Inexpensive comparable BACKUP dive computer ....

[locdoc11]

I plan on getting my advanced open water and Nitrox ratings.

 

[doctormike]

No one was required to buy anything. The i300 was included equipment from the dive shop for the course. It seemed like a decent computer so I bought one as part of my setup. I knew I was going to start diving again and wanted some decent equipment

Gotcha.

 

[Neilwood]

AFAIK the I300 is a decent enough computer and will serve your son well (I haven't got one). My issue with the LCD watch (and even slightly bigger) types is visibility. I had a Cressi Giotto and to read it in other than clear blue water involved the backlight which meant holding a particular button for a period (IIRC it was 3 secs) which would activate the light for 20 secs. Fine when finning along but try to do this ascending a shot line when trying to use the inflator to dump air or hold on - not so easy.

The Perdix is in a different class of computer though in all departments - build quality, usability, visibility etc. If you have the money, I would wholeheartedly recommend them. My lightbulb moment was on a dive with my buddy (who had an EON Steel) I could read his computer better in the murky green water we often get from 3m better than mine at a quarter of that distance.

 

[scrane]

It seems the old Backplate/Wing Evangelism has been replaced by Shearwater Enthusiasm. I think an i300 or Oceanic backup (or Primary!) is just fine for those who realistically understand their needs.

 

[doctormike]

It seems the old Backplate/Wing Evangelism has been replaced by Shearwater Enthusiasm. I think an i300 or Oceanic backup (or Primary!) is just fine for those who realistically understand their needs.

Not really evangelism, just responding to a post.

The guy said he was considering a Shearwater and an Aqualung, and asked for people's thoughts. Two of us thought that the Shearwater was a quality item, and told him that. That doesn't mean that the Aqualung is bad - I don't know anything about it myself.

For 99% of the divers in the world (including the guy who asked the question), literally ANY current dive computer is "fine". But telling him that wouldn't be very helpful.

 

[BoltSnap]

Not really evangelism, just responding to a post.

The guy said he was considering a Shearwater and an Aqualung, and asked for people's thoughts. Two of us thought that the Shearwater was a quality

The "evangelism" is there as a general comment and not specific to your or other comments in this post. I have been reading it and seeing it here on SB for the last 2 - 3 years.

 

[RIHappyDiver]

While those guys can speak to the Shearwater, I can speak to the i300. I use one as a backup to my Geo 2. I had some problems with my first one, but this unit is doing great, so I feel confident that it will work well for you and your son for basic, advanced and Nitox. The only thing I don’t know is how well you can match algorithms between the Shearwater and the i300, which is strictly Pz+. If the Shearwater can adjust to that, then great. If it would adjust better to something like DSAT, an Oceanic may be better, as it does both Pz+ and DSAT.

Erik

 

[Colliam7]

It seems the old Backplate/Wing Evangelism has been replaced by Shearwater Enthusiasm.

The "evangelism" is there as a general comment and not specific to your or other comments in this post. I have been reading it and seeing it here on SB for the last 2 - 3 years.

I think that many if not most divers develop personal affinities for particular gear configurations as well as specific brands and models of gear, be it BCDs, regulators, PDCs, fins, masks - you name it. That is human nature. And, when divers find something that they really like, they are going to be genuinely enthusiastic, and they are probably going to proactively share that enthusiasm with others. Call that evangelism if you wish. At least one major company (Adobe Systems) uses that very term - actively and positively - to recognize internal product advocates, on the basis of their 'deep knowledge' of a particular product line AND their ability to 'share . . .'enthusiasm with the public at large.' There is nothing at all wrong with that evangelistic behavior with regard to dive gear. If someone has a different point of view, perhaps they should actively articulate their point of view, and the bases for it, with equal enthusiasm, rather than simply criticizing the enthusiasm of others for a different product.

