Suunto Stinger vs mosquito

[Skylark_86]

Hi people,

I'm a new diver who is looking for a new dive computer, but can't decide between the stinger and the mosquito. Most dive shops I visited claim that there is no difference in function between the two, but a friend of my who owns a stinger claims that there are some differences in the gauge mode and bookmarking functions of the two. Anybody knows of any differences in the functions of these two computers??

 

[Scuba446]

I keep hearing about gauge mode? What IS that?

(I don't own a computer yet)...

 

[nickjb]

It means the computer is working as a depth gauge only (No deco information). If you are doing mixed gas or cutom tables then some people use a slate and a depth gauge.

You can select gauge mode as an option but I thin the Suunto will go into gauge mode automatically if you 'bend' it.

 

[TexasMike]

The Stinger and the Mozzy are the same computer. The stinger is in a metal case, while the Mozzy is in a high impact plastic one.

Guage mode not only shows your depth data (current and max) but also displays the elapsed time.

Gauge mode is set by changing the model setting to GAUGE (choices are AIR, NITROX, and GUAGE

A comment about "bending" the computer" (also referred to as "lock out". The only way that a Suunto computer can be "bent" (and this is true of many other dive computers) is if you were to enter into a decompression obligation, ignored the computer's required ceiling depth, rose above that depth, and stayed above it even when the computer starts "yelling" at you to descend. Locking out is the computer's way of telling you, by it's terms, you screwed up and are done diving for the day.

That being said, NEVER EVER, NEVER EVER, NEVER EVER, CONDUCT PLANNED DECOMPRESSION DIVING OR STRAY BEYOND NO DECOMPRESSION LIMITS (NDL's) UNLESS YOU HAVE RECEIVED PROPER TRAINING FROM AN ACCREDITED AGENCY AND EXPERIENCED INSTRUCTOR FOR THIS TYPE OF DIVING. Doing so without proper training greatly increases your risk of serious injury and/or death.

 

[wetman]

I have a stinger and wish i bought the mosquito at that time ( i think it came out a couple months after the stinger). the stinger isnt worth the extra bux you pay just for the metal case (which seems to be considerable some times). I have large wrists and the thing is still way to big to wear as a regular watch (plus digital watches kinda went out style-wise many years ago). And the big thing for me is the user ability to change the battery - cant do it with the stinger, can with the mosquito. And as for the titanium version, all i can say is ... WHY? If you're a big enough guy to actually wear it as a watch, i really doubt the difference in weight would be noticable and for the prices i've seen, you could buy a mosquito and a backup mosquito and likely a few lunches on top of it.

steve

 

[The Zer]

Main differences:

1. Stinger has 'gauge mode'. Mosquito DOES NOT have 'gauge mode'.
2. Mosi has user replaceable batteries. Stinger batteries must be replaced by an authorized Suunto tech.
3. Stinger is stainless steel. Mosi is plastic.
4. Stinger has a mineral glass face. Mosi has a plastic face (scratches easily).
5. Stinger is heavy. Mosi is light.
6. Stinger looks better, especially over time. Mosi glossy finish will start to peel off over time.
7. Stinger uses an older pc interface. Mosi uses the same pc interface as the cobra, vyper, and vytec.
8. Stinger is water resistant to 200m. Mosi to 100m.

 

[forda]

What happens if one lets a mosquito enter the error mode by scuba diving while having it set for freediving? Will it keep displaying depth and time information in the error mode, and if so will it beep/warn excessively throughout the dive? Otherwise, I guess a mosquito can be used as a gauge as well (at the price of bending its computer mode for 48 hours, which shouldn't matter too much as the computer mode data would be inaccurate anyway).

 

[blackice]

TexasMike once bubbled...
Guage mode not only shows your depth data (current and max) but also displays the elapsed time.

Gauge mode is set by changing the model setting to GAUGE (choices are AIR, NITROX, and GUAGE

I'm trying to figure out where the Guage mode is on the stinger. It seems that I can move between AIR and NITROX but no guage .... I'm guessing that I'm ment to use the FREE mode, as I believe that gives me depth and time info, is this correct?

--
Just went to the Suunto site and they list the feature as FREE/GUAGE mode so I guess I was right.

 

[ReefGuy]

One other difference. On the stinger, you can choose your sample rate for your log file from 2-20 seconds. On the mosquito, it's fixed at 20.

 

[blackice]

forda once bubbled...
What happens if one lets a mosquito enter the error mode by scuba diving while having it set for freediving? Will it keep displaying depth and time information in the error mode, and if so will it beep/warn excessively throughout the dive? Otherwise, I guess a mosquito can be used as a gauge as well (at the price of bending its computer mode for 48 hours, which shouldn't matter too much as the computer mode data would be inaccurate anyway).

I dived with both a Stinger and a Mosquito in FREE/GUAGE modes, the Stinger no problem but the Mosquito was fine for the first 5mins or so then beeps at you - guess it thinks that you are holding your breathe! but it does still give a read out of depth and time and so can still be used as a backup. As a result you can't change it to normal dive mode when you come back up so it's like that for the whole trip. So if you are planning on doing Deco dives then the Stinger might be the better bet as it's ready to do it and doesn't complain while the Mosquito does complain by beeping at you.