Dive computers if price didn't matter????

[tyesai]

So I recently got a promotion at work and I'm looking to spend the first month, month and a half pay raise because I deserve too.

I currently have an Oceanic Veo 1.0 that I dive with and the reality is it is just fine. It is a little hard to read and flipping through the functions and what not is painfully slow with only one button but it works. However since diving is in many aspects a gadget hobby I was thinking about getting a new computer. I like the Mares Icon HD Air Integrated computer. The menus seem intuitive, the colorscreen is sharp, I want the hoseless feature, and playing around with the simulator Mares Icon HD SIMULATOR | The future is here...Just add water! it seems pretty easy to use.

My question is though is there better for less money or the same price? At this point in time I'm strictly a recreation type diver. I do have an interest in doing deco dives but the reality is it won't be for a couple more years if at all. I'm not interested in caving but the idea of being able to check out some wrecks and what not in deeper water is compelling but it isn't in the near future.

I was also looking at a few of the computers at the divegearexpress webpage Dive Computers and Accessories - Dive Gear Express just to look. Any recommendations or wise words are welcome....

 

[TXreefer]

I like suunto computers. I have a low-end Zoop and my wife has a fancy AI Cobra 3 with a digital compass.

There are so many different computers with many different functions. Many are essentially the same while others are extravagant. I'd like to see the mares icon HD in action though.

 

[Steve50]

Amazon.com: Oceanic VT4 Hoseless Wrist Computer & Transmitter: Sports & Outdoors

 

[TXreefer]

I would write down all the options you have to have and the options you would like to have, price them out and then make a decision.

My must haves were:
Nitrox
Wrist mount
Downloadable

That's how I ended up with the zoop. I wanted the Vyper Air with AI but the price didnt warrant the few extra features for me. If I go to mixed gas diving I'll just buy a new computer!

 

[boulderjohn]

Just some thoughts about your possible futures...

You will not want a hoseless air integrated computer in a cave. The transmitter is going to get whacked at some point.

If you get into decompression diving, this will not work for you unless you are going to limit yourself to relatively shallow diving because it does not do helium. (Of course, if the helium shortage gets worse, it won't matter.) On the other hand, I don't think anyone should buy any computer in preparation for training in decompression diving. It will take a paragraph or two to explain why, but the short story is start the training first and you'll see why.

It looks to me as if the primary advantage of this is that it really does a spectacular job of telling you how much air you have without the need for a high pressure hose. If that is really important to you, then it is a good idea.

As for me, if I had that much money burning a hole in my pocket, I would be looking for other places to spend it in general.

 

[xdjio]

I thought I wanted something fancy too, once upon a time, but for me anyway, the important features were:

Nitrox
Gauge Mode
Downloads

So I got a nice Suunto Vyper. I used to think I needed a fancy computer but then I realized I already have a fancy computer: my own brain! With a a ton of money to burn I'd buy things that my brain can enjoy more than a computer - a nice drysuit, good bc, etc.

 

[Capt Jim Wyatt]

Shearwater Predator.

For my $ it's the best computer available. But that is my opinion.. YMMV

 

[eelnoraa]

If money doesnt matter, liquid vision x1 for me.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I waited and watched. Looked at liquivision, vr tech, dive rite, and shearwater. The liquivision just seemed too small and the one I got to try seemed cumbersome as far as the tap interface. Some love it and it was not that it did not work it just didn't work for me. The vr was just not what I was looking for. Dive rite took so long to get it out and some still seem to have issues with some of the features. Also expensive. Then I got a chance to see the predator at dema and talk with a dealer kinda local to me. Saw it again at scubafest and actually play with it. So simple and intuitive to use. Plus dive nav has a class on it already up and running. Then got the deal I could live with and now it sits on my coffee table next to the blue tooth dongle for it in my laptop. The thing is just too cool. It's big and easy for me to read. Again so easy to scroll through and use. 15 minutes of playing to be able to set gasses, plan a dive, and be familiar with most of it's functions. And the manual is in plain english. Not the jibberish that most dive computer manuals contain. Best dive gear related purchase I've made in a long time.

Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk 2

 

[rongoodman]

Top of my list is something with an OLED screen. I don't see the point in air integration and I see a lot of posters trying to figure out what their computer with a manufacturer's proprietary algorithm is doing. I like my X1, but I could live with a Shearwater too--it's just a little bulky for my arm.