Cochran EMC 16 computer, easy to use??

[plumcrazy]

Greetings, I am turning my OCD to dive computers as my next equipment purchase. I have been able to borrow a freinds Cochran EMC 16 a couple of times and am wondering if this is typical of other dive computers. I find the programing very unintuitive (sp??). The whole deal with wetting fingers and shorting contacts with a coin seems overly complicated to me. I have read some of the manual but to be perfectly honest I have to reread it every time I want to program the computer. Reading the display also seems harder than it should be. It is almost as if the LCD screen is fading. I always dive with my trusty backup plan witch is my Casio "G-Shock". I do not have to reread any manuals to figure how to program it and the numbers are a lot easier to read even though the font is 1/4 the size of the Cochran. It seems that a lot of the posts in this forum do not even mention the Cochran line of computers. Is there a reason for this?? Thanks

 

[scubafanatic]

....I've got 4 Cochrans ( 3 X GEMINI + 1 X EMC 20 )......I was introduced to Cochrans by borrowing one a few yrs back while wreck diving in North Carolina......I've enjoyed mine, reliable, common user replacable batteries.....they're not cheap $, but they are 'tech' (and upgradable software) computers. They track very well with my other computers (Oceanic Datamax Pro Plus IIs). Cochran considers push buttons to be 'failure points'...thus the hard contacts. Once you dive the EMC 16 a little while, you'll remember how to program it.....it's not as bad as it appears...just a little repetition/practice will cure that. (also, I bring a copy of the user's manual in my log book to refresh my memory if I forget how to program something.) ...not sure why you say the LCD screen is "fading" ??? ...never a problem with any of mine. The Cochran wrist units are more 'chunky' (bigger) than the tiny, watch type dive computers that look sporty/sexy in the dive shop but are way to small to read while diving in the real world...the font on the Cochrans is as small a font as I'd want anyway.

 

[ianr33]

It seems that a lot of the posts in this forum do not even mention the Cochran line of computers. Is there a reason for this?? Thanks

Yes

 

[plumcrazy]

Yes

Tell me Obi-Wan Kenobi, please tell. I want to be a Jedi!!

 

[ianr33]

Tell me Obi-Wan Kenobi, please tell. I want to be a Jedi!!

Well,O.K.

I recently bought a Trimix computer. Cochrans were a complete non starter for the following reasons:

1)Never heard a good thing said about customer service
2)Expensive and overly complex.
3)They can not account for the loss of a deco bottle. i.e they will calculate stops assuming the gas switch has been made. That is a complete deal breaker to me.

Some info here:
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/co...s/280045-cochran-dive-computers-good-bad.html

second post of this thread was interesting Cochran Reputation - Scuba Forum - Scuba Diving Forums and Discussion Board