Petrel or Galileo SOL

[buddhasummer]

I own neither, although my wife has a Predator. In our club many own Sols and Petrels/Predators (essentially the same). Since Scubapro took over Uwatec and produced the Sol and variants, their price, quality and vision went south. The Petrels/Predator are quality product with great support. By the way, I use a Heinrichs Weikamp OSTC 2N and it is brilliant, as good as my wife's Predator.

I used to dive a HW Frog, I really liked it but it died at 11months. HW stopped making them so offered me an OSTC 2N FOC but it wasn't suitable for my needs. They were really good and gave me a full refund. I bought a Petrel.

 

[swordfish66]

I used to dive a HW Frog, I really liked it but it died at 11months. HW stopped making them so offered me an OSTC 2N FOC but it wasn't suitable for my needs. They were really good and gave me a full refund. I bought a Petrel.

Could you please explain in how far the OSTC wasn't suitable for your needs? It's interesting to me, because I'm thinking of buying an OSTC3 or the Petrel.

 

[buddhasummer]

Could you please explain in how far the OSTC wasn't suitable for your needs? It's interesting to me, because I'm thinking of buying an OSTC3 or the Petrel.

I wanted a bluetooth computer running on AAs, which is why I bought the Frog to begin with. The OSTC 2N is neither. HW actually offered me a OSTC3, after I declined the OSTC 2N, as an upgrade for less than $80. They had problems with the initial run of OSTC3 and were in the process of re designing/tweaking. Unfortunately the release date kept getting pushed back and after 6 months of waiting they refunded total purchase price including shipping of Frog.

Although I didn't have great luck with the computer the customer service was awesome. All communication was dealt with by one or other of the owners. If I didn't need the computer when I did, a big trip, I probably would have waited for the OSTC3. Bad timing. The Frog was a new release and had issues, the OSTC3 had issues from the get go and seemed to be taking sometime to iron out, this did give me some pause. As far as customer service goes you will have no problems with HW. As to reliability of the OSTC3 who knows. I hope that now they have fixed(?) first run issues it will be successful for them. They are nice people.

 

[rddvet]

I'm fairly confident that it isn't because of the buoyancy characteristics of the computer.

Hence the joke. Point is that most people with galileos are nontechnical divers or people who hope to eventually be heavy into tech. The petrel choosers are tech divers doing tech dives. May not be a popular sentiment but the shearwaters are better technical computers and are a better choice if you're going to do some heavy helium or deco dives.

 

[dvankirk]

Hence the joke. Point is that most people with galileos are nontechnical divers or people who hope to eventually be heavy into tech. The petrel choosers are tech divers doing tech dives. May not be a popular sentiment but the shearwaters are better technical computers and are a better choice if you're going to do some heavy helium or deco dives.

Glad that you were joking - never can tell around here.

 

[OMANDIVER]

I have no idea how anyone with even the barest understanding of these two computers' respective manuals and manufacturer customer service/support reputations could possibly ask this question. There was a time I'd try to explain my thinking on such a question, but now all I'm going to say is that if you buy a Galileo of any flavor you probably deserve to dive it.

why bother making this ridiculous post? drunk?

 

[doctormike]

+1 for the Petrel.

Of course, I don't know anything about the Sol, and I'm sure that it's a fine computer, but so far I really love my Petrel, in either tech or the new recreational mode. The workmanship, the readability, the battery options, the downloading, and the support are all first rate. I used to dive a Suunto Vyper Air, and I don't really miss air integration much (although I do agree with kelemvor's point about the data analysis thing). The air integration on my Vyper was so finicky that I would never rely on it, basically just used it to add info to my dive logs on the occasions that it worked.

 

[NAM001]

I am a avid shearwater user since my first dive with thier product. I have a predator and 2 petrels. The largest selling point for them is the simplistic menu navigaton system incorporated. I have owned many other computers and have to go to the manual for nearly everything. My aeris i have to read the book predive to do a gas change. With shearwater you only have to learn scroll and select. If you want to do a gas change thenscroll till the screen says select gas and then press select. gas option appear ans you again scroll and select. Mess up a deco stop and no lockup either.

 

[Hatul]

The bottom line is the Galileo has air integration, quite a dependable one in fact, and the Petrel has the better display, so you have to decide what is more important for you. There is a new air integrated computer the Aeris A300CS OLED, which offers the benefits of both.

AERIS : A300 CS OLED
but being new has no user record.

 

[Dr. Lecter]

why bother making this ridiculous post? drunk?

But for the part of the world from which you claim to be posting, I'd guess that your posting was likely the result of intoxication, yes.