Quote:
| Originally Posted by RobbieS Instead of asking what I should buy, why should I NOT buy an Apeks Quantum?
2 mix gas switching, user repacable battery at a good price.
Any reasons? |
OK ignoring the personal diving stile related opinion above
DON'T buy one
Why?
Because they have a reputation for not being reliable and because they don't make good bottom and depth timers.
I suggest you stick with the good old faithful Suunto Viper or (if you can afford it) the Sunto Vytec DS.
Why?
Reliable
Trust me the batteries ARE user replaceable
Good screen layout
Excellent download / dive log package (V1 is much better than the latest v)
Easyish to use
They do Nitrox
They make excellent depth and bottom timers.
I only mention the Vytec DS because it gives the option of accelerated deco. It isn't very good at it (Its actually crap) but it at least has a go.
I am probably being facetious when I say its crap. Or if not facetious than a tad elitist.
I did many a happy dive using a Vytec for accelerated deco using two and three gases. It worked fine but its rubbish deco profiles and daft time to surface figures drove me mad. Basically you had to pre plan the dive or you didn't have a clue for gas planning. It would only give deco info on the gas you were breathing so it told you you were going to die right up until the final shallow gas switch when it finally gave some useful Time to Surface info.
Then just for a laugh Suunto didn't give out ANY dive planning software that could cope with multiple gas deco.
Soooooooo you just have to guess or botch it with third party software.
Basically it worked but its crap for multi gas diving.
HOWEVER The Vytec is a superb dive gage and I still use one to this day to record my dive log.
My 2p is only ever buy two dive computers.
The first should be a Viper or a Vytec
The second should be a Shearwater Pursuit or (in a distant third) a VR3 and you can use the viper or the Vytec as back up.
As for the nay sayers who reckon you don't need a computer? Just ignore them the truth behind what they preach is far more complex than they make out.
ATB
Mark
Computers owned:
Marres Surveyor (Sold one still got the other)
Sunto Viper (Sold one lost one)
Suunto Vytec (Still use it today)
VR3 (Sold)
Shearwater GF (Sold because it was the size of a house brick)
Shearwater Pursuit (Use it today)
My back up is ratio deco (the kind that doesn't need a computer) using a Vytec in gage mode (No deco info just depth and time)
ATB
Mark