Use of Tank Bangers and Rattles

[tstormdiver]

I have a rattle that I use for conducting OW dives with students only. There are times I need to communicate with an individual student or the group quickly. Before the training dives, I brief them that if they hear that rattle, they are to stop what they are doing & look for me, as I will likely have instructions for them. When dealing with 4- 8 students underwater, communication must be efficient. I will not use it for technical, vacation or just fun diving.

 

[rongoodman]

Don't own one, and as far as I know, I've never dived with anyone who used one.

 

[knotical]

If you got the image from where gavstang said, don’t use the description from that page in your marketing because it doesn’t match the illustration. The description:

The super-stretchy silicone band can wrap around any dive cylinder from Ø6” (15cm) and up. The hard plastic ball can be pulled and released, producing noise to attract attention.

is of a classic ball-on-a-band banger. See for example: Dive-Logs.com - Scuba Diving Acessory: Underwater Tank Banger Noise Maker


As you have seen, your challenge is to market a device that is not all that popular. Perhaps focus on potential sensible uses, such as tstormdiver’s use in classes. Or for emergency signaling, or … ?

 

[lmorin]

My wife and I each have rattles and use them, mostly to call attention to something the other one of us missed. I agree that they can be and often are overused. It is unlikely I'd ever use a rod as a banger simply because I don't like the idea of banging my tank and the rod itself is too long. My rattle is only about 3". The dual function item seems too redundant. I might like the rod if its purpose were to poke the reef and turn over rocks or pry up abalone. But those sorts of actions are not legal where I mostly dive and I would not do it anyway. At least your item does not have a pneumatic quacker in it. They are the worst.

 

[Wookie]

We no longer allow divers to carry them from our boat. Newer divers poke at the reef, the fish, anything they can poke at. Other divers make a racket. If you need to make noise, 3 pennies and 2 steel ball bearings in a piece of PVC pipe with caps on the ends make enough rattle to wake the dead, and you don't hear that annoying tink tink.

 

[BluewaterSail]

In the Red Sea, I have seen DMs use them. I never saw someone not in a position of leading a group use one. I hate them and have no idea what they would cost.

 

[mathauck0814]

Noise makers and tapping sticks and rattlers are equipment solutions to a skills problem. Your target market would be bad divers who struggle with communication and buddy skills. You can probably make some demographical inferences there to get you started on a targeting and communication scheme.

 

[Damselfish]

That thing looks awkward, I probably wouldn't buy it for any price. I do have a plain steel rod on a lanyard I bought in the Philippines, as they were in common use where we stayed and made sense for much of the diving we did (like drift muck dives.) But it was a bit of a pain to find the right place to stow, and it's not something I would take with me all the time, not to mention I suspect they might not be happy with it's use many places. I haven't found rattlers to be good at getting anyone's attention, especially the person I want to get. Banging something metal on the tank on the rare occasions it is warranted works better, but I don't need something a foot long for that.

But marketed as a multi-function device - pointer, banger, rattler, and stake with an easy-grip handle (assuming the connection between the rod and the rattle part is strong enough to handle the load, hard to say since the product description is for something else) then someone will pay good money for it.

 

[lionfish-eater]

people will pay twice as much if you print PADI on it. They will pay three times as much if you print an "H" on it.

 

[Peter_C]

Do you carry and or use an underwater signalling device?

YES!

What type do you use?

I have a Salvo 21 watt HID canister light that I use for signaling both day and night, diving in California and tropical places.

What do you think of the product below? It is a combination rattle/tank banger that is about 1 ft long.

Seriously? I HATE noise makers.

How much would you spend on a product like this (no cheating to see the real price)

$0.00 for that junk, but I would be willing to spend $700-$1,500 for a nice dive light.