Best Dive Watch/Computer

What is the best dive watch/computer that can be worn above water and has a built in compass.

Some candidates are D9 and Aeris Epic.

Any others that are better than these?

Suunto has a great reputation.

The D6 has the same functions without a remote tank sensor, so compass, two mix computer etc.

I suspect that more divers have used Suunto computers than any other brand, certainly in Europe. I don't know anyone who has been disappointed.

Tim

B)

I've stuck with Suunto and I've not been disappointed at all. I started with a Spyder, moved on to a Stinger and gave the Syder to my then, 8 year old son. I recently bought a D9 and transmitter which is very 'photographer friendly' apart from the compass function which has to be periodically activated requiring the use of a hand which is usually loaded with a camera... So I still prefer to use a conventional wrist compass which is 'always there' to glance at.

Suunto after sales is excellent and a little while ago my son's Spyder had a button stick so I sent it back for fixing. "Motherboard u/s sir. Needs a new module and Spyders are obsolete now." "Oh" (getting glum) I replied... "But we can replace the old module with a Stinger module though". So my son now has a Stinger (in a Spyder case) and the 'upgrade / replacement module only cost £40.00!

HTH, another Tim

I have the aeris and really like it.

Its my second Aeris and I liked the first enough to stick with them. The older model (not wireless) is now with my daughter and still working well.

As to whether is better than another brand, I cannot say.

Aeris tends to be more liberal in the N2 loading calculations compared to Suunto overall but I am not certain of the 2 you listed.

Here is a link to a recent test of the 2 brands but not of those 2 models. From previous test results I have seen, models are similar across a brand for N2 loading calc's but vary between brands.

http://www.scubadiving.com/upload/images/p...chambertest.pdf

I tend to prefer a liberal computer and be conservative by not getting close to the edge. You might want to include which you prefer in your consideration.

The batteries are easily user-changed in the Aeris. Not certain about other brands.

Note: Unless you cancel the FO2 50% default, you have to set the nitrox concentration between each and every dive. If you forget, the computer gives you 50% O2 AND 79% N2 which essentially makes your computer useless for that dive. You also cannot observe your mistake once in the water, come to the surface, hold your arm out of the water and correct the mistake at that time - guess how I learned that one? Frustrating!

Aeris is not the only brand that does this.

I find all that annoying since when I am when diving with nitrox, tanks are almost always close enough that I do not have to change settings between dives on a given day. So that default is cancelled on my unit.

I am willing to be responsible for making sure I have the right concentration entered.

What is the best dive watch/computer that can be worn above water and has a built in compass.

 

Some candidates are D9 and Aeris Epic.

 

Any others that are better than these?

I find the D9 great for diving - but unless you've got a wrist like the hulk, it may be too large for comfortable surface wear as it's about 1/2" thick.

Um, better than a D9? Never heard of such a thing... if someone has, please let us know!

I use a D9 and only complaint is that the computer battery is not user changeable, it has to be sent back to suunto for a change. the transmitter is user changeable. No battery level display like the cobra, only says battery ok or low (when it is time to change) I am getting towards 3 years on the battery and will have it changed before the next trip as I wouldn't want it to fail during the trip.

It is a very conservative computer (safe)

I have the UWATEC Smart Z as my primary computer and a Suunto D6 as a backup/watch.

UWATEC came out with the Galileo recently that costs close to $2000 but there are deals on the Smart Z which I would highly recommend. The Smart Z display is much larger and easier to read than the Suunto D9/D6, the only function that the Smart Z does not have is a compass and safety stop countdown.

Gary

I use a D9 and only complaint is that the computer battery is not user changeable, it has to be sent back to suunto for a change. the transmitter is user changeable. No battery level display like the cobra, only says battery ok or low (when it is time to change) I am getting towards 3 years on the battery and will have it changed before the next trip as I wouldn't want it to fail during the trip.

