Uwatec Smart Pro or Suunto Stinger???

[H2Andy]

lol.... human beings are doomed to have to make choices

 

[Diversauras]

Not trying to drive any particular point home, but most of the computers out there are very reliable. I have only ever heard of customer support issues with Uwatec via second and third hand stories, maybe somebody with a first hand experience will chime in here. I have had great results and like I said earlier, have been diving them all over the world for more than 6 years now. Like Andy said, a choice must be made. Good luck...

 

[reubencahn]

I've had the Uwatec Pro Nitrox, the Uwatec SmartPro and the Suunto Vytec. There are good and bad things about all of them. The Uwatec has the best display of any computer. It's logically laid out and large so that you can read it at a glance. And the large rectangular casing actually fits very nicely against your forearm. It's neither excessively conservative nor excessively liberal. The batteries last a long time so having to have them changed by a shop is not a problem. The wet contacts take a little getting used to but are not that big a deal. There are two things I don't like about the Uwatec. First, it is not menu driven so making changes to settings is not intuitive. Second, if you use any of the conservatism settings, the computer will start displaying "level stops" and stop displaying ndl times very early. If you want to use the computer for remaining ndl time--and I'm not saying you should--this is a real defect. Moreover, the level stops seem to me to be a bit irrational. They're not really deep stops and they're certainly not decompression stops. I'm not sure what they are. This may be enough of a problem to rule out the Uwatec.

The Suunto Vytec has a decent display though not as good as the Uwatec. I've never had a problem with it being too conservative but I take a very long time on my ascents. The Suunto can also be switched to gauge mode which is a nice thing if you move on in your diving. (All this is equally true for the Stinger except that it's display is smaller.) The interface for downloading from the Suunto is also cheaper by half--or less if you get one from Jamei. I think on the whole the Suunto is a better choice but Uwatec makes a decent product. FWIW: unless I was set on the small size of the Stinger (which also results in a smaller display) I would just go with a Vyper which is a good deal cheaper.

 

[Pauline]

Thanks for all the info!

I do think the display is important, I'd like it clear and easy. But then again, my eyes are still pretty good, so smaller is not a problem either, as long as it's still simple to figure out.

The Stinger seems really nice because you can wear it like a watch, unlike the other 2. Nice for spur-of-the-moment diving, but also if you're (like me) not to keen on leaving anything expensive in your room/on the diveschool while on a holiday. The others are kind off chunky to wear all the time on holiday.
I just hope the Stinger is still 'small' enough to fit on my wrist: mine are not that big.

I'm still trying to find out how much a pain it is to change the Stinger batteries, money and time wise.

The wet contacts take a little getting used to but are not that big a deal.

:confused4 Sorry for being a dummy, but what do you mean by "wet contacts"?

And those 'level stops': are they ALWAYS there, or can you also choose to not use this feature? (Thinking the computer itself will be conservative enough to keep me safe: I'm not and extreme cold, busy, deep or other close-to-the-limits diver).

Lucky for me, the price it not an issue: It will be a max €550 present!!

Greetz,

Pau.

 

[reubencahn]

Thanks for all the info!

I do think the display is important, I'd like it clear and easy. But then again, my eyes are still pretty good, so smaller is not a problem either, as long as it's still simple to figure out.

The Stinger seems really nice because you can wear it like a watch, unlike the other 2. Nice for spur-of-the-moment diving, but also if you're (like me) not to keen on leaving anything expensive in your room/on the diveschool while on a holiday. The others are kind off chunky to wear all the time on holiday.
I just hope the Stinger is still 'small' enough to fit on my wrist: mine are not that big.

I'm still trying to find out how much a pain it is to change the Stinger batteries, money and time wise.



:confused4 Sorry for being a dummy, but what do you mean by "wet contacts"?

And those 'level stops': are they ALWAYS there, or can you also choose to not use this feature? (Thinking the computer itself will be conservative enough to keep me safe: I'm not and extreme cold, busy, deep or other close-to-the-limits diver).

Lucky for me, the price it not an issue: It will be a max €550 present!!

Greetz,

Pau.

Wet contacts are little metal buttons at the top and bottom of the screen. To activate the computer or change settings, you wet the tips of your fingers and bridge two of the buttons.

I don't think you have to use a conservatism setting. And I believe that if you don't the level stops don't appear. As to size of display, even though my eyes are still 20/20 I find the large display nice as I can assimilate the info at a glance. On the other hand the small size of the Stinger is very nice also. Good luck with your choice.

 

[mogwai]

I dive an Aladin pro ultra. Done over 50 dives with it. Battery has went down less then 4%. Got hundreds of dives in it yet. It does nitrox, has a great clear readout, and a nice vocal alarm if your doing something you shouldn't. Overall i find it a great bit of kit.

 

[Pauline]

I dive an Aladin pro ultra. Done over 50 dives with it. Battery has went down less then 4%. Got hundreds of dives in it yet. It does nitrox, has a great clear readout, and a nice vocal alarm if your doing something you shouldn't. Overall i find it a great bit of kit.

Yeah...I was wondering about the 'advantages' of the Smart Pro over the Pro Ultra.

And those level-stops don't seem to be all that great. Any other big differences I don't know about?
(Sofar, I can get the Pro Ultra for €409 and the Smart Pro for €449, so there's not a big difference in price.)
The only thing I've heard about the Smart Pro, is that you get a free lifetime batterychange, and if that's true, that could safe me $$$. Haven't had any confirmation on that though..

I'm hoping to get to a big store one of these days to see if the Stinger will be small enough for MY wrist.
(And push some buttons on the other models too.)

Greetz,

Pau.

 

[mogwai]

Dont know about the level stops. Haven't got that problem with the pro ultra. Suppose it might depend on depth. Am a recreational diver so not doing anything over 40m. In fact deeepest to date is just over 31m.

 

[toni_al]

I am also in the market for a dive computer, but I am waiting for the Mares Nemo - will check that one out and then make my decision - also think about user battery replacement.

 

[freedive]

I dive an Aladin pro ultra. Done over 50 dives with it. Battery has went down less then 4%. Got hundreds of dives in it yet. It does nitrox, has a great clear readout, and a nice vocal alarm if your doing something you shouldn't. Overall i find it a great bit of kit.

I'll second Mogwai's opinion, I also have the Pro Ultra from Uwatec and have been quite happy with it so far. I looked for quite some time and checked many models and although many were equal in performance, I decided on the Pro Ultra because of it's easy to read numerical layout design. I have had it for eight months now, logged 20 dives with it and the battery consuption has been 3%.
On a different note, I was by my LDS last night and he is waiting on a new comp from Uwatec he will be testing which will allow 3 gas mixtures and gas switching at depth. It's scheduled to be out some time next year.