Why Dive Compasses Are So Expensive
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Shotmaster
Contributor
We have been on the keystone pricing business model for a long time.100% markup at three levels, manufacturing, distributor, retailer. Let's say it costs $50 to make an item, they sell it for $100, the distributor then sells it for $200, the retailer attempts to get $400 MSRP, but rarely does. Some markups are 1000s of percent. So you can see how much is made in the middle for basically moving boxes from one place to another.
runsongas
Contributor
how is it not due to middlemen? take a suunto battery kit for example, it is marked up when suunto packages it together and sells it to the US importer, the US importer then marks it up and sells it to a dive shop, which then marks it up to MSRP when sold to a diver that walks in the door. and the markups are very generous at each step.
DiverDownD3
Contributor
Buy used. For every person getting into diving there's at least 1 person or more getting out (so it seems). I've saved $100s by buying just about everything used with most gear looking like it may have gotten wet once or twice
pogonotroph
Registered
Does anyone have any experience with this Piranha compass in bungee mount? At $37, it's under half the price of the mounted Suunto SK-7 they also sell. Anyone have any idea how the generic Piranha compass compares to the Suunto?
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Nice find.
It amazes me how complicated the simple bar magnet compass has become. Just adding a rotating bezel causes issues. Get a copy of "The Taming of the Slough" and read from the bottom of page 114 to 115 for that. Indirect vs. direct reading also causes issues. How you hold it counts a lot, arm at an angle is an issue. Simply tilting it can jam the rotating part and send you off to wherever...
Truth is, you will only need all that precision stuff for nav class so you can swim geometric shapes in no current and get a card.
I use a compass a lot. I like simple. That is why I rely on the electronic compass in my DC. I dive at night, my integrated compass lights up at night. None of the above issues, none of them.
Precision? Thataway is home, thisaway is the ship channel...
It amazes me how complicated the simple bar magnet compass has become. Just adding a rotating bezel causes issues. Get a copy of "The Taming of the Slough" and read from the bottom of page 114 to 115 for that. Indirect vs. direct reading also causes issues. How you hold it counts a lot, arm at an angle is an issue. Simply tilting it can jam the rotating part and send you off to wherever...
Truth is, you will only need all that precision stuff for nav class so you can swim geometric shapes in no current and get a card.
I use a compass a lot. I like simple. That is why I rely on the electronic compass in my DC. I dive at night, my integrated compass lights up at night. None of the above issues, none of them.
Precision? Thataway is home, thisaway is the ship channel...
$40 for a compass with bungee mount:
Tech Compass w/Bungee Mount and Cord | Dive Gear Express®
Mine seems to work just fine and it is lower profile than the Suunto SK7 or SK8. And a lot less expensive.
I used the supplied bungee to make 2 adjustable loops. One loop around my wrist and the other looped around my first two fingers. The compass rides perfectly on the back of my right hand and is easier to use than if it were mounted on my wrist.
My computer has a built-in electronic compass, too, which is fine if I just want to keep track of which way the boat is. But, if there is anything more significant as a possibility, I prefer to use the mechanical compass as primary.
Tech Compass w/Bungee Mount and Cord | Dive Gear Express®
Mine seems to work just fine and it is lower profile than the Suunto SK7 or SK8. And a lot less expensive.
I used the supplied bungee to make 2 adjustable loops. One loop around my wrist and the other looped around my first two fingers. The compass rides perfectly on the back of my right hand and is easier to use than if it were mounted on my wrist.
My computer has a built-in electronic compass, too, which is fine if I just want to keep track of which way the boat is. But, if there is anything more significant as a possibility, I prefer to use the mechanical compass as primary.
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