New Liquivision X1 Battery Policy !

tdzao

We are happy to announce that there is a new policy for the Liquivision X1 battery.

After months of experiments, Liquivision has found a method to change the battery in the X1.

The X1 now comes with a 3-year warranty on the battery, and after the warranty has expired, the X1 can be sent back to have the rechargeable battery replaced. Due to the absence of any O-rings in the X1, the battery change is complicated and costs more than 'traditional' computer battery changes. After the battery is changed, the X1 is then re-sealed through an elaborate process and pressure tested. The fee for a battery change after the warranty has expired is US$400.

To summarize:
- If the battery fails during the first 3 years, the battery will be replaced free of charge (shipped to Liquivision at your cost).
- If the battery fails after 3 years, the user can send the unit in for a battery change, and pay the fee.
- The new policy applies to all existing customers as well as all new customers.
- The design life of the battery is 10 years, and we are still highly confident that the vast majority of batteries will provide useful dive time for that length of time.

The details can be found in the formal warranty on our website.


Eric Fattah
Liquivision Products

Reefhugger

You just eliminated my biggest objection to buying your unit. Smart move...I was just sending off my order to another company. Hmmm have to rethink...

Bruce Robertson

Dsix36

This is Great and very welcome news. Is it safe to assume that the replaced battery will then have a new 3 yr warranty?

Your hard work and diligence in this matter is appreciated.I expect your sales to pickup as a result of this new also.

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tecdivertraining

thats great news, now the product should sit alongside it main rivals without the battery being the major deciding factor, as it was for most when choosing which computer to buy.

if anyone is interested in Thailand in getting an X1 PM me as I am planning to order a few units by the end of the month.

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divelermentov

well 400 us - still a bit for a battery, not sure if this is really tipping teh scales towards buying the x1 over lets say a vr3.

but these are only my .02

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mempilot

OK, I'll be the devil's advocate here. I have a hard time believing this is a good deal.

The battery is rated at 10 years nominal. No one ever sees nominal battery life in a rechargeable due to many reasons. The laptop computer manufacturers know this to be true. 50 to 75% of nominal is more like reality.

Let's say you pay $2000+ for the X1/software/tax and the battery takes a dive in year 5. Now you have to either chuck $2000 in the trash which would have cost you $400 per year to use, or invest another $400 for the battery change. This could be a never ending cycle, and there would be very little value in a used X1, since the buyer wouldn't know when the battery would finally give out leaving a $400 bill to replace it. That means a new X1 is only worth $1600 and dimishing as soon as it comes off the shelf.

The competition, say a Shearwater CCR/trimix computer is only $1600, and the battery can be replaced. Rumor has it that it may also run VPlanner Live in the future. The VR3 HD with pins for CCR/trimix comes in at about $2000 as well. Both of these hold pretty high value on the used market if you ever need to sell them.

I really like the small size of the X1, and I also like the VPlanner Live function. But, when you look at the potential cost, if something new comes out in 5 to 10 years, with the X1, you are stuck with a computer that will cost you $400 on top of any normal depreciation just to make marketable on the used market.

It's a brilliant computer with a bizzare approach to maintenance. Battery replace cost that is 20% of the cost of a new unit, and a much higher percentage of the value of a used unit, in my opinion is a deal killer when the competition's battery replacement is 2% or less.

????

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DeepBlueInnovation

Even worst case scenario if the battery took a dive the first day after the warranty period I would still be happier owning the X1 than the competition.

• The X1 is intuitive to use
• the visibility all the time is brilliant
• I don't have to worry about flooding the unit every time I change the battery
• The size is excellent
• I get everything I need in one hit - no $200 for a pc download kit that should be standard
• the tap functionality works - no buttons = one less failure point

I have owned a VR3 but have only seen other's Shearwater units. If the X1 remains as reliable as it has been thus far then I don't know why you would want to buy either of the other units compared - if you are not taking into account the PP02 functionality.

Cheers,

Ben.

mempilot

Ummm. OK

Agree with you on everything there except the tap function being one less failure point, but these are all defineatly the benefits of the X1 the cost of ownership were even remotely in the same ball park.

But:

Here is a simple 10 year cost of ownership for the three units assuming 50 dives per year, one battery change in the X1, and 1 battery change per year in the other two. I'm assuming the depreciated value of each computer is 50% of new at the end of 10 years. The Shearwater costs almost 40% less to own over the X1.

........ New..... Deprec.. Bat Cost.. Cost/Dive
X1.... $2000... $1000... $400....... $2.80
VR.... $2000... $1000... $100........ $2.20
SW... $1600... $800.... $100........ $1.80

If the battery takes a dive in an X1 between year 3 and 10, the cost of ownership goes up to over 50% higher than the other two, making the cost per dive about $7, or about the same as a DIL fill.

I'm not saying it isn't a good computer. I'm saying it isn't a great deal.

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MEM "Da Pilot"

Black holes are where God divided by zero.

"If at first you don't succeed, don't dive silent."

"Would you mind not shooting at the thermo-nuclear weapons." ~ Vic Deakins

"Donkey's kill more people annually than plane crashes."

DeepBlueInnovation

I see what you are saying, I guess I just have a different perspective. The cost doesn't worry me as much as reliability which is the reason I said "if it remains as reliable as it has been thus far". I know this contrasts with my comment about the additional charge for the download kit - but I just find the VR3 charge for every little feature policy annoying.

Cheers,

Ben.

p.s. My yearly dive calculations would work out at least 120

Lancer4545

I knew you'd weaken.....

Tap......Tap, Tap.....Tap, Tap, Tap.....

Lance

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