Kemo Racer
Guest
I've been doin some research and have been checkin out this computer. I was wondering what you guys think of it. It has a bunch of nice features which i intend to use and it has a very simple and clear user interface.
Sherwood Wisdom
- Thread starter Kemo Racer
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I have 81 dives on mine and I like it. It is liberal at depth - more so than the US Navy tables but is very conservative in terms of ascent rates and saftey stops. it also allows deco stops to 60' which allows for moderately agressive deco diving without having to worry about it locking up, although you will still want to do proper contingency planning in case it fails during the dive.
The air integration is useful and will display the remaining air time (to a minimum amount you can specify) based on air comsumption and ascent time required or remaining no decompression time which ever is less. You can access the other non displayed time on another screen while underwater.
The numbers are large and easy to read and I have had no problems with my Wisdom on 81 dives, all of them in cold water.
It is computer downloadable but my dowload kit has been backordered since January. It is alledged that they should start shipping by August, but I'm not holding my breath.
The simulator mode is nice for contingency planning for the next dive and the planning mode itself is far easier to use than any other computer I have had.
It is nitrox capable from 21% to 50% with adjustable PO2 limits and warnings and will also handle the switch from air to nitrox on the same diving day.
It has a full complement suite of audible and visusal warnings all of which can be turned off.
The air integration is useful and will display the remaining air time (to a minimum amount you can specify) based on air comsumption and ascent time required or remaining no decompression time which ever is less. You can access the other non displayed time on another screen while underwater.
The numbers are large and easy to read and I have had no problems with my Wisdom on 81 dives, all of them in cold water.
It is computer downloadable but my dowload kit has been backordered since January. It is alledged that they should start shipping by August, but I'm not holding my breath.
The simulator mode is nice for contingency planning for the next dive and the planning mode itself is far easier to use than any other computer I have had.
It is nitrox capable from 21% to 50% with adjustable PO2 limits and warnings and will also handle the switch from air to nitrox on the same diving day.
It has a full complement suite of audible and visusal warnings all of which can be turned off.
OP
Kemo Racer
Guest
I've heard its a great computer and I'm realy considering to get it. I was just wondering, you said it could lock up. Have you had any problems with it. I realy don't know allot about computers and I first was considering a smart com until every one told me how badly it sucked.
Well, I didn't say it would lock up or that I expected it to (like I would if I had bought a Smart com) but like just about any dive computer it will enter a violation mode if you abuse it enough. The Wisdom will enter a conditional violation mode if you blow off a deco stop. If you stay above the stop depth for 5 min, it will enter delayed violation mode where it will provide deco information until you surface for at least 5 min then it will enter permanent violation mode and give you gauge information only for 24 hours.
If you are deco diving and require a deco stop depth greater than 60 ft, or exceeed a max depth of 330 ft. on the dive it will enter delayed violation mode, but again will provide deco information until you surface before going into permanent violation and violation guage mode for 24 hours. If you push it even farther and require a stop depth greater than 70 ft it will dump on you and go into gauge mode immediately. Which would of course leave you screwed unless you had a contingency plan to get you through the deco stops.
But it takes some pretty depth and bottom time to get a 70 ft stop depth and this is well outside the bounds of what most divers are going to be doing with a computer unless it is a full fledged tech computer designed to for mixed gas and to allow gas switching at depth. The 70 ft stop depth is also significantly greater than many other computers that will violate with a 30 or 40 ft stop depth.
The 70 ft stop limit is not a significant limitation as if you are doing diving that will require deeper stops than 70 ft you really ought to be cutting tables for the dive and using a computer designed for this type of exposure and for accellerated deco procedures. In that case you can also select gauge mode at the surface prior to the dive and use it as a glorified depth gauge and dive timer.
I have had computers fail in very cold water (particulalry with less than new batteries) and have had displays get a little sluggish in cold conditions, but I have not had any problems with the wisdom in water down to 39 degrees.
In a sense I am waiting to see what kind of battery life I get with it and am interested in seeing if the low battery warning is ample enough to allow completion of a cold water dive. However Sherwood indicates a minimum of 300 dive hours per battery and an annual battery change should eliminate the potential to ever encounter a dead battery as I only do 100 to 150 dives per year. (The battery is also a standard user replaceable CR2450 battery available at any Wal-mart.)
Unfortunately, I have had some computers that do not give a low battery warning on the surface but where the cold water at depth is enough to reduce the battery power to the point where the unit shuts down. Based on this experience, I always have contingency deco plan for the worst case deco scenario with me to allow me to finish the dive safely and conservatively if I have a computer failure.
