I have to ask...

[The Chairman]

OK, I like the look and feel of your product (I have yet to test one though), but I have two questions for you.

1) Why did you start Dive Xtras? What niche did you fill?

2) What separates your scooter from all the others? Why should I buy it over another?

 

[nereas]

I own one of their DPVs, Pete, and it's uniqueness stems from (1) light weight out of the water, and (2) five variable speeds.

The lightness out of the water makes them easy to carry and handle, without the need for a dolly to transport and move them. With the standard nose cone and a NiMH battery inside, it weighs about the same as a 40 cu ft stage bottle and regulator. So you can thus easily clip the DPV to your right shoulder D-ring and walk into the ocean with it across the beach. For boat diving, it is easy to hand down to the water or back up to the boat upon entering and exiting.

The variable speeds allow you to synchronize your speed with another diver, or else to fly quickly underwater, or else to preserve your battery usage to its maximum 60 minute run time.

The most common battery choice is the NiMH which gives up to 60 mins of run time, however they also offer LIon (Lithium Ion) which offers 120 mins, when operated conservatively. However the airlines will not let you transport the LIons.

You can also order their extended nose cone, which holds 2 batteries, and thus extends your run time to 120 mins or 240 mins respectively, with NiMH or LIon.

I did not mean to speak for AG, however these are easy questions of yours, so I thought I would reply. Hope that's ok.

The X-Scooters perform flawlessly, and so I highly recommend one for you. The only reason to consider a different brand would be because some groups mandate lead-acid batteries rather than NiMH or LIon, which is a bit old fashioned, in my opinion, and therefore they might shun you if you showed up with an X-Scooter, which is currently the cutting edge, ironically.

The dynamics of scuba diving with a light weight DPV is revolutionary. The power of the vehicle is not only an added thrill, and not even also alone an added tool, but also an added measure of safety since it gives you many more options to deal with a strong current, or to return to the boat or the beach. But of course the added safety consideration is not to get so far away from your platform (whether beach or boat) that you cannot return on your own. The buddy system with 2 DPVs between the buddies resolves the distance issue. There are towing protocols and procedures for a failed DPV.

 

[The Chairman]

It's ALWAYS best to hear from the users! As we all know salesmen lie! So, how long does it take to charge these batteries, and why won't the airlines take them LIons?

 

[nereas]

I have 2 NiMHs, and fully drained it takes about 5 hours to recharge each of them.

The airlines apparently believe that LIons are prone to combustion, and a fire on an aircraft would ruin your entire day.

 

[nereas]

The things that the salesmen might not tell you is that the carrying case has a flimsy handle that might break under heavy use. The carrying case is an extra product that you must special order, and it has a separate price, which I have forgotten, somewhere around $250 as I recall.

I would suggest the standard nose cone for beach diving, and the extended nose cone which holds 2 batteries for boat diving. But either way, I would suggest 2 batteries, and 2 chargers. For any beach diving, you can swap out your batteries easily during the surface interval. And for Florida cave diving, the extended nose cone, as well.

The salesmen won't tell you that either, because these extra products are not cheap. The price adds up quickly, as with any high quality product, which the X-Scooter truly is.

 

[The Chairman]

Do you take two chargers when you travel?

 

[The Chairman]

I was just teasing about lying sales people! However, the end user usually has a better idea on how something is used. Great salesmen listen to their clients and LEARN volumes from their tales of derring do.

 

[nereas]

Well I do not believe AG can drop the prices any time soon. The components that go into his scooters are high quality and not cheap. That is the only major drawback with the X's, that they are not cheap. But you always get what you pay for. With the X's you are getting the best, the current state of the art, but you are also paying for it.

 

[limeyx]

I own one of their DPVs, Pete, and it's uniqueness stems from (1) light weight out of the water, and (2) five variable speeds.

You can also order their extended nose cone, which holds 2 batteries, and thus extends your run time to 120 mins or 240 mins respectively, with NiMH or LIon.

I am pretty sure the Li-ions do not stack up that way. It's one Li-ion per scooter only unless something changed.

Tobin can say for sure since he builds them.

 

[24940]

Manufacturing costs could be reduced, but they are fabricated in the USA. Equipment, materials, overhead and labor costs drive the price.

There is not a huge margin and as a dealer for the X, I can say that mark up is less than most gear. As I tell my wife and accountant, it's a tool, not a toy.