TNEngineer
Contributor
I saw the above Forensics Detectors review and thought at first it would duplicate mine. But given the description and price mentioned, it cannot be the one we recently purchased so I'll add a shorty review of my own.
Like others here, we have an O2 analyzer (Palm O2) which works great. Small, rugged, lightweight, ideal for dive travel. Been using it for years and just replaced its sensor ($100) so it's good for another 3-4 years. But that leaves open the question of CO contamination, particularly since virtually all of our diving is at remote locations where we don't know the equipment nor the people. So I went looking for a good CO analyzer.
Turns out Palm used to offer one, but everyone (including Palm!) says "out of stock and no known date". All of the eBay and Amazon options have minimum CO thresholds that are far too high for scuba. Finally, we found Forensics. Most of theirs are higher range too, but they have one specific model that is basically purpose-built for dive gas analysis (model "FD-103-CO-LOW", link here: Carbon Monoxide Super-Meter | 0.1 ppm | USA NIST Calibration)
Instead of the usual 1ppm or greater resolution, this unit goes down to 0.1ppm. It's IP67 rated and has good drop resistance. Perfect for bashing in your dive bag and then accidentally dropping in the rinse tank!
The price ($185 when we bought ours) is more than the eBay knockoffs but less than the Palm O2. They estimate three years of useful life before the sensor ages out. The only downside to this unit is the sensor is not replaceable. Oh well... even if you simply discard the old unit and buy a fresh one, $185/3 = $62 per year to know your gas is safe is darned cheap life insurance!
We have a small neoprene zipper/velcro pouch that holds our Palm O2 and its accessories. This unit slipped right into that same pouch, so now all of our gas analysis gear is in one padded place. We just toss it in the gear bag. We keep both analyzers in ziploc bags to protect their sensors from temp/humidity swings while in storage; supposedly this lengthens their useful life.
Highly recommended. Both for the product, and the fun/playful vibe you get from the company. They make great products and obviously love what they do.
Like others here, we have an O2 analyzer (Palm O2) which works great. Small, rugged, lightweight, ideal for dive travel. Been using it for years and just replaced its sensor ($100) so it's good for another 3-4 years. But that leaves open the question of CO contamination, particularly since virtually all of our diving is at remote locations where we don't know the equipment nor the people. So I went looking for a good CO analyzer.
Turns out Palm used to offer one, but everyone (including Palm!) says "out of stock and no known date". All of the eBay and Amazon options have minimum CO thresholds that are far too high for scuba. Finally, we found Forensics. Most of theirs are higher range too, but they have one specific model that is basically purpose-built for dive gas analysis (model "FD-103-CO-LOW", link here: Carbon Monoxide Super-Meter | 0.1 ppm | USA NIST Calibration)
Instead of the usual 1ppm or greater resolution, this unit goes down to 0.1ppm. It's IP67 rated and has good drop resistance. Perfect for bashing in your dive bag and then accidentally dropping in the rinse tank!
The price ($185 when we bought ours) is more than the eBay knockoffs but less than the Palm O2. They estimate three years of useful life before the sensor ages out. The only downside to this unit is the sensor is not replaceable. Oh well... even if you simply discard the old unit and buy a fresh one, $185/3 = $62 per year to know your gas is safe is darned cheap life insurance!
We have a small neoprene zipper/velcro pouch that holds our Palm O2 and its accessories. This unit slipped right into that same pouch, so now all of our gas analysis gear is in one padded place. We just toss it in the gear bag. We keep both analyzers in ziploc bags to protect their sensors from temp/humidity swings while in storage; supposedly this lengthens their useful life.
Highly recommended. Both for the product, and the fun/playful vibe you get from the company. They make great products and obviously love what they do.
