I'm about to go and buy myself a diving computer. There is enough choice recently on the market and I got some questions.
I was planning getting myself a Suunto Cobra but because the Vyper has a wristmodel it will get my pre-choice now. The viper instead is not Air Integrated...The Cobra is.
Now is my question...
If I buy myself a vyper do I need to buy myself a console to read off the bars I got left for being under water...?
Is the only Profit of having an air integrated computer no more instruments swifting around your body?
Thnx again
Roy
Aquanaught
October 25th, 2003, 04:12 PM
Anyone? =-)
rab
October 25th, 2003, 04:41 PM
Aquanaught once bubbled...
If I buy myself a vyper do I need to buy myself a console to read off the bars I got left for being under water...?
Is the only Profit of having an air integrated computer no more instruments swifting around your body?You need a gauge for the tank pressure one way or another. It will be a part of an AI computer, but you need the gauge for any non-AI computer including a wrist mount.
I have a Suunto Mosquito, but one of my purchase factors was not having my own regulator, yet.
-Rob
Aquanaught
October 25th, 2003, 06:25 PM
So shall I buy a vytec or a vyper with a console ?
If I buy the viper I still got the hose wondering around my body. I'm not sure yet whether to use AI or not.
The vytec is really expensive but doesn't needs a console. The vyper needs a console so the wrist mount is ok but you still got the hose...
Confused :S
Genesis
October 25th, 2003, 08:33 PM
wrist-mounted. The same "pod" that holds the Vytec will take a Vyper, and they also make one for the Vyper specifically (that doesn't have the "button covers.")
paulwlee
October 26th, 2003, 07:00 AM
If you can afford it, get the Vytec. It is nice to have all the information right on your wrist and not have to grope for a console every now and then.
However, a Vyper with a pressure gauge also works very well. While you need to frequently check NDL, depth and dive time, and also keep an eye on the ascent rate indicator during ascents, the need to look at the pressure gauge arises less frequently. Thus, having just a pressure gauge would be pretty nice, as it is very light, and can also be put on a shorter hose than normal if you also opt for a wrist compass. With this configuration, you will hardly notice that the HP hose and pressure gauge is there when you are not checking your remaining air pressure.
I used to dive with wrist mount Vyper+pressure gauge, but even after switching to a Vytec, I still have the pressure gauge, since it's practically invisible but there if for some reason I need it (e.g. I don't need to abort the dive even if for some reason my transmitter batteries die underwater.)
So, recommended config:
Vytec/Vyper depending on budget,
+ Submersible pressure gauge on shorter hose
+ Suunto wristmount SK-7 (the best compass out there)
I dive these, and absolutely love it. No comparison to a console.
Aquanaught
October 26th, 2003, 12:28 PM
Thanks for you great and clear reply Paulwlee. I will have to check my budget etc before I can choose ofc. I have to buy a BC and regulator to so maybe I can spare some money there. I won't go buy the Proton Ice anymore. Probably The Aqualung Legend LX Supreme, I'm gonna test this reg. soon or later and when I'm not satisfied with it than I might go to the Apeks branch.
Thanks for you help
Roy
Arnaud
October 26th, 2003, 12:46 PM
Aquanaught once bubbled...
... Is the only Profit of having an air integrated computer no more instruments swifting around your body?...
I don't know that you can make much profit in the diving business :)
There are 2 issues, here:
1. Streamlining: Consoles are bad. Most of them are bulky, create a drag, can damage the environment and get you entangled. To avoid some of these problems, some divers use lanyards and other funky stuff that the LDS love to sell, creating more failure points and more risk of entanglement. To avoid these problems, we wear all of our instruments on our wrists, except for the SPG that is attached on a shorter hose along the tank with a bolt snap. No boot. Just a good old fashioned SPG that you can get for under $100, in 100 psi increments. This is regardless of the choice of computer.
2. A/I: the "benefit" of an A/I is that it supposedly tells you how much time UW you have left based on your current gas consumption and your NDL. This can create passive divers who rely on their computer for everything UW. The other benefit of an A/I is that it keeps a record of your gas consumption. That's a plus for planning future dives, but I'm not sure it's worth the extra cost. You can get to the same point by recording manually how much air you have at the beginning and at the end of the dive, then calculate your SAC rate (or just input it in Suunto's software).
The Vyper is good value. I'd go with that. Wrist mounted.
Aquanaught
October 26th, 2003, 02:02 PM
Ok that's a clear point of view ;)
By the way, where does SPG stands for :confused:
Genesis
October 26th, 2003, 02:32 PM
with A/I is NOT that you have a supposed "air time".
It is the ACCURACY of the pressure gauge.
Digital gauges are simply more accurate and more repeatable. Period.
The only gauges that can APPROACH digital are those that are large, have a mirror back (to eliminate parallax), and are calibrated regularly. You will not find that on an analog SPG.
paulwlee
October 26th, 2003, 02:57 PM
SPG stands for 'Submersibe Pressure Gauge'.
Actually for me, air integrated (hoseless) was nice for two reasons.
1. Main reason: Air pressure is right on my wrist, with no need to grope for SPG. Sure, the SPG is right there when I grab for it, but it's soooo much more easier to just glance at my wrist. This becomes even more relevant if you are taking photos, and then some more if you're taking pictures at night. After doing that a few times, I decided that the Vytec was worth it. (Of course, I bought one used on Ebay, so the price wasn't THAT high.)
2. Added benefit: No need to remember air info for log purposes and SAC calculations. I found that if I do more than 2 dives a day, I have a hard time remembering the start/end pressures for the dives.
The remaining air time may be useful info, but I dived without that for a decade, so I don't really need it. And as Arnaud says, it causes brain rot. :D
As for the precision, although it is nice to be able to write down 1620psi instead of 1600psi in my log book, I don't find it much of a benefit. You're not planning your dives to the second on remaining air, so it's really a non-issue, IMHO.
orlock
October 28th, 2003, 08:46 AM
I have a AI computer, an Oceanic Data Trans. A bit dated, but still going strong. I initially bought it to eliminate one more hose.
IN the middle of a dive about a year ago, the computer blanked out.
No problem, thought I. I whipped out my slate with my dive plan, time compensated for depth, (Taken from my tables as a backup) etc, checked my backup timer and thought I was good to go.
I reached for my SPG to check how much air I had left. Oops!
Needless to say... I aborted teh dive and now dive with a small, quality SPG as a backup.
Mel
Warren_L
October 28th, 2003, 09:03 AM
Aquanaught,
I was were you are now a little while ago, trying to decide on a computer/spg configuration. I opted to go initially with the Suunto Vyper and SPG on a console. Ultimately, I found having a wrist mounted air integrated computer was the way to go (at least for me) so I plunked down the $$ for a Suunto Vytec and transmitter and I absolutely love it. I've kept the SPG and Vyper on the console as redundancy - I just tuck it into a pocket or under the stomach strap and I don't even notice it's there.
This way, I have redunancy if something should happen with the vytec or the transmitter. Though nothing has happened yet, it's nice to have the redundancy.