I am not a Shearwater owner. But, what I have read suggests that they are currently actively involved in PDC development and innovation. Quite a number of divers / friends / dive buddies, whose judgement I respect, and whose skills and experience I admire, seem to be very enthusiastic about the Shearwater product line, specifically the Perdix. And, they all seem to offer very tangible reasons for that enthusiasm. That gets my attention. But, what particularly captures my interest is the readibility of the Shearwater screens. I am a LiquiVision X1 owner (and user). If that PDC was still available, I would be an evangelist for it, irrespective of price, because it is the most readable computer I have ever used. It was not inexpensive by any means, it had some initial problems with screens and sensors, but I still describe it as the best computer I have used. Because it was just that - for ME. During its commercial life, one criticism I heard about it was cost. And, that was fair - it wasn't inexpensive by any means. Another 'criticism' was that some people preferred buttons to the 'tap' functionality (3-axis accelerator) of the LiquiVision line. Again, a fair comment, and a reflection of personal preference. But, I have never heard competent criticism about performance, about algorithms, etc. So, it was a computer ideal for those who wanted readability - particularly in poor light - and specific functionality. If someone was a new diver, looking for their first PDC, I would often say, 'The X1 is probably more computer than you need, possibly more than you may ever need. But, you will be hard-pressed to find something more readable.' I see a lot of that in Perdix evangelists as well. Should they recommend it as a PDC for a new diver? Why not? If someone thinks another PDC is better for that new diver, they can and should say so, and say why (cost, functionality, reliability, whatever you think makes another computer a better choice). Don't simply complain that others have recommended a Perdix.

On the related topic of BP/W evangelism - I am one of those evangelists. I have very specific, tangible reasons why I recommend that divers consider the acquisition of a BP/W - (negative) inherent buoyancy, weight distribution, trim characteristics, modularity, adjustability, and cost to name a few. All of those are specific, tangible reasons that a diver may wish to consider a BP/W. Notice, I didn't mention brand. I readily acknowledge that a BP/W configuration may not be best for all divers. Some people simply don't care for the 'feel' of a BP harness, some people prefer the surface positioning characteristics of a jacket BCD, some people are inherently negatively buoyant and are best served by a positively buoyant fabric BCD. But, that doesn't mean that I should not recommend that individual divers consider a BP/W and find out for themselves what works for them. I have ~15 BCDs - jackets, back-inflates, 'soft' backplates like the Dive Rite Trans-Pac, 'hard' metal backplates, specialty (sidemount) rigs, lighter travel BCDs (like the Express Tech ), etc. I can make all of them work for me - the diver makes the gear work, not the other way around. But, I have preferences based on MY experience with regard to BCD performance in a variety of diving environments, with various gear configurations (single, double, whatever), and my preferred rig for recreational (and technical) backmount diving is a metal BP/W. What I find rather silly is when those who recommend an alternative BCD are bothered that another diver recommends that a poster consider a BP/W, at the same time that they are subjectively recommending their own personal favorite brand and model of rig. If you have a recommendation for something that you think is better than a BP/W, great. Give your recommendation, and WHY - specifics - it is better, don't simply complain that I or someone else recommended a BP/W.

Likewise, if you think a particular PDC is better for an inquiring diver (novice or experienced), state what that PDC is, and WHY it is better, rather than lamenting that someone else has recommended a Shearwater.

 

[BoltSnap]

I think that many if not most divers develop personal affinities for particular gear configurations as well as specific brands and models of gear, be it BCDs, regulators, PDCs, fins, masks - you name it. That is human nature. And, when divers find something that they really like, they are going to be genuinely enthusiastic, and they are probably going to proactively share that enthusiasm with others. Call that evangelism if you wish. At least one major company (Adobe Systems) uses that very term - actively and positively - to recognize internal product advocates, on the basis of their 'deep knowledge' of a particular product line AND their ability to 'share . . .'enthusiasm with the public at large.' There is nothing at all wrong with that evangelistic behavior with regard to dive gear. If someone has a different point of view, perhaps they should actively articulate their point of view, and the bases for it, with equal enthusiasm, rather than simply criticizing the enthusiasm of others for a different product.

