BLADEFISH Sea Jets - A Completely Different Approach

[cool_hardware52]

Thanks for telling us for the 20th time. The below point from my original post was obviously missed.

If you are content to use and promote a product that the manufacturer chooses to make false claims about have at.

I find such claims inexcusable.

Tobin

 

[spooky1]

I"m quite certain the Bladefish is usefull for certain diving and could be enjoyed by many divers. I HAVE NOT USED A BLADEFISH but have used others that it is compared to by people
that have ridden them. (Seadoo,etc).

That being said I absolutly think they should be taken to task and "bashed" for marketing practices that amounts to outright lying. I have used and own "technical" scooters that cant match the speed Bladefish claims, but in reality they not even close to being in the same league . Tobins right, thats B.S.​

 

[Spamcan]

Dang, such a bashing!! Now c'mon - from almost every MFG/Mkng Dept I've dealt with (SCUBA related or not), hedging #'s and claims is commonplace. Sure, some are more realistic than others. But who's to say the MFG of the Bladefish 5000 DIDN'T get 1 diver/snorkeler to get up to 3.5MPH at some point on some dive? Do YOU know for sure? NO! So let's stop the bashing with all the "I know this, you don't know that, they're claiming bulls**t, etc.". We weren't there for the testing, how they tested, what they used to measure speed with, etc. Only the MFG knows. And as far as their claim:

But the manufacturer claims they actually *Exceed* the performance of "heavier and more expensive" scooters.

Well, isn't just about EVERY other scooter out there heavier and more expensive? So if the Bladefish 5000 exceeds just ONE of those other scooters, then the claim above is valid. It's called semantics, a common part of marketing. Now, if they claimed it exceeded ALL scooters...another story.

Of course the 5000 will in no way be a replacement for tech scoots, or even some needs for non-tech. But it sure seems like a very good alternative for the recreational diver and instructors (IE, me). Let's be realistic in the general SCUBA market, if Joe Diver is given the choice of ALL scoots, the Bladefish (IMHO) would sure seem like a top choice - small, lightweight, easy to travel, etc. Sounds like a good marketing plan to me. And from the reports from people who have actually used it, it seems worthy! My concern is battery lifetime (not per charge, but when the batteries fail). Being they seem to not be user replaceable...that's my only red flag so far - in the scheme of how good they are for general users. Maybe they can be user-changed, or maybe they last 1000 charges. Only time will tell how that goes.

For me, I think I'll get one. I don't need to be carrying a 35-100lb behemoth (compared to the 5000) to do some nice recreational diving. And especially when teaching a DPV class.

 

[116fire]

Well in underwater hockey gear (mask fins snorkle polo cap) I can do 50 yards in 25 sec. I'm sure I could do it in 30 sec with one of these--so thats about 300 feet per min--kind of. hehe Perhaps the claim is for a very short distance, with fresh new batteries and a very small streamlined snorkler. What can a cuda do for a short burst with those freedivers? 400 ft/min? I like the way their wets suits ripple.

 

[cool_hardware52]

Dang, such a bashing!! Now c'mon - from almost every MFG/Mkng Dept I've dealt with (SCUBA related or not), hedging #'s and claims is commonplace.

That doesn't make it right.

But who's to say the MFG of the Bladefish 5000 DIDN'T get 1 diver/snorkeler to get up to 3.5MPH at some point on some dive?

I am, a surely as I know you can't fit 10 gallons of BS in a 5 gallon bucket. 210 watt motors can't tow a naked midget breath hold diver at 330 ft/ min.

Nobody can hold their breath long enough to accelerate to those speeds.
The drag alone, at 3.75 mph, which has to be resolved by the divers arms and hands would be nearly 150 lbs. Can you hang onto 150 lbs.?

Well, isn't just about EVERY other scooter out there heavier and more expensive? So if the Bladefish 5000 exceeds just ONE of those other scooters, then the claim above is valid. It's called semantics, a common part of marketing. Now, if they claimed it exceeded ALL scooters...another story.

Their claims are not limited to some vague "faster than the heavier more expensive alternatives" They specifically claims speeds of 3.75 mph for the Bladefish.

Tobin

 

[Matt S.]

Tobin's right. The manufacturer's claims are beyond what I'd characterize as harmless exaggeration.

It's OK to like the scooter if it does what you need. But why defend the manufacturer by trying to find technicalities in the ad copy? Here's a better idea... Hold them accountable to their claims. Make them earn your business by building a superior product and marketing it honestly.

 

[Gombessa]

But who's to say the MFG of the Bladefish 5000 DIDN'T get 1 diver/snorkeler to get up to 3.5MPH at some point on some dive? Do YOU know for sure? NO!

According to Phil, though the claims are based on "an actual test," notice how careful the wording is in the claim: "I just had a conversation with Gary over at Innovative. The estimated speed data provided for Bladefish was based on a 60 pound snorkeler. This is how the speed was estimated." Not measured, not determined, but estimated. Maybe it's semantics, maybe not. But with the extreme nature of the claim, I wouldn't be surprised if it was some kind of CYA hedge against saying "we actually hit 3.75mph in reality."

Tobin's right. The manufacturer's claims are beyond what I'd characterize as harmless exaggeration.

To me, this sounds like Ford claiming a Pinto has a top speed of 400mph. Could you conceivably get the car going that fast? Maybe. Should you state that as the vehicle's top speed? Probably not.

 

[ProfessorAronnax]

The BladeFish 5000 is a great little scooter-there just isn't anything that can come close to it's weight/power ratio and incredible ease of use. If anyone read back the 15 pages of this thread they'd find the divers who have actually used one love it. The divers who haven't don't.

 

[PhilEllis]

Innovative Scuba has a website now available for the BladeFish 5000. They continue to muddy with water with the speed claim, but I think the visual evidence of the real-speed video clearly shows it moves a recreational scuba diver along. This website is designed to give a little more information to a potential buyer.

BladeFish 5000 by Innovative Scuba

Phil Ellis
Discount Scuba Gear at DiveSports.com - Buy Scuba Diving Equipment & Snorkeling Equipment

 

[Gombessa]

If anyone read back the 15 pages of this thread they'd find the divers who have actually used one love it. The divers who haven't don't.

I didn't come to the same conclusion Divers (regardless of having tried it or not) who examine the quantitative claims of the manufacturer have taken issue with those claims, while those who have not tried it have reasonably refrained from making any unwarranted qualitative assessment of the device. Divers who have actually used it have stated such qualitative assessments (many like it, some don't).

There's no conflict here that I can see. Liking a product does not excuse an untrue statement of fact made by the manufacturer, and such statement being untrue does not necessarily detract from the enjoyment extracted from using it.