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My club has a nitrox blending system, so occasionally we need to buy fresh O2 cells. Both for the mixer, and for the club's analyzer.
A few weeks ago, the blender cells were on their last leg, and the analyzer cell was dead. D-e-a-d. And our previous supplier had closed shop and retired since our last purchase. In a country with only about 5 million people, getting the right type of cells isn't always trivial, especially if you want them fairly fresh from the production line. There just isn't enough of a market for a store stocking a bunch of different types of analyzer cells.
So, I started asking around. I called divers that I know in the community, and divers in the tech diving community which I didn't know. Plus probably the only store in the country that has a really good assortment of stuff for techies. I got several recommendations for Narked at 90 in the UK. Since I wasn't 100% certain which of their cells that would fit our mixer, I called them on the phone. And they could confirm that the cells I were looking at were the ones our club needed. My other question was about the analyzer. I hadn't found the right type of cell for that, but they asked me to take a couple of pictures of the analyzer and the cell, and email them to the store. I got an answer the day after, with a link to the product page on their website.
Shopping was totally painless. They ship abroad, and UK VAT was automatically deducted. The day after I placed the order, I got an email telling me the order had been shipped, with a tracking number.
So, to summarize based on my single experience, they're knowledgeable, quick and professional. And according to the rumor mill, their turnover is large enough that there's a pretty decent chance that the cells you buy from them are fresh.
Highly recommended.
A few weeks ago, the blender cells were on their last leg, and the analyzer cell was dead. D-e-a-d. And our previous supplier had closed shop and retired since our last purchase. In a country with only about 5 million people, getting the right type of cells isn't always trivial, especially if you want them fairly fresh from the production line. There just isn't enough of a market for a store stocking a bunch of different types of analyzer cells.
So, I started asking around. I called divers that I know in the community, and divers in the tech diving community which I didn't know. Plus probably the only store in the country that has a really good assortment of stuff for techies. I got several recommendations for Narked at 90 in the UK. Since I wasn't 100% certain which of their cells that would fit our mixer, I called them on the phone. And they could confirm that the cells I were looking at were the ones our club needed. My other question was about the analyzer. I hadn't found the right type of cell for that, but they asked me to take a couple of pictures of the analyzer and the cell, and email them to the store. I got an answer the day after, with a link to the product page on their website.
Shopping was totally painless. They ship abroad, and UK VAT was automatically deducted. The day after I placed the order, I got an email telling me the order had been shipped, with a tracking number.
So, to summarize based on my single experience, they're knowledgeable, quick and professional. And according to the rumor mill, their turnover is large enough that there's a pretty decent chance that the cells you buy from them are fresh.
Highly recommended.
