Hi,
I have a Gemini and I am pleased with it. When I bought it I got the 1 FO2 version and recently upgraded to the 3 FO2 (software upgrade). I also have the professional version of the analyst software.
The computer can be customized to fit your personal diving style by selecting different ascent rate options. You can also select from 50 different levels of conservatism and separately choose to compensate the algorithms for water tempurature, breathing rate, and dive profiles (a shallow dive followed by a deeper dive).
In a post in a different thread someone dscribed the Cochran computers as a "Jaguar". The refernece was to the car company and like the car it is high performance but finicky. I have not had any trouble with mine in the water, but have had some minor problems out of the water. These problems were quickly and easily resolved with Cochran customer service, my compliments to Ken Johnson at Cochran.
The analyst software is klunky in appearance but is quite easy to work with and extremely powerful. I would definitely get the analyst software if you get a Cochran computer.
You are probably aware that the Gemini is rather expensive, if you don't want or need the air integration a Commander would be a nice choice and a lot less expensive. I chose to go with the Gemini for a number of reasons and built a completely redundant system with the tank unit, one "monitor" wrist unit, one "inteligent" wrist unit, and one SPG.
At age 43 my eyes are not what they used to be and the display is a little hard to read for me without an optical mask, that is not the computers fault, but might be a consideration for you. The optical mask also helps with fish and coral etc... I am pleased with my decision to purchase my computer. I would encourage you to download the manual for the model you are considering and read it thoroughly.
There are many different types of dive computer out there and the best way for you to decide is to ask questions like this one, consider the answers and most importantly do original research to aid you in making a choice that is right for you. The Suunto computers are quite popular. You might want to download the manual for a few of those models and look into them, I did, and chose the Cochran. Others when confronted with the exact same options have chosen the Suunto. It is your money do what you think best.
Mark Vlahos
