Don't Know How to Choose a Dive Computer for My BF's Birthday!

[rhwestfall]

functions well, is comfortable to wear, looks stylish, and of course durable!

each of these desires may very well contradict the others.....

I'd suggest the, "lets go shopping together" approach......

 

[Octopusprime]

No one here has asked about your diving. There is a couple of important things. First do you do cold water diving? If you need heavy wetsuit and gloves the size of the buttons to use with gloves is a big deal. Sunutos are great but I can not push buttons in 5ml gloves. Second do either of you plan on getting nitrox certified. Most computers these days can nod both air and nitrox but just a consideration. Lastly do you want to go to multiple gasses. Based on your experience this is proberbly not righ away but a good computer will last you a long time. If you want to learn doubles or side mount and track multiple tanks you will need a more satiric aged computer.

 

[stuartv]

I love how there are so many suggestions for specific computers and I bet 90% of the people that posted them would gag at the thought of their significant other buying them a computer as a surprise present... LOL

If you him to be the happiest he can be, let him pick out what he wants.

 

[NAM001]

A lot of good comments especially a couple back by""""""" Chris "Octopus Prime""""" To combine his post and mine from way back. If you cant operate the buttons you don't have much of a computer, Likewise if you cant find your way through the menu's you are somewhat in the same position. Most people probably do not use anything more than the default display. They dive air and not nitrox..,.,. I would say most of us on SB use nitrox and out of 4 computers I have had the shearwater products are the only one that has a logical menu system to allow me to change gasses on land or water with out a book. left button scrolls through options and the right selects. scroll down to select gas ,,, select and you get a list of your gasses. scroll down to the gas you want and select. and these computers are at the 500$ price range. further more if you get a petrel 2,,,,,, if a battery can be put in the hole it will work. not to mention the fantastic compass in the petrel. Still I would let him pick his own out. As computers go I don't consider it as a tech computer. Although it is a a tech computer with a recreational mode to it, which I primarily use. I cant think of a company that has better support than shearwater. You buy it and you have problems (which is seldom heard of) you don't have to go through the rigga-marole of have you taken it to your dealer first. You call shearwater and they will fix you up. Not to ignore the blu tooth connection so you don't have to keep track of cables to link to your computer. There are a lot of petrel 1's out there also. they just do not have the compass . Readily available to get used or new. They are rugged, 2 buttons the size of a dime each for glove use. And until the company dies you will always have software updates to keep up with diving changes. Big display for those of less perfect vision, large buttons, easy menu, rugged, great support. And it can be used in a tech mode is you choose to which really only allows you to use helium related gases in addition to the rec mode nitrox gasses. Those that do tech just stay in tech and enter the non helium gas. I know you don't know much about computers but the gas difference is this in rec mode you enter your gas as 32 for 32% nitrox, that same entry in tech mode is 32/0 for 32% O2 and 0% helium. There is an overboard side of it for you and that is it is rebreather capable depending on the model you get. so don't get the one with the rebreather cable connection and you are good to go.

Look around SB and there are petrels for sale. Mostly 1's cause they are moving on the the 2's for the compass and now the 2's are being sold for the perdix version. Any of these can be nothing but a fantastic computer for him. New or used.

 

[diversteve]

No one here has asked about your diving. There is a couple of important things. First do you do cold water diving?

I'm guessing you've never been to Bali...

 

[stuartv]

If you him to be the happiest he can be, let him pick out what he wants.

BTW, I had a Shearwater Petrel 2. I sold it for a moderately painful loss and bought a SeaBear H3, which I like a lot better.

The point being: Despite what some people here want you to think, buying your BF a Shearwater Perdix is no guarantee that he will be thrilled.

 

[mattia_v]

It's pretty personal; I have a ScubaPro Meridian which I quite like (it's a watch-type, the predecessor to the Chromis which has had some battery issues and the like, so would probably look at something else now). If he wants something watch-like, then there are plenty of options, but I do think ScubaPro's offerings are pretty attractive.

