FT-50 or Altimaster?

[addicted 0]

I've done some searches here at dz.com, but I haven't found much info about the FT-50 altimeter. When you compare prices between the FT-50 and for example Altimaster2, the difference is great. Is the Altimaster worth twice as much as the FT-50 for "normal" skydiving use? I'll soon get my A (hopefully) and I don't want to spend all my money on altimeters

I'm a bit confused, help will be appreciated

[koz2000 1]

However, I have seen more problems with the FT-50 compared to the Alti-2. The price isn't that different, the Alti-III Galaxy is anywhere from $135-155, the Ft-50 is anywhere from anywhere from $120-$145. You're probably looking at the Altimaster-II, which is the large altimeter and about $250, and what most students or accuracy jumpers wear. The one most people have on their wrist is the Galaxy. Plus the Galaxy has a glow in the dark face, which is pretty nice when you are ready for night jumps..

check out Alti-2

______________________________________________
- Does this small canopy make my balls look big? - J. Hayes -

[addicted 0]

I'm not quite sure what I'm looking at, cause the dealer's site doesn't mention what kind of Alti-III this is... as i understand there are several Alti-III models, and Galaxy is probably the cheapest one?

Those problems with the FT-50 you refer to, what kind of issues are they? I don't want my brand new altimeter to show 5' when I'm at 3' and its time to dump..

[Tink1717 2]

I've been jumping and FT50 for three years and have not had a bit of trouble with it. I say go for it.

Skydivers don't knock on Death's door. They ring the bell and runaway... It really pisses him off.
-The World Famous Tink. (I never heard of you either!!)
AA #2069 ASA#33 POPS#8808 Swooo 1717

[kitof1976 0]

I also have a FT-50 I got fort cheap on Ebay and I never had a problem with it. Just make sure you store in a protective casing not just a the bottom of the gear bag and it should last you quite a while.
As far as I know... nothing wrong with them.

"We see the world just the way we are...

[ChrisL 2]

Quote

show 5' when I'm at 3' and its time to dump..

If you normally dump at 3 feet I'd say it doesnt matter which altimeter you get, cuz you wont be using it for long

__

My mighty steed

[koz2000 1]

I just returned a FT-50 for a customer,which had less than 100jumps on it since it would stick at different altitudes. The DZO even had a couple instructors jump it and they had the same problem. They would set it to 0' and on landing it would show 1500' My first altimeter was an FT-50 and it was always a several hundred ft off altitude.
The galaxy is the cheapest model but also the most common.
It also comes with a 10 year warranty and is made in the states (FL). If the FT-50 has to be serviced you have to pay about $25 everytime. You will have to have it serviced.
I don't know what dealer you're looking at but Square 1 , [url "www.flyvertical.com"> Fly Vertical and my store (for which I won't advertise in a post) sell them for $145. PM me if I can help you.

D

______________________________________________
- Does this small canopy make my balls look big? - J. Hayes -

[SkymonkeyONE 4]

Alti-2 has fantastic customer service and the free product servicing they do at boogies is brilliant.

Chuck

[Raistlin 0]

Quote

Those problems with the FT-50 you refer to, what kind of issues are they? I don't want my brand new altimeter to show 5' when I'm at 3' and its time to dump..

FT-50 has a nice look but seems to be fragile. Someone who repairs altimeters commented that FT-50 was the most fragile alti on the market. Mine locked up at about 8k right in freefall, and so did someone else's the next day, and we weren't exactly throwing them against concrete to get them to behave so :P

Wrong altitude measures are not infrequent as well.

Edit to add: My point being, take Altimaster for your own safety :)

[mr2mk1g 10]

Just to be fair to the FT-50, I've dropped mine a couple of times and it's never had a thing gone wrong (not to say it wont of course).

I have borrowed Altimasters on 3 occations. I have seen Altimasters break on 2 of those occations and the third time I borrowed one the neadle was vibrating heavily in freefall produceing a variance of several hundred feet. Apparently that was normal according to its owner.

I have a number of friends who have had their Sltimasters break and none who have had their FT-50's break.

I have only been in the sport a couple of years though, so I must bow to the greater experiance above me. I may just have been lucky/unlucky. I did feel these experiences should be shared though, even if they are outside of the norm.

Asthetically, FT-50's are lighter and have bigger numbers. They will read off by a hundred feet or two at altitude (where that height represents maybe a fraction of a seccond - so is hardly a problem).

[addicted 0]

Quote

My point being, take Altimaster for your own safety :)

Yes, safety is my #1 concern when it comes to altimeters. I can always get another one if it breaks, but i don't want a situation where I pull low and may cause an entanglement because of wrong altitude measures. I'll talk to some people at my DZ, but thanks to all of you for giving me your point of views. Now, MUST GET MY A SOON!

[lewmonst 0]

My FT-50 locked up several times for no good reason. I had to have our gear store ship it to europe... many weeks later it came back fixed. Then a few months later the same thing happened. I could tap it with my finger and the needle would jump 2000 feet... useless.

I've never had a problem with my Altimaster even though I have dropped it a few times. And Alti-2 has great customer servie, they're easy to get ahold of and they are at boogies doing free calibration and testing. I also have a Neptune now which I LOVE.

Alti is the way to go in my opinion. Everyone I know who's owned an FT-50 has ended up buying an Altimaster eventually.

peace
lew

http://www.exitshot.com

[miller 0]

I just bought an altimeter from freefall accessories and I am very impressed.

Lifetime transferable warranty. It doesn't matter who owns the altimeter, it's always warrantied.

Almost everything is custom, as well. Wrist mount, hand mount, pillow mount. They'll make anything you want.

If you're into the custom thing, they also make custom faceplates. I've seen some awesome altimeter faces with DZ logos, custom warning altitudes, etc.

They also offer a discount to students and instructors with valid credentials (sorry, I don't know exact details).

http://www.freefallaccessories.com

[pilotdave 0]

FYI, Alti-2 does custom face plates for free (plus shipping): http://www.alti-2.com/custom_dial_faces.htm.

Dave

[Kris 0]

I had an Alti-3 that died after only a couple of months. Granted, it was one of the first ones with the plastic case...

After that, I got an FT-50 and I had it for 3 years. I loaned it to students, it got knocked around in the plane, dropped more times than I can count....and it's still going strong. I ended up giving it to a good friend.

I've got a new Alti-2 Galaxy and it's a solid device that I think will last quite awhile. I know several people that are happy with theirs.

I don't think you can lose with either one, but I've been very happy with the service from Alti-2. And you can't beat the free checkups at the major boogies they attend.

Sky, Muff Bro, Rodriguez Bro, and
Bastion of Purity and Innocence!™

[tbrown 26]

I own a FT-50 and so far, so good. My landings aren't always so graceful either, so it's already had a few thumps.

It sounds like too many people are relying on their altimeters for pull altitude. They really shouldn't be. Like everything else, your altimeter is a BACKUP. I look at mine in freefall (I'm a relative worker) to keep track of when breakoff is coming, but once the formation breaks off, I don't even look at it again until after I've opened. For one thing, it's on the back of my hand, so I have to stop tracking to look at it. But more importantly, I'm looking around for other jumpers, my location in relation to the DZ, and the general SIZE of the ground. Everyone should have a sense of time passing and how big things are getting. I know what 3 grand looks like and I know 2 grand looks a whole lot bigger. The ground and the air around us is what we need to be looking at, not a reference that can get hung up and tell us we're still at 5 grand.

Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !