…after 5 years of service I am a little sad to decommission this device, as it definitely helped me to survive some intense deep dives.
I bought it back in 2010 mainly because of the super bright display. Then I started to love the V-Planner Live and I thought the no-button-design was a great idea.
Looking back the no-button-design is not as good as it sounds. It simply can not be used blind. In a critical situation you start erratically hitting your device to tell it what you want – bad!
The biggest design fault is the charging/upload-interface, which will most likely break over time and burden you with permanent oxidation and a near empty battery if you not charge between every single dive and keep the contacts clean and dry. Trips with no access to electricity have always be scary for me.
Last not least VPM-B/E is still very aggressive compared to most other dive computers of my buddies. Lynn told me: “Kurt, you will end up in the pressure chamber…”. That was after a dive with the same profile, just she was using a stage.
So I am going back to Suunto and use now the new EON Steel. I think it is the only company that still invests in own research as I am getting older and more cautious.
This is the profile of my deepest dive, where I thought: That’s it, I am going to die (there was a strong current down there and we were swept nearly a mile away from the planned exit).
The Fused RGBM generates exactly my dive profiles with more conservative ceilings, so it fits perfectly my style and hopefully keeps me away from the chamber.
Kydroon's Blog 