computer or no computer?

[Firemedic0822]

Hey everyone....I am new to the scuba world and I just got my PADI card in the mail the other day. I have most of my gear and I was thinking of getting a wrist mount computer. I have a buddy that is a tec diver and says that computers are useless and fail all the time. Any input would be greatly appreciated. I was looking at the uwatec aladan 2g. I can get a really good deal on a new one with a warranty for $259. Any input would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Darian

 

[Jax]

I LOVE the ScubaPro Uwatecs, and my hubby dives the TEC 2G. We've had Uwatec since 1999. The only time I've had a failure was when an old (10 years old!) battery died. The other failure was the infared link quit on my hubby's TEC -- Uwatec replaced it with a brand new TEC 2G.

That's what ScubaPro Uwatec does!

Disclaimer - I'm not an expert diver, but I am a computer/electronics engineer!

 

[Damselfish]

It's possible for a computer to fail but it's not a common occurrence. Some people don't like or use computers, but many do and find them extremely useful. If your buddy is making incorrect blanket statements like that I'm not sure I'd rely on their advice for much.

 

[Mr Carcharodon]

The Aladan Tec 2G is a good unit and it sounds like you are getting I deal. You will need some sort of the depth gauge and timer regardless. In my experience computers are quite reliable. Do check the battery indicator when you start up the computer and change the battery as needed. The IR interface for downloading is better than most too. Some time down the road you may want to do gauge mode and the Tec 2G can do that too. One thing to check though is that the numbers are not too small for you. Some realatively far sighted people have issues reading the 2G. That issue applies to other computers as well. Some are easier to read than others.

 

[Firemedic0822]

what kind of warranty does that computer have. i didnt think they had a lifetime on the computers

 

[SeaHorse81]

It's possible for a computer to fail but it's not a common occurrence. Some people don't like or use computers, but many do and find them extremely useful. If your buddy is making incorrect blanket statements like that I'm not sure I'd rely on their advice for much.

Nicely said. At about 150 of my own dives, all of which happened in the vicinity of various numbers of other divers, I've seen only one computer malfunction, which happened to be my own, and that was just last year. Another diver on the same trip had the same failure at the same time -- turned out to be a firmware problem that you'd never encounter unless you do four dives daily for a week.

Computers seem to vary widely in their appetite for batteries, so assume nothing about any computer based on the performance of any other, and always put in new batteries at the beginning of a vacation (do you want a $4000 vacation jeopardized for want of a $5 battery?).

I love my computer and wouldn't dive any other way, but I will also say it tempts me to be mentally lazy about dive planning. Much like the advent of calculators resulted in most people losing their basic math skills, dive computers can easily lull you into a false sense of complacency and lack of awareness of what you're really doing to your body when you dive. I think that maintaining awareness of tables is a good thing even if you don't really use them -- it's good to know what it is your computer is actually doing, rather than looking at it and seeing numbers without having a real sense of what they mean.

Happy diving!

 

[PatW]

Computers can be very helpful. The thing is that dive tables assume that you descend instantly to your maximum depth and stay there. So the dive tables are extremely conservative in their assumptions.

Dive computers can calculate on the dive the actual profile you dive. That way you have a far more accurate your nitrogen loading.

As far as reliability, my computer has been very reliable. But as noted above, they do require batteries.

 

[ApexLongimanus]

Hey everyone....I am new to the scuba world and I just got my PADI card in the mail the other day. I have most of my gear and I was thinking of getting a wrist mount computer. I have a buddy that is a tec diver and says that computers are useless and fail all the time. Any input would be greatly appreciated. I was looking at the uwatec aladan 2g. I can get a really good deal on a new one with a warranty for $259. Any input would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Darian

uwatec are great computers

i never had a computer fail. a statement that computers fail all the time is flat out wrong. they add another failure point but that is completely different story.

 

[NC Wreck Diver]

I dive an older model Uwatec Aladan Pro Nitrox. It has given me great service for years. I'm watching my battery going down to about 50%, so even though I don't want to send it back for the replacement sometime soon, it owes me nothing. My suggestion is that you should go ahead and purchase the Uwatec Aladan 2G. Your tec buddy might want to rethink the statement that they are useless and fail all the time. I also work in electronics, and it's not the case.

I would seriously know your tables. I carry mine in case my computer would fail, because I really dive with all the redundancy for everything as much as I can (I keep a watch on my console for a timer too). But I have never had a problem.

I've been a fan of diving computers since I had an EDGE (virtually one of the first diving computers, if not the first - circa 1986). It's now in my LDS so the instructor can show students the progression of computers over the years.

At the price you described..........I'd buy and dive two!

Safe diving to you.

 

[wantedule]

Like the others said, computers are very useful and i have one too, since 1990 . But it's good to planing your dive on the shore ,just in case and to know what's your comp. doing during your dive.
And for the deep dive it's nice to have some analog instruments along too, like depth meter and watch,and deco tables of course, lol ! Safety first !