Astra

Been using it on my rig for about a year. nice blinking light easy to check really helps on the occasion i cant remember if i put it on or not. regular rigger inspection (with reserve pack) is all it needs.

It can be a little bulky on the outside, but no real sang points, everyone can see it so you will get lots of attention when traveling to other dropZones with usually 'hey did you get that from bill(or some random name)" no...or on the occasion yes (so a nice ice beaker).
Battery if left on will last around 10 days, then your going to need a repack and look for a new battery.

Not water proof (stay out of the pond)
if you froget to turn it on before the plane leaves you dont have an AAD on the descent.
Question: you want a Safe AAD, and more money to jump?

If yes go Astra.

Lots of folks with lots of opinions.
Here is the bottom line. Turn it on at the dz/departure airfield, fly to altitude and jump, land, turn off.
It is not designed to be anything other than a sport jump AAD. It DOES NOT EXPIRE!
No sending to be "recalibrated" every 4 years then shitcanned at 12. It self calibrates on the departure airfield/DZ everytime you jump.
Seems a no-brainer to me but then again I jump from perfectly good airplanes...
:)

The fact that you can turn it off under canopy is a big plus. This saves your battery when you don`t need the aad on. Another plus is that it fires higher then a cypres giving you more time to fix any reserve problems and land safely.
Only thing I don`t like is the color. :)

I had a similar case, than jondavidson, just a few jumps after I bought it with used rig. But for me, FXC charged $200 for replacing some part (Pin #1 on the Printed Circuit Board in the Altitude Control head) and recalibrating, plus $100 for shipping back to Europe. Let's add customs duty and VAT... Not nice at all..

I bought my Astra with a used rig. After several uneventful jumps, its LED stopped blinking while on the plane ride.

I returned it to FXC, who repaired it promptly at no charge, even though it was long out of warranty. They also sent me an owner's manual for free.

While of course I hope that I never have an AAD fire, I have confidence in the Astra. FXC's customer service, at least in my limited experience, is outstanding.

Jon Davidson A-46697

I have had my Astra for 6 years now. I have never had a malfunction but it has never misfired. I like the fact that in 6 more years I will not have to buy a new one. In six years the only amount of money I have spent on maintenance is $45.00! If I owned a cypress I would be out at least $275.00 by now and looking to replace it in 6 more years.

I purchased my rig used and it had an ASTRA on it. Not knowing anything about it, I did some research and like what I found out. I like the easy use of the ASTRA. Turn it on and it is on, just remember to turn if off after a dive to save on batteries. Other skydivers may look at you because the aad is visable and it looks like a student! I say so what! Open their reserve cover and you will probably find a Cypres. No matter if my aad is visable or not, at least I wear one.

I think that the Astra by FXC has been under-rated. FXC are more involved with the military side and for this reason 'saves' by Astra are not normaly recorded in the public domain.

There are a few stories about FXC 1200 mis-fires that seem to have been confused with Astra mis-fires.

Our club now use Astra's on their rigs, to-date none have had to be used, but I have all the confidence in this equipment after having talked to FXC, read the spec and talked to riggers.

Just because it is not 'main stream' should not cloud judgment.

My advise is, find all the facts, talk to people in the 'know' and only then , make your choice.

Mine was Astra :-)

After using the ASTRA AAD I feel that the ease of of the external on off and the battery sufficiency indicator light are two main reasons that this AAD is superior to most leading brands. The plastic cover over the on off switch looks sturdy enouhg to take haeavy abuse , but I feel that this is one angle ASTRA could improve on. The externally mounted indicator light allows fellow skydivers to know that you are wearing an AAD and that it is activated. this is also an advantage for jumpmasters. Overall I feel that the ASTRA AAD is a superior product.