Inexpensive but not going to get me bent?

[Potapko]

If you want something conservative and cheap, then check out Mares M1 from scubastore. Right now it's $185 with free shipping.

DiveRite's NiTek Duo is also a reasonably priced computer and it will let you to use two gases per dive so it's better for decompression diving than most other computers in its price range. Ask NESS for a price quote. They usually have good prices for the DiveRite brand.

For something more liberal, look at the Versa Pro from scubatoys. They probably still have a special on that and they give 10% discount to scubaboard members if you ask, so it comes out to about $250 with shipping.

For Suuntos, contact divetank.com- they have good prices.

Just do a search for the particular model your are thinking of before buying it and you'll see both the good and the bad mentioned.

I recently discovered a couple of things about my Diverite nitek duo that I don't like. On my recent trip to Tunisia I did a couple of dives on wrecks from WWI. First of all the duo only gives me 25 minutes at 24 meters. The Navy tables give you 40! On a square profile that large a difference really stinks.
So, we were down for about 30 minutes and my comp puts me into a mandatory 3 minute deco stop at 3 meters. Enter the second problem. The regular safety stop recommendation that comes up every dive begins counting down any time above 6 meters. Even though we ascended extremely slowly, the comp still required the stop. Then it wouldn't begin counting down until I got to 3 meters!! I thought, Who programmed this thing!!

To make it worse, the DM wonders why I am stopping again at 3 meters so I show him my comp. He shows me his aladin which shows him having still 5 minutes of ndl time.

So, the moral is: Choose wisely and ask plenty of questions before buying!
DP

 

[*Floater*]

Yeah, but the M1 sucks - its big ugly and difficult to use (a dive buddy has one).

I use the cressi Archimedes, and compared to the M1 its bliss.

Nicolai

Some people like them. I personally wouldn't have minded the size. It uses a user-replaceable AA battery, so you can use rechargeables. My main reason for not getting it was that it was too conservative, but then again the original poster asked for something inexpensive that wouldn't get him bent, so I thought conservatism might have been a plus for him. Of course other negatives include an unfriendly user manual and an expensive cable connection that doesn't work well.

 

[*Floater*]

I recently discovered a couple of things about my Diverite nitek duo that I don't like. On my recent trip to Tunisia I did a couple of dives on wrecks from WWI. First of all the duo only gives me 25 minutes at 24 meters. The Navy tables give you 40! On a square profile that large a difference really stinks.
So, we were down for about 30 minutes and my comp puts me into a mandatory 3 minute deco stop at 3 meters. Enter the second problem. The regular safety stop recommendation that comes up every dive begins counting down any time above 6 meters. Even though we ascended extremely slowly, the comp still required the stop. Then it wouldn't begin counting down until I got to 3 meters!! I thought, Who programmed this thing!!

To make it worse, the DM wonders why I am stopping again at 3 meters so I show him my comp. He shows me his aladin which shows him having still 5 minutes of ndl time.

So, the moral is: Choose wisely and ask plenty of questions before buying!
DP

So basically you feel it's too conservative? That's the reason I chose a versa pro for myself, but then again the original poster wanted something that wouldn't bend him so I thought he might enjoy the extra conservatism.

Moral of the story: Spend a few hours searching scubaboard and reading posts about any model you are considering buying.

 

[emelotto]

As the Asaara said, we have a lot off comparisons when diving and always we guess that others computers are better than yours...I have analized 2 dives I've done in Cozumel because my Mosquito got Error afterthat.

What I could see is that in the first dive I ignored 2 min safety stop (31m deepest and 19m average for 37min). At the second dive (1h later), I ignored the mandatory stop in more than 15 min (21m deepest and 13m average for 58min).
Of course all of this was stupid, but now I can see the difference between suunto and others. The dive master just have done a 5 min stop and his computer didn't blamed.

Looking on the graphs, I saw a mark advising we should extend the surface time, 2 marks of quick ascending (more or less from 16m to 12m) and one about passing ceiling mandatory stop (when I got error). As you know, we always do a drift dive in Cozumel and you must follow the dive master in order to get the exit, always exist a little rush to start and to finish...

Well, after all explanations, my question is...what do you think about put the mosquito with 24% Nitrox instead air? The simulation I have done whit those dive profiles shows that I couldn't do only the safety stop and I woud not loose the last two dives.

Some people who thinks suunto is too conservative told me to do that.

Why no one want to comment that? Is it a TABU? Say that it is stupid, say that you don't know, but say something....hehehe

 

[Potapko]

Why no one want to comment that? Is it a TABU? Say that it is stupid, say that you don't know, but say something....hehehe

Thought about doing the same with my Diverite. Putting it up to 28% gets me a little closer to the tables.

 

[Ishie]

I'll second the Dive Rite Nitek Duo rec made earlier. I got this computer as a birthday present, used it all week in the PIs and I love it.

+ points:

Quite inexpensive
Handles two gases (up to 50% nitrox on first mix; up to 99% on second)
VERY easy to use, including setting nitrox
Records quite a bit of information: max depth, time, avg depth, temperature, time in/time out, ascent rate; nitrogen loading, oxygen loading, profile
Automatic on when it hits water
Automatically adjusts for altitude
Is conservative and can be set to ultra-chicken mode.
Doesn't beep consistently and obnoxiously (except on last 30' of ascent sometimes).
Can change whether it records every 15 seconds or every 30 seconds of calculating profile.

-points

Pretty darn conservative (depends on your perspective)
Haven't tried to use it, but from what I've been told, the download feature sucks
Naggy ascent rate (the whole raise your arm, it beeps thing, though it did warn me when I was being a bit careless while chasing a snake)
If you only dive nitrox (I don't), you have to reset it every twenty four hours or it defaults to air at midnight (if you aren't underwater at midnight).

 

[Potapko]

I'll second the Dive Rite Nitek Duo rec made earlier. I got this computer as a birthday present, used it all week in the PIs and I love it.

+ points:

Quite inexpensive
Handles two gases (up to 50% nitrox on first mix; up to 99% on second)
VERY easy to use, including setting nitrox
Records quite a bit of information: max depth, time, avg depth, temperature, time in/time out, ascent rate; nitrogen loading, oxygen loading, profile
Automatic on when it hits water
Automatically adjusts for altitude
Is conservative and can be set to ultra-chicken mode.
Doesn't beep consistently and obnoxiously (except on last 30' of ascent sometimes).
Can change whether it records every 15 seconds or every 30 seconds of calculating profile.

-points

Pretty darn conservative (depends on your perspective)
Haven't tried to use it, but from what I've been told, the download feature sucks
Naggy ascent rate (the whole raise your arm, it beeps thing, though it did warn me when I was being a bit careless while chasing a snake)
If you only dive nitrox (I don't), you have to reset it every twenty four hours or it defaults to air at midnight (if you aren't underwater at midnight).

Just a couple of things Ishie,
1. I use the download feature and other than having to remove the protective cover every time I download, I love it.

2. I believe the computer defaults to 100% O2 at midnight if you do not reset it. That is to make sure you don't dive air with the comp still set to 36%. I dove like this once and it kept telling me I was going to die but since I was only at 15m for 30 minutes I ignored it. You can however resurface and correct the problem and then do the dive.

 

[*Floater*]

Thought about doing the same with my Diverite. Putting it up to 28% gets me a little closer to the tables.

As one of the articles posted in this thread mentioned, the degree of conservatism of different algorithms depends on the dive profiles, so the oceanic/aeris algorithm was actually more conservative on one of the profiles tested than the other computers. If you try to trick your computer by inputting a higher o2%, but then dive a profile for which your computer is liberal in the first place, then you might be in trouble...

 

[DandyDon]

Interesting thread, which I missed when it was active before.

I've dived Nitrox on a computer with a boat-pick buddy diving air with tables - which he ignored. Sucked!

The choice of liberal or conservative is a personal one. If you want to buy the conservative brand and forfeit dive time that would be allowed by the agencies, I don't mind your approach. The Pelagic computers (Oceanic, Aires, another?) have excellent records, so I am quite happy with these "liberal" machines that are really just less conservative.

Likelihood of getting your Suunto smashed by a buddy diving an Oceanic when they get sick of all the beeping aside? ;-) What did you consider "a little loaded" on the Oceanic - one bubble in the yellow, more? I'm assuming it didn't beep before that point?

Yes, any Yellow is a caution, and one should not leave the water in Yellow if at all possible. I suspect the rare anecdotal claims about getting bent when "my Oceanic was fine" may have often been when they did not not accept that Yellow is caution - not at all fine - and/or personal tendencies making the diver more at risk.

Oceanic is supper about their tech support. I have had problems this week with the downloader and Ron, the chief dude there for this, has spent a couple of hours on the phone working with me - helping me fix my initial mistake, etc. We still have not solved the last problem, so he's sending me a new Versa Pro and Cable - so I can check the other cable against my computer with dives I really want graphed, decide if it's the computer or cable, etc. After I am happy, I get to return the computer and cable I don't want. No request for a credit card in case I don't return it, no request for proof of valid warranty (I think the computer is out) or whether I bought it from an authorized dealer (I didn't!).

Oh, you can set the Oceanic alarms and Dive Time remaining counters to penalize you like the more expensive conservative models. Nitrox compatible, Dive time remaining changeable, Over sized digits, Water activation for the careless, Audible alarms with flashing LED warning light which can be turned off, Alarm acknowledgement, Adjustable algorithm if you want more conservatism, Automatic safety stop prompt, Auto altitude compensation, Diver replaceable batteries with "hot swap," 24 Hour fly countdown and calculated desaturation time, Variable ascent rant indicator, Depth dependent ascent rate, SmartGlo Back-lighting, Nitrox compatible from 21% to 50%, Set your own Max P02 level - from an authorized dealer for under $300: Here again

If you want a more conservative model, why not safe money here and reset for conservative limits...?

 

[asaara]

Yes, any Yellow is a caution, and one should not leave the water in Yellow if at all possible. I suspect the rare anecdotal claims about getting bent when "my Oceanic was fine" may have often been when they did not not accept that Yellow is caution - not at all fine - and/or personal tendencies making the diver more at risk.

Ended up grabbing one of the Aeris computers - being able to play with a Suunto after using the Aeris website demo, and the fact that you can set the Aeris/Oceanic types to beep wherever on the nitrogen graph you want but you can't set the Suuntos to beep at some point beyond their limits, so when you're screwed you're less likely to know just *how bad* you're screwed, kinda tipped the scales in their favor. I liked the Aeris display better than the Oceanic, and didn't want an XR-2 since the only thing I can tell that's different, from their site, is that they're a bit smaller and I don't like the changes in the display layout. And then, of course, everyone decides we're *not* going on vacation over the holidays, so any diving I end up doing to test it out soon will probably have me being frozen out of the water rather than hitting the NDL limits (tables or otherwise!), oh well...maybe a lottery win will happen. Might help if I started buying tickets.