Cochran?

[Nishan]

just thought i would add my 5 cents worth. i have had an older model Cochran Commander w/o nitrox for 10 years and logged around 500 dives with it and never had a probem. here are a few things i like about it:

1. large, easy to read display
2. has been fine for repetitive dives, even when i have done 5 dives a day for a week.
3. good performance on deco dives.
4. its tough. i have dropped it on the ground many times and its been on some rough boat rides and in the back of pick up trucks in heat and held up.

i recently used it for a 25 minute decompression dive at 53m and it worked fine. the overal ascent/offgassing time was the same as my buddies Aladin Tec and what was calculated using the V-Planner software (both computers gave the same overall time but slightly different ceilings than V-Planner).

like some people have pointed out problems can occur due to improper use or not understanding the product, and failures are not limited to Cochran computers. the Bikini Atoll site mentions a host of other computers that they dont recommend but everyone is caught up with the Cochrans.

i have dived using Suunto and Aladin computers but still prefer my old Cochran. only issue is its not nitrox compatible since its one of the older models (out of production now). eventually its up to the individual to decide. my regular dive buddies use Suunto and Aladin and are very happy with them. personally i am planning to upgrade to a newer Cochran model with trimix capabilities.

 

[CCTX50]

WAKE UP!!!

I just thought I would bring this thread back to life. :banana:

I have been diving the Cochran EMC-20H for several years now. I am very happy with the computer and have had no issues other than the screen not being as bright as originally. I bought the computer second hand along with the Analyst Pro Software and cable so I am not the original owner. Cochran was nice enough to extend the original three licenses on the software and give me three more at no charge. The screen seems to not be as bright as it was when I first got the computer. I have changed out the batteries and still the same. Has anyone had any issues with the screen loosing it's brightness over time?

I spoke with Cochran and they said that I could send it back to them and they would go through the computer for about $350.00 and update or fix anything that is wrong. Cochran said that since I am not the original owner that the fee is $350.00 and not $250.00.

On another note, I am thinking about going with Shearwater.

 

[laguna230diver]

3 in a row for liking my cochran!

 

[DA Aquamaster]

Good lord, a 2001 thread.

That said I dumped my Cochran EMC-20H and have never regretted it. The back lighting was crappy, it was insanely liberal and Conchran itself adivsed diving with the conservatism no less than 30, and the auto gas switching was the kiss of death for cave diving.

To get it to not switch gasses requires the diver to set max depth and minimum run time constraints to prevent gas switching if, for exmaple, you shallow out in the cave during the dive to the point where it would normally switch gasses, as once it switches to a deco gas, it won't switch back. Doing that accurately requires a high level of advanced knowledge of the cave profile and exactly when you are going to be where and then requires a lap top to set the required parameters. A major PITA.

The Predator is SO much better.

 

[laguna230diver]

i should probobaly explain that i have a commander nitrox.. and it has way more features than i need. the craziest i ever get currently is recreational nitrox and no deco diving. I could pretty much use and computer but i like the way the commander displays and its an upgrade from my old sherwood insight

 

[Md Spear]

Im jumpin in on this thread from the dead

I have had the old Comander nitrox since 1998 [ only cause it was what we used in the Nitrox Class @ Capt Billy Deans in Key West.
For me its seems liberal as I got the sizzling elbows syndrome on a tortugas trip on the Ultimate Getaway . I later set it to 5 % conservative and had the factory set the PO2 to 1.5 and no problems since I eased up a bit on the bottom time w/ the new settings.

It can test your patience trying to reset w/ wet hands and a wet Quarter

 

[HamataBound]

Thought I'd join in.

I had a Cochran Gemini for three years and my most favorite moment with it was the day I put it in a box and sent it to someone who bought it from me on E-bay. It reminded me of my old Triumph TR7, when it worked it was a great computer, problem was it never worked.

On one dive trip in particular it added 600 psi to my pressure reading every time I got in the water, which lead to a funny shore diving story where I just bobbed up and down for 30 minutes to confirm. I actually had more logged dives on the dive shop demo computer then my own. Was sent back to Cochran 5 times (I think, I stopped counting after the third time) then mailed off for the last time to someone else.

Oddly enough the shop's demo computer worked flawlessly for many years (I know this to be true since it was what I considered to be "my primary computer" for those three years) which leads me to believe that either they have serious quality control issues, or that the dive shop just got lucky with their demo unit.

The one "good" thing about this computer only really applies if you are an attention seeking narcissist because you are always the center of attention on every dive boat as soon as they see that "brick" hanging from your first stage.

Installing Analyst Pro on a Windows 7 x64 computer was a nightmare, with no help from Cochran, took me a week to figure it out.

I WOULD NEVER RECOMMEND ANYONE TO BUY A COCHRAN COMPUTER!!