Rather have Vytec or Stinger??

[nativenarcosis]

Searched for an article to appease me but didn't find anything that fit really well.
Would you rather have a Suunto Vytec or would you rather shy away from the IA and have a Suunto Stinger??

 

[bcsean]

never seen that comparison before. Most people who want a suunto but don't need AI tend to go for the vyper. What is your reasoning for looking at stinger specifically?

 

[Otter]

Searched for an article to appease me but didn't find anything that fit really well.
Would you rather have a Suunto Vytec or would you rather shy away from the IA and have a Suunto Stinger??

An abbreviated summary:
Vytec - hoseless AI multiple gas, switching allowed during dive; worn on wrist
Cobra - hosed AI single gas (air or EAN upto 50%), no switching allowed during dive; console only
Vyper - not AI; same features as Cobra; wrist or console
Gecko -- Vyper with some restrictions (download and something else)
Mosquito -- same as Vyper; wrist only; smaller form factor
Stinger -- same as Vyper; wrist only; larger form factor

For recreational diving, must folks would only choose a Vytec because of the hoseless feature. If its worth the extra $, then go for it. The Stinger and Mosquito can be worn above water without looking like a dive geek (e.g., the Vyper might be a bit much) -- the choice there is price and eyesight (IMO, you need young eyes for the Mosquito).

Again, IMO the Vyper would represent the 'best' reasonably priced Suunto dive computer -- offering lots of flexibility at the expense of not having air integration. I dive a Cobra and when traveling use a Vyper on my wrist as backup and convenience when videoing.

 

[Scubaroo]

Gecko -- Vyper with some restrictions (download and something else)

Gekko does not have gauge mode - an important consideration if you ever want to consider diving using tables without having to worry about the computer being bent.

If you're shying away from the Vytec because of the AI, simply get the Vyper - same form factor, the only other differences are that it can only handle a single gas (rather than the three of the Vytec, but few divers who are using three gases would use a Vytec's algorithm), and does not have the RGBM 50/100 switch that the Vytec does that allows you to slightly reduce the conservativeness of the Vytec on repetitive dives.

 

[nativenarcosis]

never seen that comparison before. Most people who want a suunto but don't need AI tend to go for the vyper. What is your reasoning for looking at stinger specifically?

After this I may pony up and get the Vytec. The reasoning for considering the Stinger is I could use a new watch and thought it might could pull double duty......

 

[edwinh]

You wouldn't want such a heavy watch... I had the Spyder for 5 yrs. Found that it's too heavy for comfort.

 

[Warren_L]

I'd say the Vytec is very convenient. I also carry a Vyper in a pocket in case the Vytec craps out, but it never has. So far over 100 dives on the Vytec without any problems. It is really nice having everything available on my wrist at a glance.

 

[nativenarcosis]

I am convinced. Vytec it is.. Anyone care in a good used Oceanic Datamax Pro Plus?? Used by a little old lady on Sundays to check the pool for her grandchildren! : )

 

[Warren_L]

The one thing that I did right off the bat was get rid of the wrist strap. I bought some 1/8" bungee and made a couple of loops so that I could put it on and off easily and have some redunancy. With the original wrist strap, if one side of the strap broke, or one pin broke, I'd have to say bye bye to my Vytec. With the double bungee, both pins would have to fail at the same time or both bungees would have to fail at the same time. One could fail and it would still hold. Thanks to mo2vation for brining this idea to my attention....

 

[MarcHerm]

@warren
could you please post a picture of your vytec with the bungee?
I have a vytec too and would like to get rid of the straps...

Thank you