Decisions on a Dive Computer

[yle]

Well this has certainly gone off the rails. Clean-up, aisle three.

Entirely predictable. Most threads asking for dive computer advice do end up at "buy a Shearwater, Suuntos are terrible" pretty quickly.

 

[formernuke]

Meh. Okay, maybe it's not the same thing as Ford/Chevy truck owners. But your post sounds just like the kind of thing a Ford owner would say (i.e. a list of reasons why Chevy trucks aren't as good as Ford trucks) when trying to convince someone that Ford trucks are better.

I don't know which Suuntos you consider "top end" and who is trying to sell them as "tech" computers (or why that would even be a selling point for a recreational diver.) I know that when I bought my D4 in 2008 I was not told it is a "tech" computer And it has served its purpose for a long time. I've changed its battery every few years, and that's been all it's needed. I won't claim that it's better than any other computer... as I've previously posted, they all perform the same basic function.

The point of my post is to suggest to the OP that when anyone suggests that their DC (or truck...) is the best and others are trash, the OP might want to consider that person's opinion might be slightly... just slightly... tainted by the subconscious need for affirmation.

How about when we say anything except a suunto.

 

[yle]

How about when we say anything except a suunto.

I'm not sure what you're asking... if you're referring to my truck analogy, then I guess it would be like someone suggesting "anything but a Chevy truck."

Absolutely. There are some people that have an irrational distaste for Chevy trucks, same way some people have an irrational distaste for Suuntos. As I previously wrote, I won't claim that Suuntos are better (or worse) than any other DC. They do their job. I've used one for 13 years.

Would I use another brand of DC? Sure. Doesn't matter to me. Just like if I needed to haul something, I wouldn't really care what kind of truck I used to do it.

The bashing of brands of trucks is entirely due to clever marketing that influences those people that are easily influenced. Same with dive computers.

 

[formernuke]

irrational distaste for Suuntos.

Irrational distaste, you call two safety recalls one of which had to go all the way to a class action before they acknowledged the problem. Then not notifying there costumers of the safety issues even though they lost the suit. Then taking 2 months to inspect/repair/replace.

If that based entirely on personal experience is an irrational reason to recommend anything else then what is rational?

Never again will I buy and suunto and cannot in good consence recommend them. I say anything but.

 

[yle]

Irrational distaste, you call two safety recalls one of which had to go all the way to a class action before they acknowledged the problem. Then not notifying there costumers of the safety issues even though they lost the suit. Then taking 2 months to inspect/repair/replace.

If that based entirely on personal experience is an irrational reason to recommend anything else then what is rational?

Never again will I buy and suunto and cannot in good consence recommend them. I say anything but.

Absolutely... the Suunto recalls were for a specific model, and it's understandable that the people that were caught up in that mess would have a negative opinion of the company. Same can be said of Ford or Chevy trucks.

But just as with the trucks, one model having a recall and some people having a bad experience with how that recall was handled doesn't mean every model the company produces is substantially inferior to the competition.

 

[formernuke]

Absolutely... the Suunto recalls were for a specific model, and it's understandable that the people that were caught up in that mess would have a negative opinion of the company. Same can be said of Ford or Chevy trucks.

But just as with the trucks, one model having a recall and some people having a bad experience with how that recall was handled doesn't mean every model the company produces is substantially inferior to the competition.

One model it was all of them made over a several year time span, and the way suunto handled it speaks volumes about the company.

 

[yle]

One model it was all of them made over a several year time span, and the way suunto handled it speaks volumes about the company.

I agree that, from what I've heard, Suunto customer service could use a lot of help. And everything I've heard about Shearwater CS is absolutely stellar. I'll admit that my opinion of both companies is unaffected by their attention to CS, since I've never had to deal with either.

I do get the impression that Suunto's approach to CS might be tainted by their unwillingness to believe that anything they produce could be less than perfect. And my experience with Suunto has been tainted by my Suunto DC never having the slightest hint of a problem. (Maybe I've just been lucky, maybe mine is representative of typical Suunto quality... hard to say for sure.)

 

[gopbroek]

I dive primarily in Cozumel which involves long relatively deep low stress drift dives. I have seen many divers disappointed with the limitations of the RBGM computers. When it comes to the Suunto they are not disappointed but pi$$ed off. The RBGM based algorithms are limiting but the Suunto seems to also have built in gotchas. Often when a diver gets into violation they are not quite sure what caused it. Many DM's dive with Suunto's not so much by choice but poverty. Divers often 'gift' them to get rid of them or they are found on the bottom (suspect frustrated divers throw them overboard). Most of the DM's game them by setting the gas to 28% and dive air to get a semi usable bottom time.
The next most popular are the PPS computers running DSAT (Oceanic) or even better dual mode DSAT or the more conservative Pz algorithm.
The Scuba Pro Galileo series computers are also very well respected.
The current Cadillac of computers are the Shearwaters. I have never personnely dove with an owner that would be willing to switch back to their previous computer. My previous was a VEO 3 which is a great computer but it sits in my bag as a backup. Not only is the Shearwaters easy to use with intuitive screens that can be interpreted (and seen) in an advanced narked situation but the best thing I like is they are an adults computer. There is no lockout 'Nanny' mode, it warns and provides you with guidance but regardless it keeps calculating. There is no safety in a locked out computer that is then left on the boat or causes a 'backup' computer to be used.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

The OP's a relatively inexperienced recreational diver. Both you and I aren't!

But I do use SPGs on sidemount With experience, you know how much gas you consume, so checking the gauges is more of a confirmation exercise: I think I've got 150 bar in the RH tank...

Who says I'm not a relatively inexperienced diver!

While I do provide my students with Perdix AIs, they don't get the transmitter. They do have the task of unclipping their SPG and checking it.

However, when I'm task loaded with photography (and solo diving), AI certainly has its place.

 

[gopbroek]

Who says I'm not a relatively inexperienced diver!

While I do provide my students with Perdix AIs, they don't get the transmitter. They do have the task of unclipping their SPG and checking it.

However, when I'm task loaded with photography (and solo diving), AI certainly has its place.

I dive a Perdix with A/I and a SPG. I always cross check my pressure readings