Suunto D4i Novo Dive or Suunto D6i All Black

[ebiatawodi]

Heys guys, I know you get these Dive Computer questions A LOT. I have spent the last half hour reading quite a number of posts that reference a Suunto and then some. I think having looked at the pros and cons, I have come up with this summary:

I usually rent a ZOOM and I just do not like those massive screens same goes for the Vyper. I paid for 20/20 vision (laser surgery) so can see even my buddy's computer. I also want something that will last for a while, at least 5 years. I have just made the move from AOW to rescue diver and want to take my diving a little more seriously with the ultimate dream plan of doing a DM internship within the next 12 months. That dismissed a lot of the lower end computers (I think?) and I also need as many buttons as possible, which eliminated those like the puck with just one button. I do not see myself tech diving in the foreseeable future and I do not mind paying for the battery change. So that's that long drivel!

I am leaning towards getting a Suunto D4i Novo or D6i All Black (or a Mares Matrix as a third place contender...or maybe something else? The petrels look amazing but on my tiny wrists no way - even though I do not plan on wearing it as a watch). I cannot seem to see clear pros and cons between these two that justify the almost £200 price difference. I would be very helpful for your recommendations on going with the D4i and D6i.

Side question: Any authorised dealers I can walk into and pick these up in London from which will cover warranty/servicing if anything goes wrong?

 

[victorzamora]

Why are you stuck on Suunto? I think one of the best watch-style computers on the market is the Oceanic Geo 2.0....especially considering the price.

No rec computer should cost you as much as those computers are, that's crazy expensive.

 

[ebiatawodi]

Why are you stuck on Suunto? I think one of the best watch-style computers on the market is the Oceanic Geo 2.0....especially considering the price.

No rec computer should cost you as much as those computers are, that's crazy expensive.

I am not stuck at all on Suunto, I am actually quite flexible - I just want a Dive Computer that I can grow with...and everyone just seems to have a Suunto? Almost every instructor I have had used one. They seem to be the Casio's of the underwater world...and petrel's probably the rolex? Lol.

I did look up the Oceanic Geo 2.0 but cannot find a store in London that stocks them where I can walk into and check them out. That also worries me because in the event that anything were to go wrong does that mean servicing will be a pain?

 

[scubadada]

I'm with Victor, in the US, the Oceanic Geo2 can be had for $490 with download cable whereas the Suunto D4i Novo would run you $765, more than a 50% premium. In the US you can get a Shearwater Petrel for less than $100 more, $849. The Geo2 runs dual algorithm, DSAT and PZ+, the Suunto runs their RBGM, oft discussed in great detail here on SB. Though pehaps not important to you, the Geo2 runs 2 mixes whereas the D4i Nova runs one.

I dive the Geo2 along with a SPG as backup to my VT3. I've had it since Sept 2011 with 325 dives. It's a very good, relatively inexpensive computer, I would have no qualms about using it as a primary dive computer. I like quickly glancing over at my Geo2 for NDL when my VT3 is gas limited. The 2 computers run NDLs within a minute or 2 of one another all day long.

Hope you can find an Oceanic dealer in near London so that you can check out the Geo2. The Oceanic website lists the following dealer for the UK, perhaps they can supply you with additional locations nearer to you.
Oceanic UK
Pelagic House, Flightway
Dunkeswell, Devon, UK EX14 4RB
01-1441-4048-918-19

Good diving, Craig