Dive Computers

[Bacunderagain]

I am back into diving again after a 20 year layoff. I have many dives in Lake Michigan and Lake Superior under my belt. Can someone please steer me in the right direciton for a dive computer?

Tanks!

 

[jiveturkey]

2 things that I consider important:

1. nitrox capability because even if you don't dive nitrox now, you might want to later.

2. user replaceable batter. It costs me a forture to change the battery on my stinger.

 

[jeckyll]

Check out the forum dedicated to dive computers / watches. Some good advice in there.

I was going to go with a Stinger but ended up with an Apex instead, mostly due to price and the fact that I was afraid I'd lose it.

On a side note: Computers are incredibly handy if you dive alot of non-square profiles. Case in point: Last nights dive was a 45 minute dive to 56 fsw in 49 degrees. If I tried to dive that with a RDP table it would have put me into deco (once adding 10 feet for cold water). But my average depth was only 23 feet as we spent most of the time in the shallows.

Good luck

Bjorn

 

[ItsBruce]

I have the Oceanic Pro Plus 2 and am very happy with it I agree with jiveturkey's observations. I'd include air intigrated.

 

[jtu]

WISDOM very large display nitrox capable greta computer.

 

[Bruciebabe]

Suunto seem to have the market at the moment. They can be very conservative at times but that is not such a bad thing. Their RGBM is good stuff. They also punish you if you don't take the 3 minute safety stop.
http://www.suunto.com/suunto/main/article_1column.jsp?search=search
The Vyper is excellent, a design classic, and good value.
The Stinger is a Vyper in a watch and has become the instructor's favourite.
The D9 is a Stinger with more bells and whistles. A small object of desire.

If you want to have the best then you need a VR3 with a colour display.
http://www.vr3.co.uk/vr3/main.php?content=intro
The world's best dive computer by far.
You can watch the loading in each compartment in real time.
Watch a graph of your dive profile.
Switch between 10 gasses on one dive.
Input PPO2 with a rebreather automaticaly in real time.
Reprogramme everything whilst underwater.
Use VPM algorithm (next year)
etc etc
It is constantly upgradeable and grows with you.

 

[Paul F]

out of my small collection sunnto cobra and favor a uwetec and my fav the nitek duo love my duo there were some cases of people having problems with them but true their word dive rite replaced them for them. the duo is pc downloadable and very easy to read nitrox compat and 2 gas. I think it is one of the best out there for the buck.
but the Stinger is worth your time checking out as well

 

[BarryNL]

2 things that I consider important:

1. nitrox capability because even if you don't dive nitrox now, you might want to later.

2. user replaceable batter. It costs me a forture to change the battery on my stinger.

Mares M1, then.

 

[Kevfin]

Like jeckyII said, check out the forums.

You have to determine what you are looking for and then decide on your own what works best for you. Do you want air-integrated? Programable? Nitrox? Expandable (Cochrane)? Conservative profiles? Then you have to consider cost... few hundred up to thousands...

Personally, I'd like a Cochrane, but my needs are met perfectly with a Oceanic Versa Pro...

 

[pickens_46929]

So here were (are) my deciding factors:

1) Type of diving -- cold water vs. warm

In cold dark water... things like size of display matter more...

2) Readout / Display size -- pushing 40-something and smaller isn't better... the colder the water and darker the water the smaller the displays look to me...

3) Nitrox or no nitrox... or more... decided off the bat to go Nitrox route and will add a computer soon to include trimix

4) Air (pressure) integrate or not... first nitrox computer didn't have this.. current Oceanic Atom does... helps me with watching my SCR (surface consumption rate) but there are drawbacks like a 2nd battery to change...

5) User replacable batteries... no option in my book... this is a must have

6) Wrist or Console... I think if I'd do the air integrated route over again I would do the console... something like a Suunto Cobra... I'd keep a wrist computer too for other diving but for my warm water / general rig I'd go with something like the Cobra...

7) Cost... first computer was a budget computer... the Oceanic Atom was a splurge at a dive shop going out of business... too good a deal to pass up... still wish I had kept my Oceanic Versa Pro though as well.