Just ordered a BlackTip Tech

[BlueTrin]

A student bought one for me For his GF and for himself.

I need this kind of student/friend

Cool gift

 

[stuartv]

I just spent three days fiddling with two new Blacktip Tech scooters in a freshwater cave - Devils' Eye/Ear.
My overall impression is MEH when comparing it to my SS UV-18 & UV-26 with the exception of the weight. The UV-26 weighs in at 96 pounds, this Blacktip weighs less than 30 pounds. That difference is great! The Blacktip just doesn't feel as robust as the high end DPVs.

It took several hours to get the these scooters weighted properly. In the end the nose weighs 6.5 pounds. This was adjusted several times by varying the lead shot volume and the plate then putting it in the water several times for fine tuning. Overall a PITA but eventually worked OK. The batteries weigh in 2.8 at pounds each. View attachment 806804

The factory rigging is less than optimal and I changed that on both of these scooters to better match what I have always used on the SS UV-18 & UV-26. These were easy fixes but time consuming. The carrying strap on the Blacktip now sits in my dive locker and that is where it will remain.


View attachment 806805

View attachment 806806

I hope the images are clear enough to see what I have done to these scooters, and maybe even why.

At this early point in my very limited experience with this scooter I am leaning toward thinking it is a barely acceptable choice for an entry level cave scooter. The DPV Cave diver who wants to scooter back to the Dome Room at Little River, the Hinkle/Sweet Surprise/Main Land at Ginnie will be OK with this scooter as long as the batteries are healthy.

We did a run up to 1800 feet in Devils' Ear yesterday on setting 4-5 and I towed the other scooter back out to the Park Bench, about 1400 feet. Upon surfacing I ran around a few circles and the battery indicator showed the "Battery Low" icon. View attachment 806810

The DPV cave diver who wants to go way up into Manatee will NOT be OK with this scooter.

I think the MAP on this Blacktip scooter is $2,100.00. The MAP on a Genesis 3.1 is $8,750.00 and a Suex is near the same price as the Genesis.

Just an FYI. Those look like off brand (not DeWalt) batteries. I don’t know those specific ones. But, I do know a few others and none of them ever give as much run time as the same nominal capacity DeWalt.

 

[Capt Jim Wyatt]

Just an FYI. Those look like off brand (not DeWalt) batteries

Yea I dunno as I did not buy any of this stuff. What difference do you think it could make @stuartv ?

I will keep the testing / progress reports up to date On This web page

 

[Gone for diving]

With those aftermarket batteries, it is almost guaranteed not to meet spec on the outside of the battery, at best 12ah will be 9 ah. Probably more like an 8ah,
Plus they probably be a lower grade and can't surge as well as the originals. Unless you know the actual specs of the battery its pretty hit and miss, even if one battery is really good, unless the second battery is from the same manufacturered batch, your weak battery is the limiting factor ,

 

[stuartv]

Yea I dunno as I did not buy any of this stuff. What difference do you think it could make @stuartv ?

I will keep the testing / progress reports up to date On This web page

I don't know those batteries, but based on other off-brand batteries, I would not be at all surprised if genuine DeWalt 12s gave anywhere from 20 - 50% more run time.

But, one other thought on that: A pair of DeWalt 12s is running about $500 for the pair. Those give you 12 Ah at 36V. Roughly 432 Watt-hours.

You can get a custom 20Ah, 36V pack for anywhere from $750 - 1000, depending on where you buy it. That will give you 720 Watt-hours of battery in the same size and weight of overall scooter package. And it will be more reliable. Even the DeWalt battery packs can sometimes get out of balance on voltage when under a heavy load, causing the scooter to shut off - albeit, usually only for a minute or so.

If I were starting over with my BlackTip, I would go with the custom battery pack instead of DeWalts. It's not that much extra money and you get a lot more capability AND reliability.

@Jona Silverstein is one source for these custom battery packs (plus some other BlackTip goodies).

 

[Capt Jim Wyatt]

This blurb is from the Blacktip user manual.

 

[MrChen]

I've done 8 dives with my BT Tech now, and I'm hooked. I've been mainly using it while lobster hunting in 70-100ft of depth in the Gulf Stream currents of SE Florida. This last weekend, I found myself in speed 2 with my flashlight in my other hand as I ducked my head down looking in holes.

I had one lobster get away from me, and it swam up current approximately 30ft. Without the DPV, I would have never found it. With the DPV, I easily and quickly navigated up the current and caught the lobster.

Other times, I'm able to easily zig zag east and west in the north flowing current, allowing me to cover ground I could never think to cover without a DPV.

On Sunday we dove the USS Rankin. One of the spearos asked if I could buddy up with him since the wreck is 130ft to the sand. I don't have a speargun yet, so I used the DPV to explore the wreck a little and easily hang out in the currents far enough away as to not scare any fish away. Without the DPV, this would have been difficult. I was literally stationary in the current and watched the spearo tag mangrove after mangrove on the deck of the ship while I was 10ft above and off to the side.

 

[DavidFL]

I just spent three days fiddling with two new Blacktip Tech scooters in a freshwater cave - Devils' Eye/Ear.

/snip/

View attachment 806805
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Thanks @Capt Jim Wyatt for this post. I bought a Blacktip for basic rec/light_tec_wrecks/not_cave and your perspective is really welcome and helpful. The fact that you see it as 'meh' for a cave diving scooter doesn't surprise me and confirms my overall assessment of it. Also the alternative carrying handle rigging is something I will immediately try to duplicate because the OEM handle is also, intuitively without many dives, just not right for me. FWIW I bought the DeWalt batteries. I carry around in my head the perspective that the BT is essentially a $3K scooter once you buy the Scooter, pay sales tax & potentially shipping, plus DeWalt batteries and tax and shipping. I remain very impressed so far with the value-for-money ratio of my Blacktip compared to any alternatives I could find.

 

[Boarderguy]

Just ordered a tech from my LDS during their Christmas sale day. Added 3 more air cards to my stack so I'm set for the near future. Oh happy day.

 

[Manatee Diver]

Added 3 more air cards to my stack so I'm set for the near future.

That is a lot of tires to fill.