New computer advice. Suunto D9 maybe?

[cardinal]

The Suunto does have the digital compass - not sure how easy this is to follow though. I would have thought following a spinning disc easier and smoother than watching a digital readout.

Whats the going rate for a D9 with transmitter anyway?

 

[Trixxie]

The Suunto does have the digital compass - not sure how easy this is to follow though. I would have thought following a spinning disc easier and smoother than watching a digital readout.

Whats the going rate for a D9 with transmitter anyway?

I've seen it anywhere from $900+ to $1700.00 depends where you get it..
http://www.jomashop.com/suunto-d9trans.html?source=froogle&kw=suunto-d9trans
http://www.divervision.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=87

These are the 2 lest expensive places I've seen them

 

[teodoro]

I have a hard choice. I think I like the a watch over traditional computer presentation better which leaves me with an Atom or a D9. and up until now I can't decide between suunto and oceanic. The compass function has me drooling and as I understand the only diferences between D9 and Atom (besides the compass function of the D9 and the buddy check functions of the Atom) is an the deep stop function which the Atom does not have. Both computers seem to be in the same price range, and there is a concern with the recent recalls by Suunto.

So if I was to feel confident that all qulity issues have been solved by Sunnto with this latest recall, I guess the decision has to be made on what function would be better to have. The ability to check three tanks or the compass and deep stop function.

Guess I'll have to toss a coin unless you guys can give me some input based on your experience.

Many thanks.

 

[Charlie59]

I have three Suunto computers including the D9. The D9 is great (recall aside) and I never had a problem with the unit. Even with the recall I would purchase again after diving with it about 40 times. Read out is good and compass is easy to use (when you get the hang of it, much better that standard compass).

Alot of people trust Suunto and their recall was a problem they found with no accidents caused by the software glitch. Problems with dive computers only reassure me that using a back-up computer or bottom timer is a good idea.

 

[teodoro]

I have three Suunto computers including the D9. The D9 is great (recall aside) and I never had a problem with the unit. Even with the recall I would purchase again after diving with it about 40 times. Read out is good and compass is easy to use (when you get the hang of it, much better that standard compass).

Alot of people trust Suunto and their recall was a problem they found with no accidents caused by the software glitch. Problems with dive computers only reassure me that using a back-up computer or bottom timer is a good idea.

Charlie, thanks for your input. Have you had any battery problems with the D9? A LDS told me that they were having nightmares with Suunto computers because of very low battery life, but I really got the feeling that they were really trying to push me into buying Uwatec.

Regards,

 

[webhead]

I've seen it anywhere from $900+ to $1700.00 depends where you get it..
http://www.jomashop.com/suunto-d9trans.html?source=froogle&kw=suunto-d9trans
http://www.divervision.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=87

These are the 2 lest expensive places I've seen them

Has anyone had any dealings with these places?

The divervision place has many signs of being a less than reputable online store. There is no contact info - no address, phone number, hours of operation, etc. Very interesting that in their return notes, there isn't a procdure to do a return - who do you call?

 

[kc0czi]

My D9 is my second computer. I've got the Cobra as well and it's been extremely reliable.

I've always found the oil-filled compass attached to the Cobra to be a bit onerous to work with (perhaps because my HP hose isn't quite long enough). I much prefer to maintain my trim profile which is easier to do with the wrist mounted D9. The only drawback to the D9 compass is that it reverts back to the dive screen too quickly for my tastes.

The D9 definitely accomodates safety stops much better. You can stay in a nice, motionless hover position and with very little movement raise your wrist to eye level to see your timer.

I also find the D9 a bit hard to read in very low vis environments (we have those here in the Midwest). I've done only a couple of night dives with the D9 and also have a note to adjust the backlight display timer for a longer setting.

Would I dive with just the D9? Absolutely and with the same confidence as having just the Cobra.

Long, multi-level dive series (or the annual dive trips) however - I made the personal decision to ensure I had two computers. Just in case of malfunction of one, I'm not locked out for 24 hours.

 

[Trixxie]

Long, multi-level dive series (or the annual dive trips) however - I made the personal decision to ensure I had two computers. Just in case of malfunction of one, I'm not locked out for 24 hours.

good to hear about the Cobra - looks like a great computer. Can't wait to get mine, don't know when that will be... maybe at DEMA... I plan on keeping my Companion as my back up and use the Cobra as my primary.

 

[Charlie59]

I have never had a problem with battery life with my Suuntos. Apparently with the upgrade on the software they are going to replace the battery. Maybe there is no software issue, they just wanted to replace all those batteries?

I nave not had problems with the Suunto, and I dive relatively frequently.