Tournesol2000
Contributor
Divesoft DNA review.
Thanks to the amazing customer service at Paragon Dive Store, I ordered the new Divesoft DNA (Divesoft Nitrox Analyzer) and I finally got to use it this weekend.
I am an OW recreational diver and do not have a lot of dives under my dive belt, but Nitrox was one of the first courses I took as I feel this is important to me. I have always used the dive shop analyzer for both local dives and the most often, travel dives.
I was on the fence about a couple of things. 1) cost was a huge factor. I was back and forth about having to pay extra for the cell, but then Ben @DiveTucson helped me resolve those concerns. Plus the size was a big contributor as well. The cell that is needed is a little cheaper than other cells out there and in a few years I will probably reach out to rebreather divers for their old cells. Hopefully that will work, but I will worry about that in a few years 2) using my cell phone to read the output instead of it being built into the analyzer itself.
In the end, for me, and my diving, I always have my cell phone with me on dive trips as a necessity, so I went for it. I know it makes it difficult to share, and there are other issues some people may have, but for me, it works. I do hope that, from a cost perspective and recycle perspective I will be able to find older cells from rebreathers on this forum when I need them.
It was very easy to install the cell and the battery. It is very compact and at times I thought it looked a little phallic, but that could just be my own issues
. The analyzer is compact and feels solid. Once the end caps are on, I do not feel they are loose or have concern with them. There is a bit of connectivity wire inside to connect the cell on one side and the battery on the other, but with care, I did not have a problem. The unit comes with a carry case which feels sturdy and is a nice touch. So overall impression is everything looks well made.
The app itself was at first a little annoying as there are several icons on the main screen with analyzer at the bottom, and for me, that is all I wanted, but then I saw I could remove the icons I was not going to use. Divesoft app is geared to their main customer base who are technical divers, so that is also why I found it annoying. I like the Keep It Simple ideology for apps but clearly there is more to the app than just nitrox analysis. The online manual is easy to understand and I had the thing running in no time. It took 10 seconds to analyze the gas and it matched what my LDS and I had read on their analyzer (Novar stick). I should also note, I have 2 cell phones. My primary cell and a travel cell. After installing the app in both and syncing the DNA via Bluetooth to my primary, I was pleasantly surprised to see that it also showed up in the second phone.
Peace to all and again, a big thank you to Paragon Dive store for their great customer service as usual.
Thanks to the amazing customer service at Paragon Dive Store, I ordered the new Divesoft DNA (Divesoft Nitrox Analyzer) and I finally got to use it this weekend.
I am an OW recreational diver and do not have a lot of dives under my dive belt, but Nitrox was one of the first courses I took as I feel this is important to me. I have always used the dive shop analyzer for both local dives and the most often, travel dives.
I was on the fence about a couple of things. 1) cost was a huge factor. I was back and forth about having to pay extra for the cell, but then Ben @DiveTucson helped me resolve those concerns. Plus the size was a big contributor as well. The cell that is needed is a little cheaper than other cells out there and in a few years I will probably reach out to rebreather divers for their old cells. Hopefully that will work, but I will worry about that in a few years 2) using my cell phone to read the output instead of it being built into the analyzer itself.
In the end, for me, and my diving, I always have my cell phone with me on dive trips as a necessity, so I went for it. I know it makes it difficult to share, and there are other issues some people may have, but for me, it works. I do hope that, from a cost perspective and recycle perspective I will be able to find older cells from rebreathers on this forum when I need them.
It was very easy to install the cell and the battery. It is very compact and at times I thought it looked a little phallic, but that could just be my own issues
. The analyzer is compact and feels solid. Once the end caps are on, I do not feel they are loose or have concern with them. There is a bit of connectivity wire inside to connect the cell on one side and the battery on the other, but with care, I did not have a problem. The unit comes with a carry case which feels sturdy and is a nice touch. So overall impression is everything looks well made.The app itself was at first a little annoying as there are several icons on the main screen with analyzer at the bottom, and for me, that is all I wanted, but then I saw I could remove the icons I was not going to use. Divesoft app is geared to their main customer base who are technical divers, so that is also why I found it annoying. I like the Keep It Simple ideology for apps but clearly there is more to the app than just nitrox analysis. The online manual is easy to understand and I had the thing running in no time. It took 10 seconds to analyze the gas and it matched what my LDS and I had read on their analyzer (Novar stick). I should also note, I have 2 cell phones. My primary cell and a travel cell. After installing the app in both and syncing the DNA via Bluetooth to my primary, I was pleasantly surprised to see that it also showed up in the second phone.
Peace to all and again, a big thank you to Paragon Dive store for their great customer service as usual.
