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Lost $250 on a crappy underwater comms unit that died in 3 dives
Picked up one of those cheap OTS comms boxes off eBay for a salvage job up in Port Angeles. Worked fine on the first two shallow dives but on the third one it just started buzzing and then went dead. Pulled it apart and the seals were basically paper thin, not meant for real pressure. Now I'm out the cash and had to borrow a buddy's old Aquacom for the rest of the week. Anyone else get burned by bargain gear that looked good in the specs?
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luna_craig581mo ago
I was just reading about this exact problem in a dive gear forum last week. Some guy had the same thing happen with a different cheap brand, said the O-rings were basically cosmetic. From what I gathered, those units are fine for pool practice or really shallow stuff but they don't have the kind of pressure-rated seals you need below 30 feet. The specs probably listed depth ratings but didn't mention the seals are just standard rubber. Your mileage may vary, but I've heard enough horror stories now to save for the good stuff.
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