If he's a vacation diver (like I am, dive count is similar), and wants something he can wear unobtrusively out of the water as well, than Shearwater's products, nifty though they may be, may very well not be what he's looking for. For my uses they are complete and utter overkill, as I have no immediate or even medium-term plans for deco diving or tech diving of any sort. So a simple computer with a nitrox setting is plenty.

The one other option that's caught my eye and might be interesting - albeit relatively unproven - is the DeepBlu Cosmiq: Deepblu | COSMIQ

Kind of a smartwatch look (think Apple Watch or Pebble Time Steel), with a charger and smartphone integration which looks pretty cool if you're a photographer, for example. It's way less tech-y, but if you're boyfriend's 'just' an enthusiastic fair weather diver it could be a cool option. Hard to judge.

 

[divin'dog]

Don't buy your boyfriend a computer... It is a very personal decision. If you want to pay for a computer for him, draw a funny crayon-like computer on a piece of paper. Then wrap it up in a box. When he opens it, tell him you will buy him a computer for $xxx. He will have the best time looking for one and deciding what he wants. Half the fun is the shopping. Would you want him to buy you a pair of shoes?

 

[divad]

Would you want him to buy you a pair of shoes?

Hi all,

I'm completely new to diving (started 2 years ago and still have < 30 dives). I have no equipment of my own, and have ZERO knowledge on choosing any gear/equipment.

I plan to get my BF a dive computer but I don't know where to start. I've read through existing threads/discussions yet I've understood nothing! (Attached to this that, blablahblah..I just don't get those terms).

All I need to know is the brand and type that would suit my BF (and my budget - basically I'm looking for "the best value for money type of product - good price, and good quality). My BF doesn't dive that much either, maybe 30-40 dives a year and until now, he has always rented.

I know that he would like something that functions well, is comfortable to wear, looks stylish, and of course durable! Can anyone give me recommendation please? Possibly something < $500

Many thanks!

Well, you could get two SUUNTO Zoops for < $400 and dive on the same page.

 

[NAM001]

It's pretty personal; I have a ScubaPro Meridian which I quite like (it's a watch-type, the predecessor to the Chromis which has had some battery issues and the like, so would probably look at something else now). If he wants something watch-like, then there are plenty of options, but I do think ScubaPro's offerings are pretty attractive.

If he's a vacation diver (like I am, dive count is similar), and wants something he can wear unobtrusively out of the water as well, than Shearwater's products, nifty though they may be, may very well not be what he's looking for. For my uses they are complete and utter overkill, as I have no immediate or even medium-term plans for deco diving or tech diving of any sort. So a simple computer with a nitrox setting is plenty.

The one other option that's caught my eye and might be interesting - albeit relatively unproven - is the DeepBlu Cosmiq: Deepblu | COSMIQ

Kind of a smartwatch look (think Apple Watch or Pebble Time Steel), with a charger and smartphone integration which looks pretty cool if you're a photographer, for example. It's way less tech-y, but if you're boyfriend's 'just' an enthusiastic fair weather diver it could be a cool option. Hard to judge.

First I did not take your comment personally. Please explain you comment on deco. Your computer does deco just like all computers do.
My support was based on ease of seeing and the intuitive menu logic. So intuitive you don't need a book to run it. And the large buttons so you can operate it with gloves on and the wide variety of batteries that can be put in it including the standard AA batteries from the grocery store. If ou cant find your way through the menues. then you don't have access to any of the functions of the computer, just like your computer. Let me ask you as you are not a frequent diver How long would it take you to change your computer from air to 32% gas on land.(not as a function of gong to deco gas). I have 3 aeris and I have to have a book to do it each time. which button combination and how long to hold each to get where you want. All I can use effectively is what is default for the screen at power up. I pitty people that have 4 button computers. Most divers only use 10% of their comuters at most. You are probably no different in that regard. The only thing that is overkill on the shearwater is RB support and that goes away when you are in rec mode.

and they are wtill 500 dollar cpmputers. Compared to perhaps700 and up for a watch.