Suunto Vyper Air or Vytec DS

[d!ver4l!fe]

I am still undesided on which computer I want to buy. I see all of you talking about the Vyper Air but no one has atalked much about the Vytec DS. I found a good deal on for the Vytec but I still can not deside. Can any of you help?

 

[intheair10]

Here's a little insight for you:
The Vyper Air fixed the shortcomings of the Vyper2, namely the electonic compass. The compass is still 2D, but the computer has a tilt sensor. They developed an algorithm to compensate for the tilt. Very clever and works extremely well. They also added an On-time adjustment to address the complaint that the compass didn't stay on long enough.

Suunto added the wireless air feature because it was going to be included in the new Helo2. The HelO2 is the new recreational tri-mix computer that was introduced last week at Beneath the Sea. The Helo2 does not include the compass feature, as it takes up to much memory. Tri-mix divers aren't using the compass anyway, so it was a smart move to get rid of it.

If you're thinking of tri-mix and aren't using a rebreather, this is the product to get. It's the best priced tri-mix computer on the market. It comes with the planning software that is pretty slick. You can plan the dives on a PC, upload to the computer, then download the dive and compare against the plan. It prints out run tables and even gas mixing recipes. The software and PC interface is included with the product. Most impotantly, the Helo2 built on a tried and true platform. Some of these other tri-mix computers, like the VR3, VRX, NitekX, etc, are one-off products whose quality is suspect at best. Buttons falling out, screens going blank, blah, blah. I guess the rebreather guys don't have any choice, though.

Since I'm new to diving I thought I'd ask, when do you use tri-mix?

 

[avenger]

I am still undesided on which computer I want to buy. I see all of you talking about the Vyper Air but no one has atalked much about the Vytec DS. I found a good deal on for the Vytec but I still can not deside. Can any of you help?

I bought a Vytec DS yesterday. In the end I didn't care that much about Vyper Air. They both have more or less all the same necessary functions, so in the end it's all about preference. I just want to point out that usually with diving equipment people forget that it shouldn't be about "what's best" - it should "what suits ME best or what's best for ME" rather. It's like comparing a harness and a jacket BCD. The jacket maybe has 4 pockets, the harness has none. The jacket has million D-rings, your harness has 4. The jacket has fancy colors, your harness doesn't have colors. So which one is better - the one that has more "functions" or the one that has all you need?

The reason I chose a Vytec was, that for me, a Vytec is much more easier to read in water. It shows you everything you want to see, and its simple. There's not much that you need to know that isn't visible on the display ... And I just prefer Vytecs display, not the matrix one Vyper Air has, although that's of course a matter of preference ...

Setting up a Vytec is bit harder than setting a Vyper because Vyper has a matrix display and good user interface because of that. Still, in water Vytec is fantastic. I use a computer because of its in water capabilities, not because it has a fancy (although quite easy to use) UI. One could say that the UI is a minus and I wouldn't disagree. Still it doesn't bother me.

Vyper Airs compass is a neat function, but it's useless, I mean seriously. It works only as a backup so you can know where north is if your proper compass fails, which is quite unlikely. Suunto SK-7 mounts perfectly with Vytecs wristband, so there is no need for an electonic compass. I've had a D9 for over a year now and I never used the compass it had.

So, like always, in the end it's up to you. For me first, it wasn't easy to choose a Vytec since Vyper Air is "new", and Vytec is quite "old" ... and so on and so forth (you probably know what I mean). But, when I started to think about it, Vyper Air had nothing I wanted that a Vytec didn't already have. So if you found a good deal, go with Vytec. I would. Or, if it's not about the money buy a HelO2.

 

[Emj]

Ive seen a lot of posts where people are trying to decide between the Vytec Ds and the Vyper Air...and im in exactly the same boat.
Im fairly new to diving and havnt done any technical dives or anything (im at the level or rescue diver), and was hoping someone could tell me or help me decide which one to get...?

Also, am I correct in thinking that although the Vyper Air has 2 gases...you cannot switch whilst diving, and have to surface before switching? (or is that only the Vyper 2?) Whereas the Vytec DS allows switching whilst underwater?

Also, do you think theres any point in me considering these dive computers when I wont be doing any technical dives for a while?

Thanks!

 

[intheair10]

Ive seen a lot of posts where people are trying to decide between the Vytec Ds and the Vyper Air...and im in exactly the same boat.
Im fairly new to diving and havnt done any technical dives or anything (im at the level or rescue diver), and was hoping someone could tell me or help me decide which one to get...?

Also, am I correct in thinking that although the Vyper Air has 2 gases...you cannot switch whilst diving, and have to surface before switching? (or is that only the Vyper 2?) Whereas the Vytec DS allows switching whilst underwater?

Also, do you think theres any point in me considering these dive computers when I wont be doing any technical dives for a while?

Thanks!

I talked to the lds on the phone about the Vytec DS and Vyper Air on prices. Apparently Suunto has discontinued the Vytec DS.

 

[meister]

I'm on a dive trip. Today I finished three dives with a Vyper Air. During on entire dive and the end of the following dive nearing the surface the bottom left corner readout instead of continually reading the tank PSI, gave a continuously blinking 32, indicating 32 oxygen. I had keyed in 32% nitrox. When this is blinking, I could scroll through and get my psi, but the computer would go back to the blinking 32%...
Does anyone know what this indicates. I'm at a loss to figure this out...
Any suggestions? Thanks for any assistance!

 

[GatorJoe]

so i've been having this issue with my vyper 2 air since i got it. i have 2 btw, one for me and one for the wife. when i am in compass mode in the default setting, with the PSI showing, the timeout which i set for 5mins does not stay on. it cuts back sometimes after only a few moments. i've sent the computers back to Suunto via the Aqualung rep. let me first say that the rep has been fantastic about follow up. at first the guys in Finland could not repro my issue but then they changed the settings and were able to repro the problem. they went and tried it on other Vyper 2's and they did it as well. we all agreed this shouldn't be how it works and it's certainly not what the manual says or how they intended it to work. it appears we've found a bug and i'm still waiting to hear if they already have a fix for this and it's been built into the newer Vyper 2 air's (i got them when they first came out) or if it's something they are working on. would be interested to know if anyone else has noticed this problem. here's the basic jist:

The Vyper Air's compass incorrectly "times out" when the computer is in the compass mode, on a dive, and on the default settings: compass degrees displayed on bottom right and PSI on bottom left. As soon as the bottom left display OR the bottom right display is changed to an alternate screen, e.g.
dive time, max depth, temp or actual time, the time out function works and the compass lasts the promised 5 minutes or whatever the timeout was previously set to.

 

[nicholasj]

What is your budget.....................or have you bought one now? If you have which was it?
Cheers

I am still undesided on which computer I want to buy. I see all of you talking about the Vyper Air but no one has atalked much about the Vytec DS. I found a good deal on for the Vytec but I still can not deside. Can any of you help?

 

[Vicente]

Anyone know if Vyper Air fits OK in DSS wrist mount?

 

[Vicente]

Another question about the Vyper Air, how is the backlight? I find the backlight on many computers they economize a bit too much and it's dim enough to be muddy in low-viz situations. I'd like a good bright backlight.