Gavin "Mini Me" vs. X-Scooter Sierra (standard).

[Vie]

Go out, assemble one of every type of scooter you are interested in, put them through their paces, and then make your selection. Any other method of evaluation is flawed. Scooter manufacturers are experts in their products and are very forthcoming with real information - from the source. Call Rodney, he's a very nice guy - talk scooter. Do the same with Ben, George and Alex, whomever you want. Just keep in mind that they are all selling something and, just like when buying a car, caveat emptor should be your watchword. The biggest thing is to get real data and real time on the trigger.

I agree that the ideal way evaluate the scooters would be to try them, unfortunately there's just no way that I can try them all here in Thailand. There are maybe four or five old Silent-Submersion (I think Rodney is now calling them Submerge) scooters here in Thailand that I know of, but borrowing them would not be possible. Matt London has a few Gavins down in Krabi and maybe in the future I might run into him long enough to ask - he is very difficult to contact via e-mail and impossible by phone. Anyway, I am really interested in the Mini-G and the X-Scooter Sierra which have not been brought over here yet...

 

[O-ring]

Sorry, I didn't take geographic challenges into account when posting. When we made this decision about a year and a half ago, we assembled every scooter type we could and spent some time with each. We were unable to find an SS representative, but have 2 local divers with SS UV-18s now, so we have a complete fleet locally. I guess the best you can do is find people that have experience with a wide range of scooters and go from there.

Best of luck!

We did this all at a local quarry - http://www.atlanticunderwater.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=35

 

[Vie]

When we made this decision about a year and a half ago, we assembled every scooter type we could and spent some time with each... I guess the best you can do is find people that have experience with a wide range of scooters and go from there.

So what was your conclusion from your evaluation of the X-Scooters, standard Gavin, Farallon and Mako?

Btw, I keep seeing pictures of the silver X-Scooter:

http://www.atlanticunderwater.com/gallery/displayimage.php?album=35&pos=5
http://www.dive-xtras.com/scooter/accessories/cameramountside1200.jpg

Is it made from a different material?

 

[O-ring]

So what was your conclusion from your evaluation of the X-Scooters, standard Gavin, Farallon and Mako?

For our specific type of diving we feel that the X-scooter is the best choice. We bought the very first production X-scooters and took a big chance with them, but in the end it worked out well for our team. We have 5-6 X-scooters, 2 gavins, 1 SS, and a host of Makos, Farallons, and Teknas.

 

[O-ring]

So what was your conclusion from your evaluation of the X-Scooters, standard Gavin, Farallon and Mako?

Btw, I keep seeing pictures of the silver X-Scooter:

http://www.atlanticunderwater.com/gallery/displayimage.php?album=35&pos=5
http://www.dive-xtras.com/scooter/accessories/cameramountside1200.jpg

Is it made from a different material?

The silver X-scooter (silver bullet) is the same aluminum as the rest of them, but lacks the black powder coat that comes standard on the X-scooter. It is one of the original demo fleet.

 

[Vie]

For our specific type of diving we feel that the X-scooter is the best choice. We bought the very first production X-scooters and took a big chance with them, but in the end it worked out well for our team. We have 5-6 X-scooters, 2 gavins, 1 SS, and a host of Makos, Farallons, and Teknas.

The Gavins you guys have are "standard" Gavins? Have you tried the Mini-G?

 

[O-ring]

The Gavins you guys have are "standard" Gavins? Have you tried the Mini-G?

Correct. The Gavins in our group are Gavin shorts (some have long tubes for cave diving also) - one is HDPE and one is PVC. We have not tried the Mini Gavin as it did not exist when we did our evaluation.

 

[Vie]

Correct. The Gavins in our group are Gavin shorts (some have long tubes for cave diving also) - one is HDPE and one is PVC. We have not tried the Mini Gavin as it did not exist when we did our evaluation.

Sorry for all the questions - what is the difference between the HDPE and the PVC?

 

[cool_hardware52]

The only scooter I have ever used is the X, so I can provide no comparative information.

One of the main reasons I picked the X was the motor Technology used. I own a machine shop. I'm surrounded with electric motors, spindle motors, servo motors, brush type DC, brushless DC, brushless AC, etc. ~100 motors. I've had the opportunity to work on, repair and replace lots of motors

Brush Type DC motors are a very reliable, mature technology, but they do require maintenance of the brushes.

Brushless DC motors require an electronic controller. Some see this as a "failure point" I see it as a benefit.

This controller permits "soft starts" or slow application of power. This is easier on the diver, and the drive train, lower peak torque.

This also permits the "electronic clutch" the X scooters have. If you jam the prop, the controller detects the rapid loss of RPM, and cuts off the power. This means the mechanical clutch is almost never actuated. The mechanical clutch in scooter drives can require service, and can fail, nice if you can avoid tripping the clutch.

Lastly the motor controller permits the "Trigger" throttle control now being included on the current X scooter. I haven't yet tried this feature, but I can upgrade mine by replacing the motor controller card. Very cool.


Tobin

 

[O-ring]

Sorry for all the questions - what is the difference between the HDPE and the PVC?

http://www.gavinscooters.com/specifications.htm

http://www.gavinscooters.com/faq.htm

http://www.silent-submersion.com/faq/index.htm