Apollo87

That's awesome info! Thanks! It's the first I've heard of it and I'm kind of glad they have a way to check it. But I agree, the checking the locking mechanism would be a bitch on certain containers. Although, at my DZ, you can take a plane ride in the cockpit for the price of a hop & pop. I think.. It might be a $23 ride, but regardless, you could pay the extra twenty bucks, take it to altitude, and check it during your bi-annual reserve repack. Or wait, that could be a really bad idea... The plane is definitely going more than 78 mph. Hmmmmmm.... They must have a fail safe on that, right? What if you HAVE to ride the plane down because of an in-flight gear check? Sorry. I have a lot of thoughts...

Thanks, buddy! I'm actually kind of excited to get this thing. Although, if all goes well, you'll never hear from me again about how well it worked I really hope it only ever has to serve as an expensive accessory to my rig (fingers crossed). From what they told me over @ the Mars distribution center, these units have been in service over in Europe for years now with no complications or SBs. After ~4 years of use, they apparently haven't had a single report of any malfunction or misfire and all the container manufacturers I'm aware of are permitting use in their rigs. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think Cypres, Vigil, or Argus can say the same. I'm pretty sure every one of those companies had an SB out within 4 years. Just sayin... Can't wait to be the guinea pig, lol. Hopefully, these things turn out to be the shit. And I'm SUPER excited that the Expert version has X-mode (equivalent to Cypres speed) for swooping. But that's wayyyy down the road.

No, please don't tell him. (No offence, ftp) This guy has absolutely nothing to contribute. He's a troll and a broken record. Every other post is the same f*cking thing. Worthless... Not that I pretend to contribute, but it's frustrating when I'm trying to gather legitimate info from people who actually share objective, empirical information. I wouldn't be surprised if he wasn't old enough to skydive.

Haha. I don't understand ppl sometimes. This is the only thread I've posted on and I haven't pretended to know anything about anything other than what I've heard. I do most of my time reading and inquiring from ppl like yourself. I hope you weren't referring to me. I haven't complained about anything except this guy's contradicting statements. I'm genuinely trying to learn something here. Not argue or debate anything.

Please stop talking....just stop. The skydiving world has been well served by the AADs available. Any of the current ones are good despite scaremongers who pounce on every problem they have had. No device will ever be 100% guaranteed. I just checked your profile...blank. I'm assuming you are a regular here with a second ID for anonymous comment. As such I will take your opinion for what you consider it to be worth.... NOTHING. No device will ever be 100% guaranteed? Your words, so stop your whining and moaning about Cypres... Troll much? Why dontcha go-lurk somewhere else Stop replying to this guy. He's one of those. Oversensitive, overdramatic, argumentative, and always has something to say about something, worthless as it may be. This guy has argued with the most respected, knowledgeable people on dz.com. Just look at his past threads... I wish there were a way to flag people.

Like I mentioned in my earlier post, if I haven't gotten my shit together by 800ft, I probably shouldn't be skydiving, but if I HAVE to spend upwards of 1000 dollars on a piece of equipment to skydive (which will take some time to save), I would like to do a little research to find out some information on them. I'm not just gonna blow a thousand dollars on the coolest looking one... I'm splitting hairs because my $$ is valuable and so is my life. In my past life I did hardware and software design work with micro controllers and one project was an auto pilot for light aircraft. I see many similarities with some of the design considerations, in particular barometric sensors and accelerometers with AAD's. Many people in this forum are making that argument that the newer designs mean updated electronics which means that the device is better. While this would seem to make sense, I don't think it is the main factor. From my experience, writing and testing the software algorithms is the complex part, not the electronics. It took us many iterations of code to get a working design and I believe that the longer a product has been around the more optimized there software is. Assuming of course that the product company invests in continual improvement.

Your claim about the testing problem is the only one I can find on the web, and the only negative allegation based on data instead of opinion seemingly available.Would you please cite your source? I'd really appreciate it. Not for the sake of argument, but to satisfy my curiosity and help me make an informed decision on my life saving device. Thanks a billion! -Chris

F*ck it. I'm just gonna buy an M2. Correct me if I'm wrong, but this is currently the ONLY unit that hasn't had any known failures or fatalities, right? Granted, it hasn't really been tested enough (knock on wood). I've read many claims of Cypres units turning themselves off and, in a few cases, causing death. In Argus' argument, they said Cypres just calls them suicides, but that's the competitor, so idk where they got that info from. I can't remember the article, but I think one girl's family is actually sueing Airtec because she died due to a Cypres unit failing, or so they say, & Vigil admits to a missing cutter causing a fatality. I'm not sure how valid some of these claims are, so don't take my word for it. Regardless, M2 is new, cheap, and they've been making AAD's for a while. PLEASE correct me if I'm wrong about any of this. Especially if you have any info on a malfunctioned M2.

I have to disagree since I'd be buying a used cypres 2, a used vigil 2, or possibly a new m2. In any case, it's going to take some saving up and it'll be a while before I can afford one. I'm buying my equipment one piece at a time. I only have a main, alti, and container. As I'm saving $$, I'm gathering as much info as possible from people who know more than me. I'm not against a Vigil 2, either. Originally, that's what I wanted to get until everyone told me otherwise. I shouldn't have said "dead-set". It's just the one I've been wanting because everyone swears by them. I'm a little skeptical of their self-proclaimed flawless track record, but nonetheless, they seem to be the most reliable. I'm just bummed about the 3-6 wk down time for maintenance/testing.

Thanks! I really appreciate the comprehensive answer. I've never met such a massive group of people that genuinely look out for each other. Back to the topic, I'm pretty dead-set on a Cypres 2, but is there any reason I shouldn't take a serious look at the M2 (misfires, failures, etc..)? I'm a broke college student and I figure if I'm @ 800 ft & don't have my shit together, I probably shouldn't be skydiving. That being said, accidents happen, but I'm more frightened of a misfire or a 2-out situation than an unconscious or altitude unaware one. It'd be pretty nice to save ~$500 and get a few more years out of it as long as its reliable.

Why would being upside down make the AAD think it's 100ft lower than it was? I'm still a student so forgive my ignorance.