I am not a Shearwater owner. But, what I have read suggests that they are currently actively involved in PDC development and innovation. Quite a number of divers / friends / dive buddies, whose judgement I respect, and whose skills and experience I admire, seem to be very enthusiastic about the Shearwater product line, specifically the Perdix. And, they all seem to offer very tangible reasons for that enthusiasm. That gets my attention. But, what particularly captures my interest is the readibility of the Shearwater screens. I am a LiquiVision X1 owner (and user). If that PDC was still available, I would be an evangelist for it, irrespective of price, because it is the most readable computer I have ever used. It was not inexpensive by any means, it had some initial problems with screens and sensors, but I still describe it as the best computer I have used. Because it was just that - for ME. During its commercial life, one criticism I heard about it was cost. And, that was fair - it wasn't inexpensive by any means. Another 'criticism' was that some people preferred buttons to the 'tap' functionality (3-axis accelerator) of the LiquiVision line. Again, a fair comment, and a reflection of personal preference. But, I have never heard competent criticism about performance, about algorithms, etc. So, it was a computer ideal for those who wanted readability - particularly in poor light - and specific functionality. If someone was a new diver, looking for their first PDC, I would often say, 'The X1 is probably more computer than you need, possibly more than you may ever need. But, you will be hard-pressed to find something more readable.' I see a lot of that in Perdix evangelists as well. Should they recommend it as a PDC for a new diver? Why not? If someone thinks another PDC is better for that new diver, they can and should say so, and say why (cost, functionality, reliability, whatever you think makes another computer a better choice). Don't simply complain that others have recommended a Perdix.

On the related topic of BP/W evangelism - I am one of those. I have very specific, tangible reasons why I recommend that divers consider the acquisition of a BP/W - (negative) inherent buoyancy, weight distribution, trim characteristics, modularity, adjustability, and cost to name a few. All of those are specific, tangible reasons that a diver may wish to consider a BP/W. Notice, I didn't mention brand. I readily acknowledge that a BP/W configuration may not be best for all divers. Some people simply don't care for the 'feel' of a BP harness, some people prefer the surface positioning characteristics of a jacket BCD, some people are inherently negatively buoyant and are best served by a positively buoyant fabric BCD. But, that doesn't mean that I should not recommend that individual divers consider a BP/W and find out for themselves what works for them. I have ~15 BCDs - jackets, back-inflates, 'soft' backplates like the Dive Rite Trans-Pac, 'hard' metal backplates, specialty (sidemount) rigs, lighter travel BCDs (like the Express Tech , etc. I can make all of them work for me. But, I have preferences based on MY experience with regard to BCD performance in a variety of diving environments, with various gear configurations (single, double, whatever). What I find rather silly is when those who recommend an alternative BCD are bothered that someone recommends that a diver consider a BP/W, at the same time that they are subjectively recommending their own personal favorite brand and model of rig. If you have a recommendation for something that you think is better than a BP/W, great. Give your recommendation, and WHY - specifics - it is better, don't simply complain that I or someone else recommended a BP/W.

Likewise, if you think a particular PDC is better for an inquiring diver (novice or experienced), state what that PDC is, and WHY it is better, rather than complaining that someone else has recommended a Shearwater.

I hope that you and others will remember what you are stating above when I, or others, mention their preferences (for me it is SP and Atomic regulators as examples). It isn't as "nice" and sanitized on SB as you mentioned above, it does become annoying and "evangelistic" to the point of condemnation and ridicule of other people's opinions and disrespect and attack of other vendors' products and technologies here. It happens so often and to the extreme and not only in regards to Shearwater, it also includes BP/W (the favorite), etc. What is amazing is that the users of these products are in the extreme minority compared with more traditional products worldwide.

Take it or leave, the above extreme "evangelistic" attitudes prevalent here on SB, including anti-LDS, has driven practically all vendor support from the forum as well as LDS presence (with some exceptions).

 

[Compressor]

Welcome to SB locdoc11. Take your time acquiring equipment as you will know more on your own liking after you make a lot more dives.
There are many options available and that's part of the fun.