OLED Wrist vs OLED Console Dive Computers...

[Gareth J]

One other point.

Divers very often stick with a particular computer manufacture for a long time.
I started with Suunto, I still use Suunto's some of the time. I even used the Vytec for ages with the CCR (until I flooded he damned thing). Quite often setting the bottom gas to match my OC buddy, so I could track their obligation. Then using the gas switching on the ascent to wipe out its deco obligation as fast as possible. Or in Gauge mode (easy to ready depth and time).
Granted I have a VR3 somewhere. Now I tend to supplement the CCR with the OSTC.

I know people who started with Uwatec (Aladin's) and stuck with them for years before moving to VR3's of OSTC's or Shearwaters.

Partly its because you understand their displays and menu's. Partly because you develop some confidence that they are unlikely to bend you - you hope .

Gareth

 

[scubadada]

...But Red Sea trips are four dives (or more) a day. I've seen people on day five, having done every dive. Running the NDL to the edge, a 3 minute safety stop and out of the water. Excuse my French but sod that for a game of soldiers. I',m not doing that. I'm going to putting 10 minutes of more on the back end of every dive at between 6 and 3 meters. The truth is, on OC I'll be in deco coming off the bottom, then padding my last stop. Lets be honest, on a live aboard, you sleep, eat and dive. Its far safer being at 3m dozing doing extra deco (and cooler and more comfortable), then racing to be on the surface to go to sleep on the deck with sub clinical dci. I really don't fancy being hospitalised in Egypt. For that matter, being Hospitalised in the USA isn't going to do your wallet any good.

Its far safer to be conservative and do the extra deco in my mind.

Gareth

I have relatively recently spent 2 weeks on the Red Sea Red Sea Aggressor April-May 2016 and a week at Cocos Cocos, March 27-April 5, 2017

Both these trips were entirely NDL diving, deco was prohibited. They could not and would not wait on divers to board the zodiacs while completing their deco stops. You either had a reasonably liberal computer that performed well on repetitive dives or you lost out on bottom time. On both trips, there were divers with conservative computers who were forced to surface before others. This sometimes affected buddy groups where one diver had the conservative computer and the other had one that was more liberal. On both trips, we were required to dive with a buddy rather than solo.

 

[RonR]

Don't forget Henrichs Weikamp OSTC4 and Ratio iX3M dive computers. Both are excellent color displays. I think many manufacturers that briefly did OLED have ditched it in favor of regular LED. I couldn't tell you why off the top of my head.
....

I can tell you exactly why. See my post #22 above. These excellent, power efficient AMOLED displays stopped being produced, as the manufacturer could not get the yields up enough to reach profitability. AMOLED production moved to much larger displays for smartphones, and dealing with small volume users like dive computer manufacturers is just not part of the plan for companies like Samsung. There is the possibility that newer fab techniques will result in some new smaller AMOLED displays being produced in the future, but for now these color displays in dive computers are all TFT LCD.
The passive-matrix (PMOLED) screens used in some smaller color computers had real problems with fading to dark over time. I don't think anyone is still using them.

Ron

 

[Gareth J]

I have relatively recently spent 2 weeks on the Red Sea Red Sea Aggressor April-May 2016 and a week at Cocos Cocos, March 27-April 5, 2017

Both these trips were entirely NDL diving, deco was prohibited. They could not and would not wait on divers to board the zodiacs while completing their deco stops. You either had a reasonably liberal computer that performed well on repetitive dives or you lost out on bottom time. On both trips, there were divers with conservative computers who were forced to surface before others. This sometimes affected buddy groups where one diver had the conservative computer and the other had one that was more liberal. On both trips, we were required to dive with a buddy rather than solo.

Interesting.
My last trips was Christmas 2015. We where all required to dive as buddy pairs. The only restriction was gas out limits. But we where a very experienced boat [1]. Also, 4 of us where photographers, which actually worried the dive guides more than the deco.

I really like the barge, especially for photography. An afternoon dive of 70 minutes, then a night dive of 68minutes. The nice thing about the barge is you choose your drop times, so you can avoid the crowd.
The best night dive was the Thistlegorm, 40 minutes inside and out. Some great pictures (or at least for me great pictures).
The Tank dive at Ras Peter was interesting - one I hadn't done before.

My previous two trips where CCR trips - so they don't really count - (75m 115 minutes )

Gareth

[1] On reflection that was inaccurate. We had three quarters of the boat very experienced. A quarter with the guide.

 

[scubadada]

Interesting.
My last trips was Christmas 2015. We where all required to dive as buddy pairs. The only restriction was gas out limits. But we where a very experienced boat [1]. Also, 4 of us where photographers, which actually worried the dive guides more than the deco.

I really like the barge, especially for photography. An afternoon dive of 70 minutes, then a night dive of 68minutes. The nice thing about the barge is you choose your drop times, so you can avoid the crowd.
The best night dive was the Thistlegorm, 40 minutes inside and out. Some great pictures (or at least for me great pictures).
The Tank dive at Ras Peter was interesting - one I hadn't done before.

My previous two trips where CCR trips - so they don't really count - (75m 115 minutes )

Gareth

[1] On reflection that was inaccurate. We had three quarters of the boat very experienced. A quarter with the guide.

My trips were out of Port Ghalib/Marsa Alam, Brothers, Daedalus, Elphinstone, and the Southern Route. When you are tied off to a wreck, things may be different, and easier

 

[rongoodman]

Shearwater still has one big drawback in all their computers. No capability for audible or vibrate alarms.

That's not a bug, it's a feature, as is the absence of lock outs.

 

[kelemvor]

That's not a bug, it's a feature, as is the absence of lock outs.

Heh.. lots of folks used to claim the lack of hoseless AI was somehow desirable...

On the bright side, when Shearwater does get around to adding the last significant feature they are missing there will still be models sold that don't include it. Just as there are still models available without hoseless AI.

 

[Joneill]

Shearwater still has one big drawback in all their computers. No capability for audible or vibrate alarms.

Disclaimer: I own two shearwater computers.

I would not want the audible alarms as they are annoying/confusing in groups (who the hell is beeping?) - but a subtle vibratory alarm would be a nice add.

 

[hammet]

I'm not against having an audible alarm on my dive computer. I'm against everyone else in the water with me having an audible alarm on their computer.

 

[scubadada]

@kelemvor

Too bad Heinrichs Weikamp are not sold in the US. They now have an AI, the OSTC 2 TR [URL='https://heinrichsweikamp.com/ostc2tr.html']OSTC 2 TR[/URL]

[QUOTE="kelemvor, post: 8251792, member: 413470"]It's true they don't have any retailers in the US but you can buy their computers right on the website. They even take paypal if you want protection above and beyond what your credit card provides.[/QUOTE]

Hi @kelemvor

I had several questions for Heinrichs Weikamp and sent then an email. They were very promptly responsive. Among other things, they confirmed that they do not ship their computers to the US. A portion of the communication is included, below.

[COLOR=rgb(0, 0, 255)]Hello Craig,

we are not selling to US at the moment. It is also because
service would be difficult since you would have to ship your
unit to EU in this case...

With kind regards / Mit freundlichen Grüßen,
Igor Zubarev[/COLOR]