It is a very conservative computer (safe)

As someone who's had a flood as a result of a 'user-changeable' battery on a console computer, I wouldn't think that's a huge downside. Granted not all user-changeable systems are the same, and we do seal up housings all the time with low fail rates. But for a computer that doesn't have the same huge bulky seal arrangement, especially in a wrist-wearable size, I'm willing to let someone else do it so I get the pressure test along with the battery.

I like Suuntos and have had several. However, I had problems with my Suunto in Canada. It had me safety stopping at 10m (30ft) and at the surface at 4m (12ft). Most disconcerting. Starting your surface interval while stll shooting on Browning Wall. It wouldn't give reliable depths on any of the dives that day. Then the next couple of days it was fine. Then the day after screwy again. I'd put reliability above style in future purchases.

Anyway, still away. When I am back I will ask Suunto about it. Presume it is a faulty/fowled depth sensor.

Alex

Suunto's depth sensor issues are famous. Every one of my Suunto computers (Cobra, Vytec, Stinger, Mosquito) have done that. It's an intermittent problem. It stays activated for days. Only way is to take out the battery to reset it. Still because of the RGBM algorithm with deep stop and various profiles, I tolerate it. I dive with 2 computers so I've never had a trip ruined by it, but it is frustrating. The longevity of Suunto products is suspect to me.

I've seen the Mares Nemo and MC series have the same algorithm so I may switch once my present Suuntos die. They are due anytime

Hi there,

I have had similar problems with Suunto computers, specifically, the resin cased/plasic/rubber strapped ones (Vyper/Vytec etc.)

I managed to pin in down to the fact that the activation mechanism on these is a wet sensor on the back of the module. This is a separtate mechanism from depth sensor. If the computer is over tightened (particuarly over a bulky suit), water cannot reach this sensor. this can cause the computer to activate at depth and hence give random results. It is also random!

A simple fix is to punch some holes into the boot to allow water in!

On a separate note, I have just started to test a D9 wireless function with my Inon strobes. I had some bad experiences with wireless computers (air Z's) and strobes some years ago. The good news is that the D9 seems cmpltely unaffected so far. I'll keep you posted.

All the best, and hope the above helps

Adam

Not a watch style computer, but the compass function on the Galileo Sol works great. A great computer though I can't say any computer is worth that much money.

Yes I love my Galileo but I also use a stinger as my watch and back up computer. The main reason I bought the Galileo was for the user upgradable battery. I currently have 215 dives on it this year with only 1 battery icon now out. The most I ever got from a stinger battery was 225 dives so it looks like it will be a large improvment on that.

I would think that it would be better to use a Uwatec watch style computer as a backup. They could run the same dive program then.

I would think that it would be better to use a Uwatec watch style computer as a backup. They could run the same dive program then.

Uwatec does not do a watch-style computer. The Scubapro Xtender is made by Seiko and has a very different algorithm.

http://www.divernet.com/cgi-bin/articles.p...uter+watches+...

http://www.divernet.com/cgi-bin/articles.p...+Galileo+Sol+...

Suunto's depth sensor issues are famous. Every one of my Suunto computers (Cobra, Vytec, Stinger, Mosquito) have done that. It's an intermittent problem. It stays activated for days. Only way is to take out the battery to reset it. Still because of the RGBM algorithm with deep stop and various profiles, I tolerate it. I dive with 2 computers so I've never had a trip ruined by it, but it is frustrating. The longevity of Suunto products is suspect to me.

I've seen the Mares Nemo and MC series have the same algorithm so I may switch once my present Suuntos die. They are due anytime

Maybe I'm just lucky then. I've had my ancient Suunto Solution for 17 years, never had a problem with it other than several changes of battery, which I do myself. Then again I'm a firm believer in 'If it ain't broke don't fix or replace it'. Similarly my wife and has had her Uwatec Aladin Pro just as long without any problems either, so maybe it's only the gadget laden new stuff that fails, after all don't Engineers believe that 'if it ain’t broke, it doesn’t have enough features yet!'