Which Dive Computer??

[voodoo0ne]

I am thinking of getting a computer, want to keep it at around €300 so I am considering:

* Suunto Vyper

* Suunto Mosquito

* Uwatec Aladin Pro Ultra

* Uwatec Aladin Sport Plus

* Regular old Uwatec Aladin Pro!

I know people with the Pro and the Ultra so I suppose I'm looking for comparisons with (and between) the Suuntos!

I'd like one with a PC interface (I'm a Software Engineer!) and Nitrox capability (I don't use it but I may one day!)

SO any advice would be appreciated!

 

[DA Aquamaster]

The dealer cost for a battery replacement and recalibration of a Uwatec computer is around $250 and the retail price is around $550, so plan on spending 1/2 to nearly the full price of a new computer, depending on the model, when it is time to replace the battery. Even with a projected battery life of 500 to 1000 dives, that is still a cost of $.50 to $1.00 per dive.

I like my Sherwood Wisdom. Fully air integrated, big numbers on easy to read displays, excellent dive planning and simulator modes, handles deco stops to 70 ft, is nitrox compatible and PC downloadable. The price is also right at around $500-$550. And it has an easily user replaceable battery that will last a full season even with heavy use and costs under $4.00 at Wal-mart.

 

[PnL]

I've been reading through all these dive computer posts and there's a lot of information. But I think sometimes there's too much information, to be specific, too much information that may not be relevant. If you're a purely recreational diver, and I suspect the majority of these computers are designed for the rec. diver, than just about any computer will do the job as long as you dive within recreational limits and adhere to safety principles taught in your BOW/AOW class. Its too easy to get caught up in, for example, the differences in algorithms between the Pelagic and Suunto computers. The RGBM (or derivative thereof) sounds great but I wonder how much real life difference there is for a recreational diver that dives well within the safety margins. I find it difficult, if not impossible, to exceed NDL times on a single tank recreational dive. There are plenty of people that dive all these computers and one has to wonder that if there is a difference between these computers it would be evident.

Of course, if you are just looking for features, such as cost, user adjustability, sampling time, software, etc then there's a personal preference and one could prefer one computer over the other. Otherwise, it seems to me, that most dive computers will bring a diver back up safely as long as its within recreational limits.

I find the same type of discrepency in regulator 'reviews' on SB (and other like boards). I have an Atomics and my wife has SP and I think they are both great regulators for recreational diving and can be used for more technical dives as well. When searching for a regulator I got so caught up in the 'reviews' that I was convinced that Apeks/Atomics/SP were top of the line and the others wouldn't do, which is not the case.

IMHO

 

[DA Aquamaster]

I would agree with that to a point. Most computers around will give yeoman service for recreational diving and the differences tend to be in the minor details.

Some of the details are important though. If you are planning to dive nitrox in the future, buying a computer with nitrox compatibility now will prevent you from having to prematurely replace it later.

Similarly, if you plan on deep diving outside the recreational limits with planned deco, a computer with an extended range to accomodate this tyype of diving may be important.

I do agree the decompression model used is less important than it would initially appear If you dive computers with different models side by the side the bottom times and deco obligations are usually with in a few minutes of each other and a few basic saftey procedures like a 30 fpm ascent rate, a 1 minute deep stop at 1/2 max depth and a 3 minute saftey stop at 15-20 ft. and / or slowly stepping up from the max depth with enough time above 30 ft to put the computer in the green before you surface will more than make up for any differences in relative saftey between computers.

One critical difference in my opinon is how long the computer tracks residual nitrogen between diving days. A computer that dumps all it's residual nitrogen calculations overnight after a 6 hour surface interval can get you in trouble fairly quickly if pushed to it's limits on repetetive diving days and some models even state in the manual they are not designed for diving over repetetive days. A computer that tracks residual nitrogen over a longer period of time and/or is designed for multi-day diving is preferable if you plan on diving over multiple days, but it is still a good idea to be more conservative toward the end of the trip or to take a day off mid-week to offgas.

Understanding your computer's deco model and its limitations and diving more conservatively in response to those limitations is very important - more important in the end than what deco model the computer you ultimately select actually uses.

 

[narcT]

Vyper or M1 RGBM

 

[PnL]

DA - you bring up some good points, especially about tracking residual N2 over multiday/multiple dives. However, a recreational diver should be aware of this and dive conservatively as you recommend. My fear is, especially with all this talk about which algorithm is safer (which computer is better), is that divers will become more complacent in monitoring their dive profiles and relying on their computers more and more. As we all know, the onset of DCS is an inexact science and has a large amount of variables that can not be generalized easily and it is up to the diver to understand the profile he/she is diving and dive within the safey guidelines learned in BOW/AOW.

Another reason I brought up the points in my last reply is that a lot of folks here seem to be concerned with how conservative/liberal the computer is. I may be wrong, but it seems that some folks want a computer that will allow them more bottom time, depending on the diving they do, versus a more conservative computer so they can stay down with their buddies and extend the dive. I think this is not the best approach in chosing a computer - it should be a safety issue and not something to justify being able to stay down longer 'because the computer told me I could'. As with any dive, the first person to reach the agreed PSI ends the dive and it shouldn't be a big deal, given the minor differences between computers in recreational diving, that the diver with the more conservative computer ends the dive.

I know some folks claim that computers 'rot the brain' and although I don't fall into that camp there is some validity to that statement. I think a dive computer to be a useful tool when used in conjunction with continued education and understanding of safety guidelines. In the end, regardless of the computer used, its the diver that needs to be responsible for his/her safety and should understand that merely following a computer (diving up to NDL limits, for example) will not guarantee immunity from a hit.

But I definitely agree on purchasing a computer with Nitrox capability and I like the concept of RGBM because of the prolonged tracking of N2.