Dive Computer Recommendation

[Lorenzoid]

And when you earn more income, the government doesn't "penalize" you for that by charging you more income tax. Instead, they "add additional opportunities for you to contribute to the country's well-being."

Exactly! It all depends which way one leans, liberal or conservative--just like decompression strategies.

 

[industrious95]

I've got a Suunto Vyper. On a recent trip, a couple of other divers were using different brands, sorry don't remember which, and we compared dive plans and their computers consistently gave them a few minutes longer bottom times than my Vyper. Where the Vyper would give me 35 minutes, their computers would give them 37 or 38. That's fine by me, it's not a contest. If I'm being conservative, I figure it's less of a chance of getting bent.

I know guys who dive air tables using 32%. Their thought is that it gives them a conservative edge.

When you start getting older, you measure "how much longer" in years that you can dive, not how many more minutes that you get on the bottom.

Anyhow, that being said, I've been very happy with the Vyper. And it does not go into gauge-only mode just because you go into a minute or two of DECO time. I've never gone more than that beyond it's limit, so I can speak as what it will do for a heavy violation.

 

[KevinNM]

Anyhow, that being said, I've been very happy with the Vyper. And it does not go into gauge-only mode just because you go into a minute or two of DECO time. I've never gone more than that beyond it's limit, so I can speak as what it will do for a heavy violation.

The docs say nothing as long as you obey the ceiling. If you blow off deco the docs say it will go on vacation for 12 hours or more. You can bounce above the ceiling, but ignoring it for a few minutes apparently makes it mad. I've never felt the urge to blow off a ceiling, and it's pretty much always cleared by the time I get to the ceiling so I can't tell what actually happens if you do.

 

[wolflegresley]

OP, of the three computers you listed my recommendation will be for the Vyper, IMO it has the best value for the money!

I use a vyper currently and it is a great computer, I've NEVER had to thumb a dive (even a repetitive dive) because of NDLs, I put the "least" conservative factors on and I keep up with friends and other vacationers. Its easy to use and is a very popular model for when/if you need support.

Secondly it has nitrox support up to 50% (More than most rec nitrox courses certify you to) allowing you to grow with your computer!
Will calculate up to 1.6 PPO2 (contingency limits) not allowing you to go beyond "safe recerational" limits. (Normally 1.4 PP02 is the max for nitrox, but 1.6 is often used as a contingency limit).

and finally, even if you do get into more advanced diving you can put the computer into a gauge mode which will operate as a "bottom timer" up to 300ish feet (well into advanced tech diving).

My vyper is normally used in Canada (cold water) and has been occasionally used in the Caribbean. For the price point you have a computer that will grow with you throughout your entire recreational diving career.

Finally, the only other computer I would purchase would be a Petrel (at more than 2x the cost of the vyper).

Best advise I can give you is to borrow the computers and see how they dive! Good luck!

 

[Scubanoobi]

Suunto gets bashed for it's conservatism all the time here. I owned a Suunto, still have an Oceanic and also a brand new petrel. I can say that with the research I've done on various algorithms (before I bought the petrel) I noticed that Suunto RGBM is no more conservative than the petrel in it's most liberal setting (in rec mode). Having said that, I never missed a safety stop and don't do fast ascents (for recreational divers, perhaps you should be penalized for that). Even going into deco on the suunto, it will not punish you any more than getting your NDL down to 0, provided you complete all you deco stops.

I think any computer compared to Oceanic DSAT (provided you don't go into deco) will look conservative BTW.

Anyway, just my 2 cents.

 

[diversteve]

Since you only need it for show and tell, I'd go with the Zoop. It's the simplest for new divers to understand if you're going to demo it. Also an easy sell since they're relatively affordable. And come in several bright colors...lol if you're involved in any aspect of sales. With gloves I'd guess it's easier to access than the Subgear since the buttons are easy to press and separated farther apart.

I can also pick it up after a long absence and work thru anything I need to w/o referring to the manual - can't say that about some other brands. Or the Vyper.

If this is on your dime, buy it from Leisurepro. Since they're not Aqualung/Suunto authorized I've seen them priced there sometimes as much as $100 cheaper.
On the off chance it went bad the first year, I suspect they just replace it since they don't have a Suunto Repair center on-site.

 

[KevinNM]

I have an old Vytec from 2003 or so, still my main computer. The 3 button design is a lot easier for me to navigate then the 4 button design on the Vyper, but I'm learning. Getting into the controls for the dive modes still drives me crazy occasionally, and I have to do that before each dive to reset the AI code.

The Vyper does have a vastly better display, much better contrast, much easier to read in the water.

 

[afdgf]

I have to agree with the posts that argue that the Vyper is for us older divers (I will be 67 in a few months) who: 1. Need additional conservatism given that older divers are at increased risk of DCS, and 2. The numbers are bigger so us older divers can actually read them underwater. I started with a D4i, but had trouble reading the numbers. I use it as a backup and when I have worn both the D4i and the Vyper, they both gave me the same readings which I interpret to be good inter-computer reliability which speaks to quality control.

 

[stuartv]

I have to agree with the posts that argue that the Vyper is for us older divers (I will be 67 in a few months) who: 1. Need additional conservatism given that older divers are at increased risk of DCS

All the computers I have looked at would allow you to increase the conservatism, if you want. I don't see how FORCING you to be more conservative makes a particular computer better for anyone - old or young.

 

[Lorenzoid]

All the computers I have looked at would allow you to increase the conservatism, if you want. I don't see how FORCING you to be more conservative makes a particular computer better for anyone - old or young.

The thing is, I don't feel my Suuntos "force" me to do or be anything; the default setting for conservatism (which is the most liberal of three "personal adjustment" settings, I believe) meshes just fine with the kind of diving I do. I suspect there are many Suunto owners who aren't inclined to set their personal adjustment to a higher conservatism level. Sadly, I suspect plenty of them have never even read the manual and don't know that they can do that. For many of us--not just the, uh, elderly--conservatism is a simply a non-issue for the kind of diving we do. There has never been a moment when I wished I could set my Suunto D6 or Zoop to be more liberal. This feeling may not apply to everyone. If someone has used a Suunto and felt it negatively impacted their enjoyment, then by all means they should get a different computer (or change some other aspect of what they're doing).