Computer and 7 mm gloves...

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

kolopua

Guest
Messages
20
Reaction score
0
Location
Vancouver Island,Canada
# of dives
0 - 24
I need some help to choose the right computer ...:

I am diving in cold water and use some thick gloves (5 or 7mm) and I also want to have a backlight and alarm on my computer. So I would like to be sure that the computer that I will pick is "user friendly" (I mean that its easy to press the buttons underwater)...Some computers have 4 buttons, others have 2 or one. Some are in the front, some on the sides, different sizes and shapes....what works better for you? With my thick gloves I sometimes get cold and my hands are not really handy then... (I know...I need a drysuit)

Obviously I am a beginner... so please excuse this silly question...but except for the alarm and the light, do you need to press any button on your computer while diving? Aren't all the info needed on one screen?

I have been looking at the Mares puck and the Cressi Archimede II, and Suunto Vyper maybe...do you think that any of these would work for me?

Thank you for your help!
 
Usually you don't NEED press any buttons but there may be things on the back screens that you would LIKE to see. In the case of my Atmos-2 the temperature and time of day are out back. If you happen to dive with Nitrox your oxygen data may be out back in part.

Odds are for your coldest wet-dives you will be looking at depth more than anything. NDL and run time are apt to be self regulating and the commuter will manly collect trivia.

Sorry but I can't speak to any of those models.

Pete
 
I have a Cobra and a Vytec (both Suunto). I don't have any reason to push the buttons while on a dive. I know that if I do, one of them gives me the current time and temperature - hardly critical information. Another button will turn the light on for 3 minutes. It's easy to push - or you can just shine your flashlight on it.
 
If someone has a comment about an other computer than the 3 I listed, one really easy to use in these conditions, or if you know one that gave you a hell of a time underwater....please share !
 
As a beginner, I would say keep it simple and inexpensive.

My recommendations (everyone will give you their own) is:
Aeris XR1 Nx or Oceanic Veo 100 Nx.

These two activate on contact with the water, are user friendly, ONLY HAVE ONE BUTTON and you can replace the battery yourself insted of sending it to service, just like the Mares Puck. Price range is about the same but personally I find the Aeris/Oceanic design and their customer service reputation put them higher on the list than the Puck.

The Suunto Vyper is more expensive, more fiddly, almost impossible to press button with 7mm gloves on, you can't change the battery yourself. It's a great computer, it's just not what I think you are looking for or need right now.

I don't know enough about the Archimede. What I have seen of other Cressi computers hasn't impressed me vey much.
 
Leapfrog: thanks a lot for this answer. I agree I want a simple computer to start with. If I keep on diving, it will become my backup. Just the Vyper seems really great! Now I have a good reason to save my money...vale!
The aeris xr1 or the veo 100 seem like a good choice from what I read but I really want a light on my computer. Correct me if i am wrong but I dont think these two have one.

The aeris xr2 is actually on my wish list as well. ..but its a bit expensive compared to the Cressi which seems just as good ...

I dont know about the Oceanis Veo 250. Anyone uses it for cold water dives?
 
I may well get "bashed" for this but when buying a computer for recreational scuba, I normally take into account Suunto, Oceanic/Aeris and Uwatec. Basically because they are specialists. I am not saying there is anything wrong with other brands. This is a personal opinion based on my own experience and that of fellow divers.
As far as the XR2 and the 250, they are good computers. However you are begining to enter "and for $50 more...." syndrome. My first recreational dive computer was a Uwatec Aladdin Pro. Bulletproof. I grew out of it and started to need more things, gases and also something could wear in lieu of a standard wristwatch when travelling for diving and then I needed "a dive pros" watch/computer.

I love watches and I love gadgets. If I could would have twenty different dive computers to play with, study, test and so on. Wouldn't it be fun to have a Datamask or a Compumask if money was no object? Looking forward to the Ocenic OC1 coming soon.

The Suunto D6 and D9 are great too..........but as you can see some of us can easily get carried away by computers........ so Kolopua.... my "professional" advice for what it is worth is keep it simple and inexpensive for now.

If you realy want to spend money on something, save it for the regs.......
 
yes...but the light...I want cheap and with a backlight ! That s pretty basic.

With Suunto,Uwatec, aeris or oceanis, between an entry price comp and one with a light, there are hundreds of dollars in between! Thats really a pain just to have a backlight .
 
Oceanic Veo 180 Wrist Computer. Has everything you need including the backlight.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

Back
Top Bottom