Best Rental Fleet Computer?

[beanojones]

I see a lot of Gekko's in rental. They are bulletproof, and have very long battery life.

It's looking like Gekko might be the way to go EXCEPT they don't seem to be PC-able. Though the last eBay auction on them said they were.

 

[scubafanatic]

I was hoping that would not be true, but you are correct, that just might be a problem. I want to use Computers for the rental gear, but I also want to keep it simple.

Do you think a better idea would be a simple SPG, and then a computer in a boot with it? I know that in a sense even non air integrated computers are confusing, but those sorts of customers (the kind who find a even a non integrated computer confusing) maybe never check their depth gauges anyway.

One of the reasons I was thinking of an Air-Integrated design in the first place is that the customers would alternate between metric and imperial, and (presumably) the computer would let me swap back and forth as needed. If I go with a SPG and separate computer, I'll have to swap the SPG's back and forth physically. I guess there is no way around that.

Unless someone knows of a universally marked SPG that I do not know about. But that too might be confusing, too.

The other question is whether customers would like the PC printout of their dive. I am trying to shoot for a fairly high level of service to encourage repeaters, but I have no idea if the printout is something people would find appealing.

....I kinda doubt a rental gear diver would be the type that would be terribly interested in PC downloadable dive computers...that implies a level of commitment/seriousness that anyone who doesn't have their own gear is unlikely to have.
I'm a big fan of AI computers...but they're expensive, and the way rental gear is abused, I'm not sure it makes good business sense...you probably want to orient to more low-end gear...read 'disposable' that you can afford to amortize, then liquidate/throw-away after an appropriate time period/# of dives.
...another option might be to have a large fleet of the lower end gear for rental at one price...and then maybe a few higher end computer/reg sets available at a higher rental price...so you can satisfy both the 'price shopper' as well as the more demanding/bigger spending diver.

Karl

 

[beanojones]

....I kinda doubt a rental gear diver would be the type that would be terribly interested in PC downloadable dive computers...that implies a level of commitment/seriousness that anyone who doesn't have their own gear is unlikely to have.

Everything you mentioned are good points. Thanks.

But for me, one of the reasons people don't buy gear, is because they are given crap for rental gear. I wouldn't dive the gear places I worked gave out as rental gear. Why would anyone think to buy good gear if they are never exposed to it? I am going to use good gear for rental as a point: Here's why you buy gear, so you do not have to dive the usual rental crap. Of course my rental won't be crap.

I will be diving with anyone using the gear so that helps. As does the fact that the SPGs (or AI computers) are going over the right shoulder and getting attached to shoulder strap so they can't really bash them around. Why GUE/DIR does not do the same is a bit of a mystery to me. But then again they would hate the fact that my rental gear will be all Air2 or Shadow+ for the 'octopus'.

 

[LowVizWiz]

But for me, one of the reasons people don't buy gear, is because they are given crap for rental gear.

Here's why you buy gear, so you do not have to dive the usual rental crap. Of course my rental won't be crap.

Aren't you contradicting yourself?

I think people don't buy nicer gear because of the price and while I agree that some people would like to try nicer gear before they buy, they are the exception rather than the rule. IMHO, you'd be better off having well maintained entry level rental equipment and making nicer gear available as a "try before you buy" option.

The Suunto Gekko computers are very durable and are not downloadable to the SDM software out of the box! It can be done. Besides, you don't have to use SDM to download the info.

I have yet to see a customer ask to download his profiles from a computer! But you may be unto something there 5$ download fee

Wiz
P.S. I may have taken the bait

 

[beanojones]

Aren't you contradicting yourself?

The Suunto Gekko computers are very durable and are not downloadable to the SDM software out of the box! It can be done. Besides, you don't have to use SDM to download the info.

I have yet to see a customer ask to download his profiles from a computer! But you may be unto something there 5$ download fee

I am not contradicting myself (intentionally), though I am contradicting general dive shop practice.

Can you tell me more about how to download Gekko info?

In general I am looking for any opinions at all about it, because I am trying to figure out what to do. At first blush I think Air integrated, but because of the different things people have mentioned in the thread, I am now thinking about all kinds of other things like just strapping a cheap wrist mount computer like a Neo 100 onto the inflator hose. Or whatever.

 

[diveandclimb]

You could do something along the lines of what a ski rental place does. Offer the standard low end gear for the occasional and beggining diver but for a little bit more offer a small stock of many different higher end models. You could even offer to deduct the cost of the rental from the purchase price of the item if they choose to actually buy it. This way, those who are interested in purchasing soon would get what they are looking for and divers who are interested in just throwing on the gear and jumping in the water would get what they are looking for.

 

[LowVizWiz]

Can you tell me more about how to download Gekko info?

The search feature is your friend Suunto Gekko Download

I am now thinking about all kinds of other things like just strapping a cheap wrist mount computer like a Neo 100 onto the inflator hose. Or whatever.

The inflator hose?!?! this gets better with every post! A simple console with an spg and computer would be enough.
Sometimes re-inventing the wheel is not the best answer!

 

[beanojones]

The search feature is your friend Suunto Gekko Download



The inflator hose?!?! this gets better with every post! A simple console with an spg and computer would be enough.
Sometimes re-inventing the wheel is not the best answer!

Thanks for the link. That looks like more trouble than it would be worth in my circumstance. My goal would be to show them how easily they could do it, so they'll buy one, rather than showing them it could be done.

 

[Bubble Junky]

I'd vote for the gekko too. Easy to use and nice big screen. After they've used it and enquired about buying one, that's when you pipe up " Try one like mine, that can download too...... Look how easy it is....."

 

[beanojones]

I'd vote for the gekko too. Easy to use and nice big screen. After they've used it and enquired about buying one, that's when you pipe up " Try one like mine, that can download too...... Look how easy it is....."

You know the more I think about that way, the better I like it. Get the enjoying a cheap computer in the water, and then when we are doing log books, download my dive and say if you buy a PC-able one you can download it like I just did...

And of course I can save the money on buying PC-able ones, and just focus on the display.