****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
I bought my Leonardo when I discovered - a couple of weeks before being due to fly out on a dive vacation - that my Oceanic Veo 250 had developed problems with its display. Faced with a $200 bill to repair the Veo (nobody actually services these things, they just replace the entire module) I decided instead to take the opportunity to buy a replacement and keep the Veo as a backup if it turned out to be still functional.My budget meant that my choice basically came down to the Cressi Leonardo or the Suunto Zoop. I was initially skeptical of the Leonardo, as I really hadn't heard much about Cressi in general, and certainly had never seen one of their computers, but after reading reviews and watching video demonstrations of both products, I opted for the Leonardo.After my initial dive trip with the new computer, I'm happy that I made the right decision. A key requirement for me is that my gear has to excel at its primary purpose, and for a computer, that means displaying the key information that I need at any given time, without having to dive through secondary screens (pun intended). The Leonardo passes that test with flying colors - before, during, between, and after dives, the key information I need is displayed right there on the main display, and secondary information is mostly but a single button press away.Speaking of single button presses, of course a single button is all you get on the Leonardo. Some reviewers have taken issue with this, but I found it to be just fine. Yes, there is no way to go back if you overshoot your FO2 setting, meaning you have to press the button another couple of dozen times to "go around again", and you cannot hold down the button to rapidly advance (as I was used to with the Veo) because "press and hold" means something different to the Leonardo, but the operation is very straightforward and quite logical once you get used to it. I spent a few minutes per day playing with the Leonardo before heading off on my trip, and never even needed to refer to the "cheat sheet" once I was there.Another plus was that the alarm of the Leonardo is louder and clearer than the weedy little "meep" of the Veo. My hearing ain't what it used to be, and I have never once heard the Veo underwater, but I could hear the Leonardo just fine while submerged.Would I recommend the Cressi Leonardo? Absolutely, without reservation. It's a great basic computer for the recreational air or Nitrox diver. It doesn't have all the bells and whistles of the more expensive computers, but it does what it needs to do, and it does it very well.Oh, and it turns out that my Veo does still work after all, but after using the Leonardo as my primary computer all week, the Veo will remain relegated to the backup role.So far I've done 10 dives with this computer. It's great. It's way better then the Zoop. The single button is awesome, easy to use, the computer functions are learned quickly and the computer is layed out in such a way that it's a pleasure to look at. The pre and post dive screens are engineered to perfection. Actually I've been diving with this computer on my wrist and the Zoop in a gauge set and I don't even look at the Zoop. There is one thing i don't like. The accent rate indicator. If I swim up 3 feet to look at a fish it starts beeping at me and I intuitively stop to look at the computer. If I raise my arm, it yells. There hasn't been a dive that indicator hasn't yelled at me and I am conservative. Other than that the machine is awesome great design.Makes the diving experience so much easier! Easy to use and pretty much works for you - I really like the auto start function so when you go down around 3 feet below the surface it starts automatically and tracks all you need to know. It also tells you on your accent to do your safety stop and I really liked being able to see water temp and depth during my dives. It does have a cover over the screen so water gets behind it and dries so makes some spots but that is only an issue on the surface and not below and you need it so not to scratch the surface of the watch. I will not dive without a computer now and this one for the price is spot on! Great for entry level to more advanced but if you are a pro and want more info then maybe spend a lot more and get one with more features. I only dive on vacation and maybe every year or two.I like it better than the $800 dive watch it replaced, took it on about 30 dives so far no problems, the light is a bit weak, that's my only super minor issue, if you don't want to spend 10 hours trying to figure out how to use yoru dive watch get this one, you can literally just jump in the water and its intuitive as heck, very good design, I'm a recreation diver with about 100 dives in my logI bought this for a Cozumel Mexico scuba trip. Went on 6 trips down to 86feet deep. No issues.Complaints: Very long wrist strap (but not a deal breaker)Would of liked easier menus & temp indication on main screen, not the "partial o2 reading". It does have temp indication but buried in the device, need the manual to help navigate menus to find it, but was able to get it for my log book once on land.There are arrows in the center of the watch to show speed of acceding & tell you to slow down, going to safety stop, very nice too, with the 2 min countdown. The watch starts around 17 feet it seemed for safety stop.Light for my night dive was nice. Quick click & it momentary stays on.Overall for somebody that only doing 20 max dives, this worked great.Works really nice. Have some issues seeing it under water (probably should re-read the manual). Watch isn't as intuitive as I would expect although I really like having it and the alarms so I keep within the control limits. Band is HUGE (long) but don't be too quick to cut. It will come in handy if you have to wear a 7 mil wetsuit! I probably don't use all the capabilities although I'm a beginner diver and it helps me remember the key ones to make my dives safe!Overall, this watch is perfect for me. I dive casually when I travel, but definitely wanted my own computer. This computer is on the less expensive side, making it more desirable for me. The cons for me are the fact that it is huge, and it's ascent alarm is super annoying. I can't even empty my BC without it going off. This could be easily fixed if you started wearing it on your right wrist, but I just could not get used to that. So, instead I use the release valve at the shoulder to release air. Otherwise, this computer does exactly what I need it to do, and is reliable.LA verdad es que estaba contento con él hasta que he intentado conectarlo al portatil para descargar las inmersiones tras comprar la base de conexion. No me reconoce la base ni el ordenador ni puedo trasferir datosMuy buena relación calidad precio, y un producto con la calidad de cressi, a un precio muy bueno. Damos información de la que creo que necesito ( de momento...)Great dive watch for the money. Easy to set up and has the nitrox option as well..bought my wife the pink version. Had for 3 years 55 dives and had to change battery only once.No da mucha confianza que te venga envuelto en una caja de zapatos de Nike...This Dive Computer is great! So easy to use - manual is very easy to follow. Easy to read under water and alarm is loud enough to get your attention!A must have for avid divers!
