Mares Icon HD

[rjrobert22]

I'm looking for a new dive computer and am leaning heavily towards the Mares Icon HD. ScubaLab made it their 2014 Tester's Choice in 2014 and rave about it in their review. However, I've read some reviews from users that are unhappy with its performance. Was just wondering if anyone here has experience with it they would be willing to share to help me make up my mind. It's a big investment. Thanks in advance!

 

[Is_907]

I'll let you know after this weekend... I just got mine last night.

Only major complaint I've read that holds water seems to be battery life. It seems very easy to use and quite durable.
I'll know more about battery life etc after this weekend (OW check-in dives for me!)

 

[buddhasummer]

Search this board for user reviews. I've read lots of unfavorable reports. I wouldn't trust a review from a diving publication. Personally I wouldn't buy one. What features are important to you?

 

[tazgator]

Good luck with this search.... I've doing similar as eventually I may need to replace and/or upgrade from a UWATEC Aladin Smart Z air integrated that is 15 years old that is backed up by ole faithful a more than 20 year Suunto EON on a hose.... The one that most convinces me is a Suunto EON Steel that recently came out but is pretty pricey at close to $2K with the transmitter... then there is the Oceanic VTX... along with the Mares Icon HD which look good yet with some mixed reviews... they are all a bit of an outlay of cash. yet indeed an investment towards our continued safety... So definitely keep reading actual diver reviews... Meanwhile I am going to continue with my wrist UWATEC and Suunto EON on a hose... for the time being...

 

[tazgator]

 

[buddhasummer]

A brief search yeilded this, haven't read it so no idea as to helpfulness:

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/ma...worth-money-trouble.html?highlight=Mares+icon

 

[Kharon]

I totally love mine. It has some really, really nice features and the air integration is great. Battery life isn't too bad though it loses charge if it sits for a long period. I just charge it the night before if it needs it. Can be charged from a USB port of AC outlet. The display is especially good, particularly if you have trouble reading guages. It has a night view setting that is particularly clear.

Early models had problems with pairing and losing the connection to the transmitter. I've seen none of that with mine (Mares Icon Net Ready 4.1)

 

[blinkswiler]

I have one and use it as my backup. Seems to work great except that it has a very limited charge life. Big problem for me as a search and rescue diver, I am required to keep my gear in the car for a callout. By factory specs, it is permitted to loose 3-5% battery power while in the box or not in use. As such, I can't depend on the battery charge status as a S&R unit.

If you are recreational orientated and don't mind recharging nightly (or almost), it would be a good unit. I like the software for download better than some others.

If interested, I'll make you a deal.

 

[Nick Ruberg]

I purchased one to try out some time back. I am used to a large computer, having dived with a Galileo Luna for a while. The mares has a fantastic display. It is really great but there are a few drawbacks. It loses charge being stored so you need to remember to recharge it and set the time and date before diving.
i find that the display is sometimes ridicule to read in bright sunlight (one of the drawbacks of a backlit display). I have at times been wanting to check my pressure before doing a backward roll and I need to shield the display in bright light. Of course on a night dive it is just great.
i find that the size is roughly similar to my Scubapro Galileo but a lot of space is lost with a larger bezel and then to make matters worse they have a border around the screen, so the screen size is somewhat smaller than the Galileo despite the physical unit size being similar. If you struggle to read small numbers, beware because some of the text can be quite small and it cannot be customised.

 

[Is_907]

I used the Icon HD for three dives on Saturday. Unfortunately, since I got it second hand, I didn't realize the transmitter battery was dead so I had no air integration.
Still, it did what I wanted it to do.

I had it charged the night before and the battery was at 66% after 1.5hrs driving, probably an hour of setup, and three dives with two hour+ intervals between.

It was super easy to read the display during the dive and I had no problems using it after to bring up my depth, time, etc from the logbook.



(Aside, the computer actually wouldn't turn back on after I put it down after the third dive. I'm wondering if I let it overheat in the sun. I've got a support ticket open with Mares to see what they can do.)