jetpilot Sea Doo Explorer X Sea-Doo Sea Scooter

I started with the lower end units (dolphin first and then the aqua ranger). All three Sea Scooters work well. The kids have really enjoyed using them in the pool. The Dolphin is great for our youngest (9 years old). The Aqua Ranger was a step up from the Dolphin and the teenagers love it, so we decided to really step up in price and by the Explorer X. As compared to the two lower units, the Explorer X is clearly professional grade. The kids love it in the pool. It works as advertised and has 3 speeds that you can control by squeezing the triggers. We have had no problems with the unit during the first week of use. A few things to consider when deciding between the different sea scooters and especially the Explorer X. The Explorer X is HEAVY. It weighs over 30 pounds and thus a small child is going to have a tough time getting this to the pool. Once in the water of course, the unit is practically weightless. While this could be seen as a downside, for an adult, the weight is no big deal and most of the weight is the battery which in a way is a good thing - since you want to have a long run time in between charges (it is rated for a 2 hour run time, which I have not validated). The second "issue" is that it is relatively more difficult to charge this battery than the battery in the dolphin and the aqua ranger. In the lower end models, you snap off the back cover (cone) and plug the battery into the charger - pretty simply. In the case of the Explorer X, if you are lucky, you unsnap the 4 clips, remove the back cover (cone) and sort of rock the battery out of the unit. Since the battery is heavy, this is not for a child to do. Once removed the battery pack is rested on a charging station that comes with the unit. That is the best case. In the worst case, the back cover (cone) does NOT come off when the clips are released due to a vacuum built up inside the unit. There is a procedure that is explained in the manual. It seems silly, but following the procedure did work perfectly. It involved, releasing an air lock, placing a special rubber band around the clips and then taking an airpump (supplied with the unit) and blowing the air into the airlock. Once again, this sounds complicated, but quality and professional gear does have its complications. All in all, it is a great unit. For simplicity and ease of use with kids, I might suggest the Aqua ranger, but if you are not on a budget and there is an adult to maintain and charge the battery, this Explorer X s awesome.

First off, I want to thank Amazon for their super handling of my refund request. They've earned themselves a loyal customer for years to come!My buddy and I bought a pair for and were very disappointed with the performance. At no point did we achieve speeds anywhere near the advertised 3.3 mph. In fact, we did some fin vs. scooter races and the fins always won with minimal effort. So why have the scooter at all?I'm pretty sure the problem is the drag from all our extra cold water gear. I dive with a 8/7 mm semi dry suit, steel 130 tank, and 20 pounds of lead. My buddy dives with a dry suit, steel 100 tank, and 30ish pounds of lead. I expect the warm water experience would be quite different, but it's too heavy to take with me on vacation.Some web sites have described this as suitable for technical diving. I seriously doubt that.Maintenance seems pretty simple -- no more difficult than some of the flashlights I've owned.

I bought this on an impulse buy - it was on sale on amazon. What a killer deal! In any case I took it out along side a bladefish 5000 this last weekend and I had three tanks to play with. I took the sea doo first... it was awesome. No leaks, no problems adjusting trim, and it was quite powerful. Not as powerful as a Mako but on high it could keep up with my mutant fast dive partner in his cressi fins with no problem. He dove an aluminum 100 and I had an 80. He also secretly has gills and barely sips air while going boat speeds after diving for 20 years. Before now I never get close to him on dive time but with the sea doo I literally outlasted him. So little effort on the scooter because it goes fast enough you don't need to kick to make up for it like the bladefish.I was impressed the whole time and it brought a smile on my face how effortlessly it floated completely neutral while I was working underwater. The second dive was on the bladefish - a big let down - it is nothing like what is advertised and this sea doo kicks its tail on speed and power. (I would imagine though not on reliability - sea doo has had issues in the past but i'm sure i'm the one customer to not get a lemon... knock on wood)In any case - the third dive - the bladefish sat on the boat. My sea doo definitely made it to the 1 hour mark no problem. When I got home - the pump they give you helps you pop off the top so no pulling - the battery is a verticle charge so you just drop it on... very nice guys.One word of caution - the bladefish has zero maintenance - lube an o-ring every now and then and then plug it into the wall. The Sea Doo is a bit more. You have to lube the o-rings and you need to pull out the battery and charge it after every dive. Battery maintenance has some rules and you need to let it charge longer than the bladefish. The bladefish you can even charge in your car for 2 hours and then hit the water again. What a great snorkel toy!The sea doo is more like a traditional torpedo scooter - if you are planning on getting a pro model later - the sea doo will get you prepared for what to expect. I can't vouch for reliability - something I would imagine the bladefish would win - but for the price Amazon had it for (I won't say the price) I couldn't resist trying!UPDATE: Dive #3 from shore was nearly an hour in length and my trusty explorer X did an excellent job. I had so much fun and I am still loving the removable weights to make it the perfect trim. It is made of plastic so you have to be more careful that a $4000 dpv but come on - this thing is under $1000 and is a lot of fun. (and the grill over the propeller is probably an excellent idea for the average scuba diver who needs to get used to the prop and would otherwise mangle an expensive computer or gauge console - or end up servicing their scooter way too early) I can't wait to try dive #4 - I'll keep you posted.UPDATE: I've taken this guy out on several dives since my last post. Always a blast and I have to say all I do is re-lube the rings, recharge the battery.... rinse.... repeat. Sometimes the battery can be a bit fidgety but if you wait a bit after plugging in the charger (maybe 10 seconds) before placing the battery on it - seems to charge perfectly. I took it out the other day just being lazy snorkeling to catch some fish to show my sons. What a great buy. I've had zero problems. (just remember to always charge your battery once a month or so since it is not lithium!)I'm still very happy with my purchase and I am so glad I took the leap. I've been over 100 feet with this one many times and I've never had a leak. (hope it stays this way)