N3 vs Viso II

[mahonie10 0]

I'm looking to get my first digital alti. but can't decide between the N3 or the Viso II. Any comments?
Thanks

[trigger 0]

I personally use a N3 just because the display is slightly larger than the L&B Viso.
Also like the fact that N3 is rechargable via usb so no battery woes.
On a minus note the logbook data is suspect at best so if you're a bit geeky about freefall speeds etc take the logbook info with a generous pinch of salt ( wrist mount mine so opinions on my last point may differ ).
Plus points: Great visual alti
Useful for canopy control
Loud audible beeps ( If required )
Can be used has a helmet audible.

Have many friends that use the L&B Viso without complaint
So if you can live with a slightly smaller display and the need for the occasional battery change i'm sure you'll be happy.

.CHOP WOOD COLLECT WATER.

[LouDiamond 1]

They are both good pieces of kit, however, the Viso has to have one of the most complicated button sequence menus I've ever seen. Where the N3 screen menus are straight forward the Viso requires you to have the manual handy to reference how to change the settings. If I handed you a N3 without any instructions you could figure it out in a few seconds, the Viso, not so much.

"It's just skydiving..additional drama is not required"
Some people dream about flying, I live my dream
SKYMONKEY PUBLISHING

[DSE 3]

N3....battery life blows. I quit using it for that reason alone. The Viso will give a year + of battery life. N3, a weekend of active jumping.
N3 allows you to put your own audio in, and it acts as an audible, which the Viso cannot do.
I disagree with Scott about the menus being difficult; they're quite intuitive and not terribly different from the Optima or Altitrack.

Having both, I prefer the VisoII. If nothing else, look at the threads (there are dozens) about customer service from L&B found here on DZ.com

[phoenixlpr 0]

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I'm looking to get my first digital alti. but can't decide between the N3 or the Viso II. Any comments?
Thanks

For what purpose?

[hcsvader 1]

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I'm looking to get my first digital alti. but can't decide between the N3 or the Viso II. Any comments?
Thanks

For what purpose?

To determine altitude.

Have you seen my pants?
it"s a rough life, Livin' the dream
>:)

[milehigheric 0]

Haha that answer was always coming...

[NWPoul 1]

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I disagree with Scott about the menus being difficult; they're quite intuitive and not terribly different from the Optima or Altitrack.

I use Viso2 & optima2 and can change settings without looking into the manual but can't say that it's intuitive or userfrendly espetially in compare with Neptune

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Having both, I prefer the VisoII. If nothing else, look at the threads (there are dozens) about customer service from L&B found here on DZ.com

That's true, service & support from L&B just great

Why drink and drive, if you can smoke and fly?

[degeneration 5]

I'd be happy using either. They both show the altitude and that is what I want.

All the geek features, I'm not personally bothered about, that is what my protrack is for.

What would make me want to choose a Viso from the 2 options is L&B's customer service. It is quite simply the best in the world. They'll fix any problem pretty much in a way well beyond what you were expecting. The awesomeness of their customer service has made me decide to only use L&B for these sort of things.

Sky Switches - Affordable stills camera tongue switches and conversion adaptors, supporting various brands of camera (Canon, Sony, Nikon, Panasonic).

[Joellercoaster 6]

I have owned both, and they are both good at the things they do - but they do different things.

The Viso2 is an expensive but excellent digital visual alti. I still own one and use it on every jump.

The N3 is much more than that... if you don't care about all that other stuff, get a Viso. Otherwise, the Neptune wins.

(I'd consider getting one just to double as a spare audible, but that could just be me and my bad luck with audibles )

--
"I'll tell you how all skydivers are judged, . They are judged by the laws of physics." - kkeenan

"You jump out, pull the string and either live or die. What's there to be good at?

[JohnnyMarko 1]

I love my Viso II but yea, the menus are confusing as fook. The backlight is also pretty dull. And that damn beeping you can't turn off .

But I do love it and the L&B custy service is tits

[lifesatrip 0]

I would go with the Viso just for customer service reasons. I have dealt with both companies and L&B is fantastic. I have 2 OptimaII and the batteries last a year. I do about 170 jumps on them.

[DougH 270]

Viso all the way for me. I don't use the canopy audibles so all of the other Neptune functions are unneeded. I have Optimas for my audibles.

Battery life on the Viso is much better. Rechargeable isn't a huge seller to me if the time between recharges is relatively short.

Customer service at L&B is top notch.

"The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall"
=P

[bushwarp4 0]

My Viso II has bad habit of recording very inaccurate freefall info. If I were to go by the numbers my fastest freefall speed was almost mach 1 and almost 30 minutes of freefall time in one jump...

[trigger 0]

My N3 sufers with similar issues so i take all the speed stuff with a generous pinch of salt.
However as an altimeter/cp tool i couldn't be happier.

I,m sure the op would be pleased with either.

.CHOP WOOD COLLECT WATER.

[Rstanley0312 0]

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I'm looking to get my first digital alti. but can't decide between the N3 or the Viso II. Any comments?
Thanks

I have an Altitron which I love. Big numbers and it works great.

http://www.chutingstar.com/newgear_en/altitron-digital-altimeter.html

Life is all about ass....either you're kicking it, kissing it, working it off, or trying to get a piece of it.
Muff Brother #4382 Dudeist Skydiver #000
www.fundraiseadventure.com

[DSE 3]

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My Viso II has bad habit of recording very inaccurate freefall info. If I were to go by the numbers my fastest freefall speed was almost mach 1 and almost 30 minutes of freefall time in one jump...

Care to post a screenshot of that? Perchance is it displaying feet and you're reading meters?

Otherwise, could be a defective unit. L&B will replace it at any authorized gear store.

[pchapman 261]

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If I were to go by the numbers my fastest freefall speed was almost mach 1

Don't know about your unit specifically but:
Weird "maximum" numbers do show up on different devices. I trust average speeds much more than maxima. Even with some internal averaging, changes in airflow can cause weird effects. (Eg, the trace from my Protrack, mounted outside a helmet, shows say 160 mph maximum every time I track off from an RW jump -- something that clearly isn't true or I would have been kicked off bigways long ago.)

[nigel99 143]

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My Viso II has bad habit of recording very inaccurate freefall info. If I were to go by the numbers my fastest freefall speed was almost mach 1 and almost 30 minutes of freefall time in one jump...

Care to post a screenshot of that? Perchance is it displaying feet and you're reading meters?

Otherwise, could be a defective unit. L&B will replace it at any authorized gear store.

My Viso 2 records weird max speeds that I don't really believe - 180Mph on a normal belly jump and 80Mph max canopy speed on a Sabre 170.

I don't think I would recommend a Viso for a sub A license jumper though. I like mine under canopy, but I find the Galaxy a whole bunch easier to glance at in freefall.

I honestly think that as the OP lists 10 jumps this is something that should be fully discussed with his instructor prior to jumping with a different alti than the original training.

Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

[strife 0]

after I got my A, ive been jumping with an altitrack and a viso2 on the forearm mainly for bit more accurate readings under canopy