Suunto Cobra vs. Vyper

[ReefHound]

Time isn't as important as how much gas is left. If you dive enough, you can even get the approximate time from how much gas you used.

If you dive enough, you can even get the approximate gas from how much time you used.

So you look at your gauge at 100' and the display is blank... what do you think it would have said? What did it say last time you checked? Which was how many minutes ago?

A good diver has enough self awareness and checks often enough that he should already know within a small margin of error what the SPG is going to read, barring equipment malfunction.

 

[Grey_Wulff]

I recently went through this comparison and picked the Vyper becasue it did not offer air integration. I prefer an analog pressure gauge - if my computer fails I want to be able to continue to view my tank pressure.

Grey_Wulff

 

[beejw]

And what do you do it the battery fails in your cobra? Call the dive.
And what do you do if the battery fails in your Vytec? Call the dive.
I fail to see the diffrence.

True, but if you have a Cobra and the batteries fail and you were deep, say, 80ft you have to do a safety stop. And how much air did you have in your tank again,...oh wait, thats right, the batteries have failed. At least if the vyper fails all your missing is depth info, in which case you can then just follow your buddy and stop when he does. (my apologies if this sounds a little confrontational)

maybe im just biased, because im diving a Vyper with a Scuba Pro Mako console (SPG and Compass, no depth gauge). IMHO, this is the best combonation.

 

[ReefHound]

True, but if you have a Cobra and the batteries fail and you were deep, say, 80ft you have to do a safety stop. And how much air did you have in your tank again,...oh wait, thats right, the batteries have failed.

And I repeat... what do you think it would have said? What did it say last time you checked? A good diver has enough self awareness and checks often enough that he should already know within a small margin of error what the SPG is going to read, barring equipment malfunction.

The amount of air in your tank is what it is, whether your computer is working or not. You either have enough air for an ascent and stop... or you don't. If the batteries die, you call the dive and ascend. Make your safety stop. Even if you run out of air, you should be able to ascend slowly the last 15 feet without a breath.

What if the computer was working and you looked down at 80 feet to see only 100 psi? If you're a good safe diver that doesn't ever happen because you check your gauges regularly and know your SAC rate and dive time and don't let it get that low. Therefore, if you look down and see a dead display you would know you should have plenty of air for ascent.

 

[M.D.]

Interesting post. I'm looking into picking up a Cobra myself, and I thought it would be prudent to use redundancies, such as an analogue gauge and watch, as well as paying attention to tables.
Can I use an analogue SPG and use the Cobra AI; should there be enough ports on the first stage? How would that work exactly?

 

[richerso]

In my humble opinion, all of you make some interesting points. Well considered. In the end, I have to agree with ReefHound. A conscientious diver should have a good, firm feeling of how much air is in the tank, even if a SPG does crap out!

I own a Gekko. The only reason I didn't buy a Cobra is $$$. Having said that, I also prefer (just personal preference) an analog SPG. I am not making making any statements about the resolution or accuracy of either. I just prefer the human readable interface (HRI) of an analog gage. One of these days, I am still going to buy that Cobra though. I like gadgets.

I am more concerned about this whole discussion on the 'battery crapping out'. Who let's this happen? If my battery meter starts reading 50%, I start looking for the nearest convenient opportunity to visit my LDS and replace that thing! I have even been known to replace a perfectly 'charged' battery just because I was going on vacation and didn't want to chance the battery dying mid-way through my vacation. This despite the fact that my battery meter read 75% or better. Come on guys! Replace that battery at appropriate intervals whether it needs replacin' or not and the battery won't be an issue.

Like ScubaTexasTony, I too carry a HP hose and analog gage in the bag, just in case.
Peace. Y'all have fun divin'

 

[artusor]

Well, I have had an issue with the pressure reading on a Cobra. My first night dive, I noticed that my full tank was reading 2400lbs. Switched to another tank and got a similar reading. As I was watching, saw the pressure on the Cobra continue to drop even though there was no leak.

I took it to my LDS and they replaced it. (only had about 15 dives on it at the time.)

I thought when I bought it that AI would be a nice feature to have, but, most of the time I find myself paying attention more to the actual pressure than to the time remaining according to the computer. I like the Cobra, but, if I were doing it all over, I doubt that I would go with AI.