Comparison of Deco models for Mares/Citizen/Suunto?

[elfneedsfoodbadly]

I'm looking at getting a watch-style computer for an upcoming dive-holiday. I'm trying to get info/views on the different deco models (and their conservatism) used for the following computers and, if anyone has strong reservations about any of the computers or the algorithms, I'd appreciate hearing them also.

Mares Nemo - RGBM Mares-Wienke
Suunto Mosquito or Stinger - Suunto RGBM
Citizen Cyber Aqualand - DCIEM

I see the Citizen charges with a unit. If there are any owners out there: even if you're only using it as a watch (between dive holidays!) does it really only last a couple of months?

Thanks

 

[mozz]

i have recently had the pleasure of diving with the citizen cyber nx and have, in short, found the deco model to fall in the middle of the liberal vs. conservative scale in comparison to the other models you've listed. the citizen as a computer is impressive. easily navigable menu system in and out of water with surprisingly easy to read data in such a small package.

charge does only last for a couple of months although manual will tell you only a month with frequent diving. however, the portable charger (powered by 4 aa batteries) is so effecient and portable that i have been won over.

i apologize if i am gushing, but in my opinion this is a solid piece of equipment.

 

[Peter Guy]

We were in Maui last month using the Mosquito for our dives. Just about everyone on the boat had a computer -- from the Cochran to Suunto. There was some discussion about how we would be short on our dives because of Suunto's conservatism -- especially one day when we did a reverse profile series.

Well, yes, our dive was computer thumbed before most of the others on the deep dive after a shallow one-- but only by a minute or two at best. On all of the other dives we took, the difference between the systems didn't appear to make any difference as we were always the last ones to come up -- we were limited by air, not be deco.

That made me wonder "Where's the beef?" From my very limited amount of data, for most recreational diving, it appears to be something that's pretty overblown.

 

[Charlie99]

Several times I've had several minutes of "NDL" left on my hockey puck computer when my buddy had 5 or 6 minutes of deco on a Suunto (Vyper IIRC). It was a non-issue since, although there was NDL left on the computer, the bargraph also was in the "loaded to the gills" last yellow bar and I don't go there if I don't have the gas to spend lots of time in ascent.

He would clear deco about the time I'm happy with how far I've backed off my computer towards the green zone.

Unless you are getting penalized very heavily by the Suunto psuedo-RGBM model for fast ascents, short SI, sawtooth profiles and/or reverse profiles, you need to have pretty low SAC before it becomes the limiting factor by going into deco. Even then it's only a limiting factor if you don't have the gas to do the deco.