OLED Wrist vs OLED Console Dive Computers...

[Lucifer911]

hey guys,

I finished my OW PADI course a year ago and getting back into it with a refresher. I intend to buy my own gear parts at a time.

I have been browsing dive computers for hours on end and my frustration is there is no extensive customer reviews on amazon for each brand. I also see a lot of thumbs down on dive computer reviews on youtube so I feel selecting a dive computer amongst 100 different options is akin to swimming in murky waters. I have a theory dive shop employees are giving negative reviews on brands they don't stock to hopefully draw in customers to purchase their own stocked computers.

I have looked at the pros and cons of wrist computers and console computers. I thought consoles were meant to be a cheaper alternative but after looking at Oceanic Pro Plus X and Atomic Cobalt 2 that is a serious misconception as these are just as expensive as the most expensive wrist OLED computers.

Outside OLED computers I found a wrist watch which really impresses me and that is the Mares Matrix. It has a wonderful full dot matrix display with everything I need at a very good price. Far better priced than the equivalent Scubapro Mantis 2 and Oceanic AI watches. The problem is I can't seem to find many positive reviews on it so does that make it a bad choice or a risk worth taking?

Seems no dive computer can impress everyone because nearly everyone will find something they don't like in a computer whether its the price point, battery life, malfunctioning compass and so on.

As I'm not a tech diver I feel its not necessary to opt for a Shearwater Perdix... the list of OLED wrist computers I have found which seem to be the best for me are:

Suunto EON core - absolutely love the display
Mares Icon HD - awesome display
Aqualung i750tc - because all the other gear I have is made by AL too
Scubapro G2 - less chunky and with a HRM

The 2 consoles, Pro Plus X and Cobalt 2, are great but seriously discouraged by their prices around the $1500 USD mark. I do wish scuba divers would stop complaining about certain watches as its made it very hard for me to select a computer.

 

[Marie13]

My first question would be what brands are easily serviced Down Under? I’d use that to narrow down your choices.

 

[Dogbowl]

There are legitimate reasons why divers complain about dive computers. One is the conservative algorithm that some have. Suunto’s are often disliked for their conservatism.

Some computer models (not Suunto specifically) have a track record of not working.

I went with the Shearwater Perdix and called it a day. I’m not a tech diver. Just a warm water vacation diver. My priorities were: reliabilty, large screen, not overly conservative, great customer service.

 

[Lucifer911]

There are legitimate reasons why divers complain about dive computers. One is the conservative algorithm that some have. Suunto’s are often disliked for their conservatism. Some models have a track record of not working.

I went with the Shearwater Perdix and called it a day. I’m not a tech diver. Just a warm water vacation diver. My priorities were: reliabilty, large screen, not overly conservative, great customer service.

Suunto have been around for years though so its surprising to see models not working? I find it hard to believe a dive computer purchased brand new would not work.

Shearwater Perdix is the one model where I can find universal praise and very little negative feedback. I do wish the display had more colours as in red text for extreme alerts, yellow text for oxygen, and green text for optimal conditions such as ascent rate.

 

[Lucifer911]

My first question would be what brands are easily serviced Down Under? I’d use that to narrow down your choices.

that helps to narrow down my choices... I eliminated computers with CCR function because I won't need that for a long time especially where the places I currently dive...

 

[Marie13]

A friend recently went on a dive trip in the Caribbean. He dives an old ProPlus 2 computer. He said the rest of the people on the boat had Perdix AI computers, and they’re all warm water vacation divers.

I used my Geo 2.0 for 104 dives but recently went to a Perdix AI for the more readable display. I dive in low viz conditions frequently.

 

[Dogbowl]

Suunto have been around for years though so its surprising to see models not working? I find it hard to believe a dive computer purchased brand new would not work.

Shearwater Perdix is the one model where I can find universal praise and very little negative feedback. I do wish the display had more colours as in red text for extreme alerts, yellow text for oxygen, and green text for optimal conditions such as ascent rate.

Sorry, let me clarify. I wasn’t clear in my previous post. Suunto’s are known for their conservatism and that’s a bad thing (usually).

When I said some models just don’t work properly, I didn’t specifically mean Suunto. I meant some computer models. There are threads here that are pages long where owners of those models have basically given up on their computers. If I can find those threads, I’ll post them here.

And don’t be surprised that a long-established company can have a particular computer model that is just crap. And again, I’m not saying Suunto specifically. And again, a brand new computer can be a lemon. I’m not trying to argue with you.

 

[Lucifer911]

A friend recently went on a dive trip in the Caribbean. He dives an old ProPlus 2 computer. He said the rest of the people on the boat had Perdix AI computers, and they’re all warm water vacation divers.

I used my Geo 2.0 for 104 dives but recently went to a Perdix AI for the more readable display. I dive in low viz conditions frequently.

I live near cold waters (13c during winter and a max around 21c during summer) most of the year the temperature is below 20c. Why would temperature of water influence decision on what computer to use? unless it generates a nice amount of heat lol

 

[scubadada]

Hi @Lucifer911

It has always been very interesting to me that divers looking to buy their 1st computer, or to upgrade, rarely mention the decompression algorithm as an important variable. I am convinced that this topic is not covered in scuba training and is often avoided by those selling computers. Choosing an inappropriate decompression algorithm is one cause for buyer regret, perhaps one of the most common.

Are you aware that the 6 computers you listed run 6 different decompression algorithms covering nearly the entire spectrum from conservative to liberal (Suunto RGBM, Mares RGBM, PZ+, Scubapro Buhlmann ZH-L16 ADT MB, Atomic RGBM, and DSAT)?

You might want to educate yourself on this topic so that you can use it to make the best, informed choice for your 1st dive computer.

Best of luck in your purchase and good diving,

Craig

 

[scubadada]

I live near cold waters (13c during winter and a max around 21c during summer) most of the year the temperature is below 20c. Why would temperature of water influence decision on what computer to use? unless it generates a nice amount of heat lol

I believe the comment was that the Shearwater Perdix AI computer is just fine for recreational divers