DPV Price vs performance (2024)

lermontov:

ahh fortunately for me i was looking at the wrong spec - the tech has 122m rating ( thought mine was a travel )

Click to expand...

See Also

STERN ePaper 24/2024 bestellenChair and Chief Executive Update May 2024SCHÖNER WOHNEN 07/2024 bestellenKnowledge Applications for Competitive Destinations: a Visitor Experience Value Chain Approach

There website says 105m BlackTip Tech

Either way I would not take that plastic tube with a webbing ratchet strap holding it together to 100m. Generally if your doing 100m+ its a serious dive and you need reliable equipment (sorry I would not classify a Blacktip as reliable). The last thing you want on a serious dive like that is the little voice in the back of your head second guessing if you scooter is going to implode.

I remember a couple years ago I was give some Nanight video lights to test sub 100m that I strapped to my scooter (Genesis) and even just the mental factor of having cheap lights and bringing them deep played a mental games with me that I did not like. Once I got underwater I started running all these "what if" scenarios in my head on descent. Like will they implode violently? will the glass lens shatter and part of it get sucking into my scooter propeller? will all the lithium batteries make some kind of electrical charge in the water? etc. etc. basically its not something you want going on in your head when you should really be focused on the dive. But yes once failed around 90m-100m and another around 130m-140m but nothing very exciting happened, they just filled with water.

Aside from all the comments others have made about a Black Tip not being comparable to a Genesis or Seacraft. Things like this are also what really define the difference between a Black Tip from a Genesis (or equivalent quality) scooter.

The other thing about Black Tip's vs high end expensive scooters that no one has mentioned is resale value. Ok so you can get a BT for $2k and for round numbers lets say a Genesis/Seacraft for $10k. You use it for 4-5 years and then sell it. Honestly how much is a 5 year old BT (if it even last 5 years) really going to be worth? Maybe $500. The Genesis or Seacraft on the other hand I'm sure you could easily get $7-$8k for it. High end scooters hold there value. Very similar to rebreathers. Everyone complains about how expensive they are but are they really?? If you buy a unit that holds its value then its just an asset. My last JJ I sold for $6k and it had 600-700hr on it, needed new cells ($300), and service ($70 in parts). I bought a new one beginning of October 2023 for around $7400 (comes with new cells and obviously does not need service). If I was done with diving would not have bought a new unit basically I lost $1400 over 5 years. That's $280 a year. Is a rebreather really that expensive if you end up selling it. Same goes for high end popular scooters.

GF99/99:

Generally if your doing 100m+ its a serious dive and you need reliable equipment (sorry I would not classify a Blacktip as reliable). The last thing you want on a serious dive like that is the little voice in the back of your head second guessing if you scooter is going to implode.

Click to expand...

This a million times over. It is usually not the equipment but that voice that screws up the dive. I have a major OCD and anything that causes that voice to come out is a "no for me, dawg."

GF99/99:

If you buy a unit that holds its value then its just an asset.

Click to expand...

I wish more people thought that way. If you run a financial analysis on scooters - I have - Genesis and Seacraft are quite cheap.

GF99/99:

The other thing about Black Tip's vs high end expensive scooters that no one has mentioned is resale value. Ok so you can get a BT for $2k and for round numbers lets say a Genesis/Seacraft for $10k. You use it for 4-5 years and then sell it. Honestly how much is a 5 year old BT (if it even last 5 years) really going to be worth? Maybe $500. The Genesis or Seacraft on the other hand I'm sure you could easily get $7-$8k for it. .

Click to expand...

So… buy a BT and lose $1500, or buy a Genesis and lose $2 - 3,000? And you’re saying that the option where you lose $2-3K is the one that makes better sense financially?

Also, I am highly skeptical that a 5 year old BT would only be worth $500.

And, how much money could you make if you buy the BT and invest the other $8K wisely for 5 years? Maybe you could even break even or turn a profit on your $10K, versus putting $10K into a Genesis and losing $2-3K in 5 years.

stuartv:

And, how much money could you make if you buy the BT and invest the other $8K wisely for 5 years? Maybe you could even break even or turn a profit on your $10K, versus putting $10K into a Genesis and losing $2-3K in 5 years.

Click to expand...

That's the analysis I've done. Genesis and Seacraft still came out on top. By "on top" I mean that they were slightly more expensive to own than BT. But the difference between between the DPVs more than makes up for the extra cost. To put it into a perspective, every time I go on a dive trip, it is $500 at the very least. $1000-2000 does not make dent in my overall scuba budget.

Also, you should exclude your scuba gear from "but what if you invest that $" attitude. Why? Scuba gear is play. It should come out from a separate budget. Not your rainy day fund. Not 401K. And if you must use a discount rate, make it a very realistic one. If you don't do that, then consider a different question "What if you could invest all $ you spent on scuba?"