Submerge Scooters

[manni-yunk]

Im thinking about getting a SS scooter. The more I look into them, the more I like them. I am a little confused. It seems that most forums recommend that a scooter user " look at a more modern and reliable brushless moter" - BUT - the same people seem to love the SS scooters. It seems that only the Minus and Magnus are brushless and the rest are not.


Im interested in either the Viper LIFE or the Vipe Lipo. Neither is brushless.

LIFE might have more over cycle life - and LIPO has a better runtime.



Anyone with real life experience of what to expect out of either of these 2 scooters? Is a brushless motor really that important?

 

[JahJahwarrior]

The silent submersion brushed motors are hands down better than the Oceanic motors that were the only option for so long.

The magnet tube is cut tube rather than rolled steel, making it more perfectly round and thus less likely for magnets to fail due to uneven force.

The brush board is heavier duty and has wiring around both sides for longer service, and the brushes are more durable meaning less brush wear and fouling.

There are advantages to brushless motors but the brushed design in scooters is well proven to be dependable and the SS motor improves on the time tested design. I see no reason to avoid it.

 

[mathauck0814]

Be sure to take a read of the 2011 (I think was the last) Tahoe Benchmark. Scooters and their best use case will vary depending on what you intend to do with them. The charts in the report make it easy to compare and prioritize metrics which are most important for your particular case.

 

[bamafan]

I have a n-19 and a life uv 18. The uv scooters ride better due to less torque. But I have come to the conclusion that whatever scooter you get it won't be fast enough. If money isn't an option go with the magnus. If it is you can save a few bucks by buying a uv or n-19 and upgrading the battery. I would not be concerned about the reliability of the brushed motors. Rodney builds a very dependable scooter. If I was starting over it would be a matter of runtime, speed and size that would determine what scooter I bought. From my experience boat diving the smaller scooters work better and runtime is generally not an issue. In a cave the bigger scooters generally work better as runtime is an issue and the size is only a problem carrying it to the water.

 

[kingkong072]

My suggestion would be test ride as much as you can before commiting in one. After all it's not pocket change you are spending on these beasts. If you want to see Magnus in action I can give you a ride in Dutch as I frequent often. I have just gotten Magnus and can't say enough good things about it.

 

[Mr.X]

Silent Submersion is a terrific company. Even though I do not own one - Rodney has always been supportive from a parts end. That says a lot about the ethos of the company. I'd say a fair number of the explorers I dive with use a Silent Submersion model and this is going way past a decade now.

 

[Cratos]

yea Rodney and Sue are great people to work with.

 

[w ripley]

I have owned a SS for 14 years. Started with an 18/26 & now a Minnus. Rock solid construction + the best service in the industry. (I don't know if that's really true, but Rodney & Suzie just won't stop until you are happy.) I know lots of people using them and we all say the same thing.

I do agree with above posts in that you need to know what you're going to use the DPV for (how deep, how long, long run times, high or low water current (thrust needed), etc. & you should test drive several units before you bite the bullet. These things are not cheap & the newer batteries are very expensive to replace when they get too old.

If you go the SS route, then check out used ones. You can ship the lower unit (motor &/or motor + propeller unit) to SS for a checkout if you don't know the person you're buying it from.