OCi or D4i or i450t

[ian hanna]

hi there all!
new to the forum but have been digging and digging for research on these computers and was hoping for some real world help on deciding!

Background: living in Alaska (i dont dive here though haha) and go on about (2) 7-10 day dive vacations a year and usually try to get two dives in most days. I would still consider myself a beginner but i progress pretty quickly. Dont have plans to get anything other than Enriched Air, AOW, and Advanced Neutral Buoyancy ratings. Currently have a Suunto Zoop but since all my diving is on vacations and multiple days in a row i want to switch to a style that is more watch like and can be worn all day during the trips (this is my primary reason for upgrading). I can spare some change and thought AI would be a nice luxury to have too (still gonna keep my Oceanic 3 gauge SPG hooked in as a backup).

here is what i have found on my own research and feel free to correct me on anything that isnt correct below.

Suunto D4i Novo- Everyone seems to love it and its popular, I like the colors and sleek look. Downside, my brain doesnt seem to like the screen layout at all. layouts with dividing lines such as the i450t seems to help me see the info i want much faster. Also as everyone seems to agree, it has a conservative algorithm and that might effect me since all my dives are on dive vacations and consist of 2 dives a day for 6 days.

Oceanic OCi- middle of the ground on popularity, i like that it has the dividing lines on the screen when in dive mode and algorithm choice for DSAT. Down side is that i have read and seen online that the menu on the unit is horrendous, such as unknown abbreviations for things, such as "U" for the air screen or something???? and that would probably aggravate me if it really is that way since i like to double check everything and go through all my menu settings before the dives.

Aqualung i450t- this seems to fit my bill in every way. It has PZ+ algorithm which is slightly less conservative than Suunto i hear (i could be wrong)? I like the look of it. has a screen layout that my brain connects with perfectly. From their manual online it seems to have a fairly well laid out menu (Suunto is still probably the easiest to navigate i would think). The only thing that holds me off this, is that it seems to have almost no reviews online or forums which worries me slightly.

let me know your guys inputs!

 

[tbone1004]

the Teric isn't that much more money and is a LOT more computer than any of those.....

 

[ian hanna]

I did breeze across that and it does seem like a sweet rig! but that would definitely be some extra coin in the neighborhood of $1400 w/ transmitter. I have some spare cash from my next dive trip money since i was able to save on flights but that would soak up all the extra cash and some extra.

 

[scubadada]

So, what deco algorithm do you want to dive with, Suunto RGBM, PZ+, DSAT, or Bulhmann ZH-L16C with GF ? Big differences here

 

[ian hanna]

really and truly, for my skill level and needs it may not be a huge factor. For the following reasons mentioned below. I mainly made note of that since i read it could be something to think about since when i do dive, its multiple dives a day for multiple days in a row.

#1- my GF that goes on all the trips with me uses a Suunto D4i and so whether i had a different algorithm computer, when one of us needs to head up...we will both be going.
#2- I honestly dont know much about the algorithms, i was just going off some things i had read about the Suunto Algo. im just a happy vacation diver and usually lean on the conservative side already and if i had a conservative Algorithm on my computer than those two things combined, i may be severly limiting mine (and her) dive.

 

[ian hanna]

still would like to hear anyones input! but i think its coming down more to the i450t and the OCi due to the display layout. so hopefully some of you guys have direct input on impressions of those two units.

thanks!

 

[CarcharodonCarcharias]

I have an OCi. I like it a lot better than the D4i's that my friends have when I dive with them. Actually, I'd put OCi in the same class as the D6i.

When I dive with my group (basically everyone here in SE Asia uses Suunto), I'll just switch to the conservative algorithm on my OCi so my dive profiling will be a closer to theirs.

The display and the function on the Oceanic are much better than Suunto in my opinion. I was diving with a Suunto before I got the OCi and I think OCi is a bit easier to use.

Menu function is something that I have not heard of. It is quite easy and simple if you ask me.

I really enjoy diving with my OCi but if you are looking for something that you can use a bit longer, then maybe something with an LED display should be considered. I also have a Perdix AI because sooner or later, I will need something brighter underwater so I can read the display.

Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any specific questions regarding OCi.

 

[CarcharodonCarcharias]

The one thing I don't like about the Perdix is the size of it. So Shearwater came out with Teric which is the watch DC like the OCi. I think it rocks but I did not want to buy it because I like the fact that I can change the battery on my Perdix.

 

[tbone1004]

I did breeze across that and it does seem like a sweet rig! but that would definitely be some extra coin in the neighborhood of $1400 w/ transmitter. I have some spare cash from my next dive trip money since i was able to save on flights but that would soak up all the extra cash and some extra.

The others you are looking at are around $1200 with transmitter. I can promise you that the Teric is worth the $200 over the other three. It is well over twice the computer. That would be a penny wise pound foolish type decision IMO.

Suunto has some big issues in the AI transmitter realm so I'd avoid that one, but the extra $200 is going to be quite obviously worth it as soon as you see the screen....

 

[ian hanna]

thank you all for the inputs! i will keep monitoring to see what other input people have since im not in a rush to buy because our Bonaire trip is not until March.

tbone- i will continue to look at the Teric and ponder if i want to go that extra mile.