I considered the Smart com when I bought my Wisdom but went with the Wisdom as it's features were more than adequate for my dive profiles. I also I liked the dealer support in my area and I liked the purchase price which ran about $400 less than a Smart com. Given the recent recall and the really sucky 3 month turn around that Uwatec is promising, I am REALLY glad I bought a Wisdom.
The Smart com does offer adjustable bubble suppression limits and will automatically compensate for cold water or strenuous dives. It also has a 400' max depth and can be programmed to use nitrox mixes up to 100% O2.
On the negative side it is expensive at about $900 and does not have a user replaceable battery. (It does however have a battery life indicator so you should be able to pick a not too inconvenient time to send it off to the factory for a battery replacement.) I am also not sure how deep a deco stop it will tolerate.
If you order one now from a dealer, you can be sure it will be one of the new ones that is not under recall, so I would not automatically eliminate it as an option if you prefer it's features. But on the other hand, it could be a while before your order is filled given the backlog for new computers created by the recall.
Stingray81888
Guest
So far the only problem with mine is that one of the buttons got jammed with sand in the middle of a dive...my own fault of course. Other than that the computer works great. Plan do do nitrox with it later on.
shrwdtech
Contributor
Thanks for all the kind comments on the Wisdom. We are extremely pleased with it's performance and the wonderful reception the diving public has given it!
The download kit, we are being promised by the programmer, is to be in our hands any time now. I know that doesn't sound promising, but trust me. You want one. I'd like to have about 5000 of them!
I'm told I should have an ETA on it's delivery today, and will post what I hear here.
The download kit, we are being promised by the programmer, is to be in our hands any time now. I know that doesn't sound promising, but trust me. You want one. I'd like to have about 5000 of them!
I'm told I should have an ETA on it's delivery today, and will post what I hear here.
I have to ammend my comments a bit. On Friday my Wisdom had a depth error and was reading 7 ft too shallow for the whole dive. (it was in an area I know very well and my flag line is marked at 20 ft.) On Saturday it worked fine on the first dive showing the correct depth, but took a dump on me during the second dive of the day. It quit displaying everything but tank pressue and flashing N2 and O2 bars. (At least it kept giving me tank pressure, I thought this is a nice design feature for when the computer decides it's psychotic and then shuts down.) On Sunday all it would do was go through a count down, flash ALT a few times and shut itself off. (My wife says I was really crabby.)
It seems that 2 of the 3 Wisdoms my LDS has sold have done this, one on the it's first dive and mine on the 84th dive. The LDS owner owns the third and has only put a few dives on it so far. The stats don't look too promising, but then it is new (mine has a serial number in the 800 range) and entitled to a few bugs I suppose.
Now I get to see how well Sherwood stands behind it and how quickly they can replace it. Hopefully it will be significantly better than Uwatec's estimated 3 month turn around time.
It seems that 2 of the 3 Wisdoms my LDS has sold have done this, one on the it's first dive and mine on the 84th dive. The LDS owner owns the third and has only put a few dives on it so far. The stats don't look too promising, but then it is new (mine has a serial number in the 800 range) and entitled to a few bugs I suppose.
Now I get to see how well Sherwood stands behind it and how quickly they can replace it. Hopefully it will be significantly better than Uwatec's estimated 3 month turn around time.
Sherwood's warranty support looks really promising. My local dealer is going to just call and have another Wisdom sent to him by Sherwood as there is no doubt it will be covered under warranty. They will then credit his account when they receive my computer and the two should pass in the mail. He says it only took a week to get the other customer's faulty computer replaced with a new one. If he had one in stock, I'd have walked out with one today.
This is pretty nice compared to the Uwatec process where you have to go to your dealer, who has to get authorization to return the computer and then wait for a shipping container to be sent to him by Uwatec before he can even send your computer in. And the clock on the anticipated 3 month wait does not even start until they actually receive the computer. He is also a Scubapro dealer and has had a dead Uwatec computer setting on his desk for nearly 2 weeks waiting for the box to arrive.
This is pretty nice compared to the Uwatec process where you have to go to your dealer, who has to get authorization to return the computer and then wait for a shipping container to be sent to him by Uwatec before he can even send your computer in. And the clock on the anticipated 3 month wait does not even start until they actually receive the computer. He is also a Scubapro dealer and has had a dead Uwatec computer setting on his desk for nearly 2 weeks waiting for the box to arrive.
shrwdtech
Contributor
DA... Who is your dealer? I'll keep an eye out for it and get you taken care of as fast as I can.
dhuhman
Registered
Hmmm, today on my first dive in Belize my Wisdom 2 also went through its initial countdown, flashed "ALT" a couple times, and went blank. It worked fine out of the water, before and after the (aborted) dive, and a month ago for three days of SoCal diving. shrwdtech, is that a common problem? My computer is maybe 3 years old with 75-100 dives on it.
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