andrethediver
Contributor
I know this subject has been raised before but I thought I ask anyway. I am buying my first dive computer. After talking to my LDS and reading posts here I have narrowed the list down to Oceanic VT3 and Atom 2. Basically I want a wrist sized air/nitrox air integrated hoseless computer that utilizes relatively liberal dive algorithms and is priced lower than Suunto. Buddy check feature is a plus (although I understand I'll have to pay extra $400 to get extra transmitter) and PC compatibility is another plus. Both VT3 and Atom 2.0 are currently priced at $650 (online authorized dealers) including one transmitter and no data cable (extra $100). I understand feature-wise the units are identical so it comes down to the display size and the number of buttons to push. I prefer smaller size of Atom as I am trying to minimize the chance of banging the unit against another piece of gear getting in/out of the water. I have seen a number of reports of Atoms malfunctioning/replaced under warranty and then malfunctioning again. Are Atoms more prone to failure? Is there any information on Atom 3 coming out at some point in the near future? It seems Oceanic runs a $200 promotion on both unit (which I assume resulted in the current price break) - is $650 a good price for this package or should I wait till Christmas time? Any comments are appreciated.