"Review of the Top Ten 'Gear' of 2017": How useful, or useless, are these reviews ?

[Chip Elliott]

If you are going to use these lists I think you need to search on this site for any unbiased reviews of what you are about to buy. Don't forget most reviewers either get the stuff for free or they are paid to review the equipment. I have found coming on this site and searching for other comments about the equipment you wish to get is one of the best ways to truly find out "real life" reviews and pretty unbiased comments.

 

[arew+4]

I tend to give weight only reviews that have objective empirical data, every thing else is just opinion. That said if you find a reviewer you tend to share opinions with it could be worth something. Rodale's scuba diving reviews of computers used to include chamber dive comparisons and even provide the exact profiles, and I think they still do.

 

[Dogbowl]

I think they are a little bit useful, but probably the least useful of all my sources of info for a particular product or category of products.

My buying process is as follows: I come to Scubaboard for the best real-life info, although oftentimes the info is skewed in favour of certain products or types of products or brands (e.g. bp/w, Shearwater, DSS). Afterall, this is where the hardcore divers come to chat! Next, I will take a look at the reviews on the websites of online retailers. I also Google the product to see if there are personal blog or vlog reviews. Those are often more detailed, although offering only one person's opinion. While Googling, I'll stumble across those Top 10 Lists as well. While I'll read them, I won't put much weight on them unless they say something that I feel is a good point. Then, I might even pop by an LDS or 2 to get their opinions, although they're heavily skewed towards what they sell. Then, I take everything into consideration and make a purchase.

Yeah, it's a process but relying on only one source of info often is biased one way or another.

 

[TGIF]

Personally, I would look at what your local dive shop offers. If they supply a wide range of bands, I would talk to the people at the shop and get their recommendations. I would also ask to try everything out in a pool before buying it. I will say that my best purchases are based on recommendations from the dive shop and my instructor. I regret the purchases that I made because they were "Top 10" because these ratings only account for what's new that year and most brands don't release new, top of the line equipment every year, so the comparisons are not fair. For example, SP released the HydrosPro last year and has not released another BC this year at the same level.

 

[stuartv]

I regret the purchases that I made because they were "Top 10" because these ratings only account for what's new that year and most brands don't release new, top of the line equipment every year, so the comparisons are not fair. For example, SP released the HydrosPro last year and has not released another BC this year at the same level.

THIS! Most reviews like the OP talks about seem to come from Scuba Diving Magazine (aka ScubaLabs). At least, the ones I see. And they are virtually always just reviews of gear that is new for that year. As it turns out, the "best" kit is often not stuff that just came out this year. So, the review wants you to think that you are learning about The Best. But, you're really only learning about the best from this year. Which seems to frequently still be a steaming pile compared to what is actually The Best.

3. Skewed to making sales.

This, too. I think this goes right along with my first point. The "Best Gear of 2017" is nothing more than an attempt (in my opinion) to get people to replace their gear every year or two like they replace their cell phones. And it pressures the manufacturers to update their stuff every year. And that is bad, I think, for us divers/consumers.

The only useful reviews I have seen, of that nature, are the annual ScubaLabs reviews of dive computers. Those, at least, stay somewhat consistent from year to year and they actually put all the computers through 4 dives simulated in a hyperbaric chamber. They use dive profiles and surface intervals that are actually reasonably reflective of what a real person might really do on any given dive day. The resulting data lets you actually compare the NDLs that the different computers give, so you can make a somewhat objective assessment of the different algorithms and factor that (weighted however you want, for your diving) into your purchasing decisions. You can even compare somewhat between results from different years, because they keep the profiles mostly the same from one year to the next.

 

[flyboy08]

I realize this isn't about anyone particular product, but my Cressida Leonardo wasn't overly conservative doing 2-3 dives a day in Little Cayman recently? The best source of information is from someone using that product in a similar way in which you plan to use it.

 

[stuartv]

I realize this isn't about anyone particular product, but my Cressida Leonardo wasn't overly conservative doing 2-3 dives a day in Little Cayman recently? The best source of information is from someone using that product in a similar way in which you plan to use it.

Compared to what? And, what kind of dive profiles?

I've seen posts like yours before that have (it seems to me) generally been based on doing repeated shallower dives. Meaning, 2 - 3 dives per day in the say for example, 40 - 60 foot range. Which doesn't translate at all to how it might perform if you go someplace different next time and your dives average 50' deeper.

 

[2airishuman]

Doing a search on the internet, it is quite easy to find Annual Reviews of the Top Ten Diving "Piece of Equipment" (Computers, regs, BC's, etc.) on various websites. To what extent are these reviews generally helpful to new divers, or are they simply misleading ?

They are misleading in a number of important ways. The lists are built on a foundation of untruths and half-truths:

1) That there is innovation in dive gear, and that new gear is better than old gear.
2) That some new gear is materially better overall than other new gear.
3) That better gear will improve your diving safety.
4) That better gear will improve the quality of your diving experience.
5) That good divers seek out good gear.

There hasn't been any useful innovation going on with basic open-circuit recreational dive gear for 20 years except in a few areas:
1. Cost reduction through greater use of plastics and modernization of production techniques, which has largely run its course.
2. Development and improvement of the dive computer, which is ongoing but has slowed.
3. Better drysuits, though not much improvement in the last few years..
4. Some innovative BC designs including travel BCs and back-inflate hybrid BCs. (Whether these innovations are useful depends who you ask however)

Now, at most, there are two or three really innovative products that come out every year. The rest are just flash and color and cost reductions and stylistic changes.

 

[kelemvor]

They are misleading in a number of important ways. The lists are built on a foundation of untruths and half-truths:

1) That there is innovation in dive gear, and that new gear is better than old gear.
2) That some new gear is materially better overall than other new gear.
3) That better gear will improve your diving safety.
4) That better gear will improve the quality of your diving experience.
5) That good divers seek out good gear.

There hasn't been any useful innovation going on with basic open-circuit recreational dive gear for 20 years except in a few areas:
1. Cost reduction through greater use of plastics and modernization of production techniques, which has largely run its course.
2. Development and improvement of the dive computer, which is ongoing but has slowed.
3. Better drysuits, though not much improvement in the last few years..
4. Some innovative BC designs including travel BCs and back-inflate hybrid BCs. (Whether these innovations are useful depends who you ask however)

Now, at most, there are two or three really innovative products that come out every year. The rest are just flash and color and cost reductions and stylistic changes.

I don't think I agree with some of that. For example in regulators.. there are definitely low performers and high performers, and those can have a significant impact on your dive experience.. okay.. that's pretty much it. Sorry, carry on

Dive technology does seem to march on at a much slower rate than I thought it would when I first got certified.

 

[jlcnuke]

I realize this isn't about anyone particular product, but my Cressida Leonardo wasn't overly conservative doing 2-3 dives a day in Little Cayman recently? The best source of information is from someone using that product in a similar way in which you plan to use it.

From ScubaLab's hyperbaric testing (showing dives 3 and 4):

and

It was "my" experience, with "my" Cressi (Giotto, but that uses the same Cressi Algorithm as the Leonardo supposedly) that "my" computer was overly conservative relative to the two different computers that my dive buddies were using and the same was true about my backup being more liberal by a noticeable amount. My experience led me to research how conservative specific dive computers are and led me to determine that I'd prefer a more liberal computer for the dives I'd like to do (with the closest "good" diving to me consisting mostly of wrecks in waters deeper than 60 ft).