shearwater pursuit

[Burntchef]

thanks to exchange rate a small little box was delivered to work today. in it was my new dive computer the shearwater pursuit or the spoct model( Shearwater Pursuit Open Circuit Trimix) . there were a lot of factors that went into this decision since its not a cheap one but i finaly settled on the pursuit for these main reasons-

1- no lock out
2- full time back light
3- fully programable underwater at any point in the dive
4- local rep and owner
5- its what most of my buddies are using
6- ease of use

i was so anxiuos to get this new toy i went into work a hour early knowing it would be sitting on my desk and i would need that hour to ignore work and play with it. before it was shipped the latest updates were done for me so i turned it on and played away. within a few minutes i had set time, date, gasses, gradient factors, and back light choice.

there are kind of several models of the pursuit, what i mean by that is all pursuits are the same exact computer and as you need to upgrade it you just pay for the upgrade online and download it via a wireless device that looks like a usb. this is a really cool option in my opinion since you can by a nitrox version and as you move thru your training you pay as you go, all the way up to ccr with cell monitoring. paying for it upgrade by upgrade does cost you a bit more but in the end its about $25 extra per upgrade. looks like most upgrade cost around $250.

recently shearwater has been seeking there ce cert and was awarded it last month, the test is about the computer itself and its functionality, they do not test its deco program. from what ive read they basically ask the owner what are the limits of the unit then they go past those limits and the unit still has to perfrom perfectly for x amount of cycles. here is a quote of the test from bruce

"One of the first tests is the shockproof watch test. They drop a large weight on the front of your computer and make sure it still works. The front cover needs quite a lot of flex to take the impact without damage. The 1/4" of Lexan (bulletproof glass) on the front of the Pursuit handles it.

Then there are the dive depth ratings. The computer has to show accurate depths down to 110% of the rated depth. We're rating the computer for 14 ATA, so it needs to be accurate to 15.4 ATA.

Then there are the time ratings. It needs to start timing the dive within 5 seconds of passing 165 mBar and show accurate dive time.

Then they take the computer on 200 dives to the rated pressure and back one after another. I'm not a mechanical engineer, but I've been told that repetitive pressurizing and de-pressurizing causes fatigue in some materials.

Then there is the temperature test. You heat the computer to 50 or 60C (can't remember), then drop it in 2C water. If you use different materials, they all contract and expand at different rates. It can do nasty things including ripping stuff appart. That's why bridges have those rubber gaps. They allow for expansion and contraction."

yes this is a lot of info but for the money this should hopefully be the last computer i buy or should need for a very very long time. i will post some post dive notes as soon as i can, hopefully sunday.

[Burntchef]

a few pics

[mattwave]

Nice binky chef, you need to come out and test that thing on black rock this Sunday!

[defied]

This is a really nice comp. I've played with it here and there, just not in the water. My drool levels are up, and as soon as I finish collecting the gear that even gets me in the water, I will most likely pick one of these bad boys up from Tacoma Scuba.

In the mean time, it's tables for me.

Great review, thanks for the QA testing info!

D(B)

[Dmitchell]

You won't be disappointed with the Shearwater or with Bruce's service. I have the GF on my KISS, it's great and Bruce is always just a call or email away.

Dave

[Tom Nic]

I have the GF on my KISS,
Dave

Uh... you sure about that? What does GF stand for?

I thought it stood for Girl Friend?

Was this a No Hijack Zone?

[Dmitchell]

Gradient Factor! Though Girl Friend / KISS it kinda goes together. Don't know what the wife would think about that though!

[Paulicarp]

"To our wives and girlfriends, may the never meet!" :occasion5: --Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton