer.

The Vyper is a good computer from what I've heard though.

 

[Wendy]

I agree with Mverick.

I use a bottom timer and its not the same as having a water prrof watch. Mine logs up to 9 dives and gives me the bottom time, water temp, max depth, and current depth.

Another option would be to get the computer and just use it in guage mode. That way you are still planning your dives and diving your plan and not relying on the computer to tell you what to do.

 

[jonnythan]

Mverick once bubbled...
Well it depends on you,

Do you want to learn how to use tables. Or if you flood your computer do you want to wonder how long to stay under?

If you buy a bottom timer. It isn't a waste of money. I have one and computers also. Guess what goes on every dive. The bottom timer. That way if the Computer cracks up. I still have a idea when I can dive again. If I didn't take it. I'd be done diving for the day.

You should really learn your tables so you know them. So when you're diving you know what's happening. If you get the computer and let it do all the calculations. You'll never learn your tables.

Get the bottom timer.

Even for Recreational diving it's all you need. A computer is nice. But if you're new. You don't need to be deco diving anyway. And later you'll want a nitrox computer.

The Vyper is a good computer from what I've heard though.

Are you a proponent of using the Wheel for multilevel dives?

 

[Mverick]

If you're talking PADI wheel,

Nope.

Total time at max depth.

Then If something happens, I know I'm safe.

I'm not saying I don't use computers. I do. But if I'm under and My computer went down. I know what rated diver I am from tables I ran before I dove. So I look at my bottom timer and check my max depth, and time, and check my tables under water to see how long I'm good without deco.

Or alot of times, with deco. To be safe. Always have a way out.

 

[zboss]

Mverick once bubbled...
So I look at my bottom timer and check my max depth, and time, and check my tables under water to see how long I'm good without deco.

This is why I am becoming much more convinced that something better than a watch but without the extra's of a computer are where I want to be. I find that not being on the edge of NDL is worth it because you always end up coming across situations (non-emergency like photography or low-air) that you want to fit in on a casual dive and having the extra buffer allows you to deal with situations that COULD have been an emergency but are not because you have plenty of NDL time left.

I am looking at the OMS Bottom Timer. LeisurePro has them for $140. For that price I could get two for redundancy.

 

[Mverick]

Well,
OMS version is $140. It's in US measurements.

If you can live with Metric measurements.

DiveInn.com has it for $81.82

But it's metric. Don't think you can change it either...

And the OMS is the same version. Just with an OMS sticker. OMS used to really jack up the price of there VR3 computer too. Then the original manufacturer got ticked at them and pulled there deal.

 

[zboss]

Wow! $90? That's excellent... I can live with metric...