total rip off....Batteries

[sailorboy30085]

reading thru the battery related post I came to the conclusion it might be better to just buy a set of rechargeable batteries from Liquid.... 44.00$ for 2.... wow... any good battery retailer is no more than 6.00$ each... I guess they really think their batteries are good.....

 

[griffon]

I did by the rechargeable kit but man taking that tray out all the time is nerve racking. I get about 4 dives off the rechargeable so they are a LOT lower voltage. Though they are much better deal then the blues which are total ridiculous nitch market pricing. I probable won't buy a computer again that is not just straight up rechargeable like the cobalt was/is.
I would have preferred if they had just added a charging interface and users only had to replace the battery after 10000 cycle ore whatever.

reading thru the battery related post I came to the conclusion it might be better to just buy a set of rechargeable batteries from Liquid.... 44.00$ for 2.... wow... any good battery retailer is no more than 6.00$ each... I guess they really think their batteries are good.....

 

[zabbaskeema]

Answer from LV on the "straight up rechargeable":

MESSAGE TO LIQUIVISION: At the price we are paying for these toys, I humbly suggest to have a look at any SOLA light out there??? This is one of the best recharge interface I have ever seen in a rechargeable underwater product. Simple, quick and reliable... The devil is in the details and having to fight with the battery aspect of a 1K+ dive computer is hard to take. What about a decent integrated rechargeable system like SOLA has for its product? A simple cable to connect, a battery pack you change after say 500 Dives (that would be acceptable!) and that you simply forget about in the meanwhile?

"The X1 used an embedded lithium polymer battery system and charging cradle, similar to the SOLA lights. The battery meter was accurate and went down slowly. We received nothing but complaints about the X1 battery system; everyone wanted removable, rechargeable batteries. So that is what we provided with the Xen/Xeo/Kaon/Lynx.

Eric Fattah
Liquivision Products"

Unbelievable I say...

Pat

 

[jd950]

I don't like the price of the LV batteries and have not used their rechargeables and the little battery tray looks fragile to me but on the other hand...I had a sola light and sold it. It frequently wanted recharging at the same time I wanted to get another dive or two out of it. And, if there happened to be no power source around when the battery ran down, then the light was simply unusable. The Sola also has to be charged every couple weeks even when in "storage" to avoid the light dying completely and requiring special steps to revive.

Many of the people I know who use them for photo lights buy two so they can keep diving while one is charging. I now try to avoid "built in" rechargeable batteries because I prefer to know that if need be, I can swap out a discharged battery for a good one and/or have a battery charging somewhere while still using the product with a a good battery in it. If the product will be unused for several months, I can can remove the batttery and not have to worry about or at least just have a battery that needs to be topped off sometimes.

Just me, but I would be hesitant to buy a dive computer with a non-user replaceable rechargeable battery, so for any product it is more of a marketing decision than a design defect..

I also question whether a battery exists that would fit in a dive light or computer and that would be good for 500 dives (and presumably several months time) without needing a recharge. I am unaware of any other dive computer with a battery such as that and the Sola light that is cited as an example of superior design doesn't get through more than a few dives before dying...Criticizing a product for not using something that does not exist seems unfair.

 

[griffon]

I never used a x1 but I'm wondering what the complaints were... Often the wrong problem is fixed when people solution without understanding all possible options. Customers can give great feedback but they are usually are bad at the 'how' .

That said I just noticed the new Aeirs A300 CS OLED
Is using standard 3v CR2 with pretty similar dive numbers.

CR2 v3 is about 5 bucks, I can but it at Safeway, or online for less. Wow, that makes sense.

That is a vastly different value proposition and probable way more inline with what your customers were probable expecting.



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[mj3dvfx]

I've only had experience using the blue batteries, but what I can say is that not only are these batteries expensive their lifespan is crap. As an example a month ago my partner and I had booked spots on a boat out to Santa Cruz Island. Prior to the day of diving I put new batteries in both Lynx units and both Transmitters. We each dove three times that day and everything was great. Two weeks later same scenario only this time after the first dive I noticed my Lynx battery meter almost out of juice again.

Couple items of note. Both units were in buddy mode (how we most always dive) and the two weeks in between dive days the batteries stayed in both the Lynx units and Transmitters. I did read in the manual somewhere that if you're not using the Lynx for a certain period of time in order to preserve battery life they should be removed from the units. It's true. You do need to do this apparently, however after spending about $1500 per computer setup I feel I shouldn't have to. Complete nonsense IMO. Additionally, each time you change out the battery you're having to mess with the little battery tray it sits in. Even though I'm careful it's really only a matter of time given how fragile that little tray is and how often I have to change batteries that something is bound to break.

So at this point using the blue batteries I have to spend roughly $30 every four dives or so per Lynx unit in order to be able to use them. Doesn't make sense. Not only that each time you replace the battery the time has to be reset. Total nuisance!

 

[griffon]

It doesn't fix anything and represents yet another money sink, but consider the rechargeable. I recharge them after 4 or 5 dives (but could probable go more if consecutive). Agree the tray was not designed for this and the whole casing seems like just a reuse from the other older units with no consideration to the usage pastern invited by the technology. It also sits in my craw that the batteries are proprietary, yet mr2 3v is pretty much the same thing and is about 5 bucks.


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[mj3dvfx]

Hey Griffon - thanks for the reply. It does seem like the rechargeable battery is the way to go. Any idea how long it takes to charge?

My partner and I both have the Lynx and am just wondering if I should get one charger that comes with two batteries and purchase an additional package of rechargeable batteries for her or just go with two chargers that come with two batteries each?

 

[griffon]

I charged them initially over night but now it seems to take 1-2 hours depending on how low. Last time it was about a hour for just the transmitter bat to go green. I have drained them dead and tried from scratch though. I forget how long the little sheet said the charge time is but guessing officially 4 hours...


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[AandK]

These batteries are not proprietary. You can buy the white rechargeable ones for about $10 a pair. Look up k2 energy 123a. Exactly the same.