I could not be more excited to get to dive with the new H3 released by Sub Gravity (Produced by Seabear). After working with the Thorton family for a while, we were excited when they created Sub Gravity and began to release gear. The thought has been communicated to me that the H3 and T1 have provided an alternative to the Shearwater. Here are my thoughts on how they compare, and please share your own:
While the Shearwater has been the "go to" computer for many, It has largely been for tech divers / Rebreather divers. The ability of the Petrel absolutely raised the bar throughout the industry. Capable of unlocking VPM is a great feature. The Petrel 2 now has the digital compass which is nice, but I believe that it was added just to stay current with other models (my thought, could be horribly wrong). The display is amazing and it is a system that truly allows the end user to grow as a diver into anything they may want to do in the sport.
With the new H3, there has been a few things taken away from all of the above but a few items added back into the system as well. While the H3 runs on the Buhlmann decompression model combined with Gradient Factors, the ability to unlock VPM is not an option. I would argue that this is not a big deal, but I never used VPM personally so I cannot make a valid point. The H3 is also a smaller design which I have noticed a lot of women seem to enjoy. While it is technically small enough to wear as a watch, I would not because it still has a good sized screen. If you take an Iphone (not the new, huge one) and cut the screen in half, it is roughly the same size. The display is the same in both in that I cannot tell a difference. One of the nice features is the coming ability to become air integrated. While this feature does not seem to jump out at tech divers, many on the recreational side are very much looking forward to it as well. The NFC ability is pretty nice as well if you are into that sort of thing. So, there are a few things that each system has that the other does not. There will be good and bad with each when comparing.
In essence, I cannot help but feel that the Shearwater Petrel was designed with tech divers in mind. The Sub Gravity H3 (Use HOG2 at checkout to receive 15% off) seems to have had sport diving and tech diving in mind (made with a boarder brush perhaps).
Shearwater Video Sub Gravity H3 Video
When it comes to pricing, the Shearwater will flex with the changing of the Canadian Dollar. Right now, they are pretty affordable when compared to last year at this time. The H3 has set pricing right now and will likely continue to have it. No matter what, it is far less for either than some of the other systems which can cost $2000 sometimes. For that kind of money, it better do my taxes
While the Shearwater has been the "go to" computer for many, It has largely been for tech divers / Rebreather divers. The ability of the Petrel absolutely raised the bar throughout the industry. Capable of unlocking VPM is a great feature. The Petrel 2 now has the digital compass which is nice, but I believe that it was added just to stay current with other models (my thought, could be horribly wrong). The display is amazing and it is a system that truly allows the end user to grow as a diver into anything they may want to do in the sport.
With the new H3, there has been a few things taken away from all of the above but a few items added back into the system as well. While the H3 runs on the Buhlmann decompression model combined with Gradient Factors, the ability to unlock VPM is not an option. I would argue that this is not a big deal, but I never used VPM personally so I cannot make a valid point. The H3 is also a smaller design which I have noticed a lot of women seem to enjoy. While it is technically small enough to wear as a watch, I would not because it still has a good sized screen. If you take an Iphone (not the new, huge one) and cut the screen in half, it is roughly the same size. The display is the same in both in that I cannot tell a difference. One of the nice features is the coming ability to become air integrated. While this feature does not seem to jump out at tech divers, many on the recreational side are very much looking forward to it as well. The NFC ability is pretty nice as well if you are into that sort of thing. So, there are a few things that each system has that the other does not. There will be good and bad with each when comparing.
In essence, I cannot help but feel that the Shearwater Petrel was designed with tech divers in mind. The Sub Gravity H3 (Use HOG2 at checkout to receive 15% off) seems to have had sport diving and tech diving in mind (made with a boarder brush perhaps).
Shearwater Video Sub Gravity H3 Video
When it comes to pricing, the Shearwater will flex with the changing of the Canadian Dollar. Right now, they are pretty affordable when compared to last year at this time. The H3 has set pricing right now and will likely continue to have it. No matter what, it is far less for either than some of the other systems which can cost $2000 sometimes. For that kind of money, it better do my taxes
